"Cry of the Raven" by Morgan L. Busse

About this book:

  “Wife. Warrior. Lady of Two Worlds.

    As War Looms, Will Her Power Be Enough to Save the Ones She Loves?

    Lady Selene Ravenwood has come into her full power as a dreamwalker--a power greater than any in history. She embraces her new role as Nightwatcher, able to intercede for her people in the dream world, but the dark shadow of war draws ever closer. 

    Working together, the Great Houses come up with a plan to secure the borders from the approaching Dominia Empire. But dissension, conflict, and suspicion threaten to destroy their tenuous treaty, and as the empire burns a path across their lands, Damien Maris starts to lose his ability to raise the waters, leaving the lands vulnerable to the empire's attacks.”


Series: Book #3 in “The Ravenwood Saga”. Review of Book #1 Here! and #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- Prayers; Talks about the Light (God figure), praying to him, trusting him, & following him; 'H's are not capital when referring to the Light; Witnessing to others about the Light; Many mentions of the Light, having faith, & giving loved one over to him; Mentions of prayers, praying, & Thanking the Light; Mentions of those with gifts (Damien & Selene) offering their gift up to the Light (similar to worship) & praying for their people; Mentions of monks, their chanting, an abbey, priests, & a temple; A few mentions of a festival about the Light; A few mentions of people wishing the Light to be with others on their journeys; A mention of someone following “some of the tenets of the Light”; A mention of seraph from ancient stories that made supplications to the Light; 
             *Note: Each of the seven Great Houses have a special gift (some control water, others fire or the earth, and Selene’s house is able to get into others’ dreams) and some believe in gods of some form, the “old god/god of old ways”(called “the Light”), and others believe in “the Dark Lady”; The gifts each house has are from the Light to protect their people; The House Ravenwood’s patroness is the Dark Lady and it is their belief in her that gives her power (Lady Ragna is spending a lot of time with her so her powers can grow); Fighting the Dark Lady in the dreamscape (Light vs Darkness, up to semi-detailed); Selene slips into others’ dreams, talking on the form of a raven and can change back into her human form; The dreamwalker gift of House Ravenwood can be used to encourage people or manipulate them; Mentions of souls & some being dark and some being light; Mentions of the Dark Lady, Lady Ragna being close to her, & the dark priest receiving messages and prophecies from her; A couple mentions of seeing those who have passed through the veil & seeing them again; A mention of a place being Hell; A mention of a hellish sound. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘for Light’s sake’, a ‘Lands’, three forms of ‘Light/Dear Light’ (used as the beginning of a sentence), and four ‘dart’an’s; A man is called the “back-end-of-a-wyvern”; A mention of a curse (said, not written); A bit of eye rolling & sarcasm; Seeing deaths (including loved ones, up to semi-detailed); Fighting, Seeing killing, Being attacked, Being burned, Pain, Injuries, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Nightmares (up to semi-detailed); Damien struggles with using his gift to harm or kill others (even if they are the enemy, up to semi-detailed); Damien is grieving his parents and brother & Selene grieves her sister; All about many mentions of wars, fighting, a razing of an empire, & murders; Mentions of deaths, murders, killing, assassins/assassinations, & drownings (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of bodies, blood, how they died, burning the bodies, & the smell (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fires (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of attacks, fighting, injuries, pain, passing out, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of threats; Mentions of nightmares & people being put into a deep sleep (by the Dark Lady); Mentions of hatred; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of deaths from a plague & grief/grieving (for parents, a father, a brother, a sister, & a mentor); Mentions of throwing up; Mentions of a woman’s mind being shattered and her becoming “like a living corpse” as she can’t do anything (Happened in Book #1; *Spoiler* Selene goes into her mind and shows her the Light and then she passes away peacefully *End of Spoiler*); A few mentions of alcohol, drinking, & feeling drunk; A few mentions of wyverns being injured (up to semi-detailed); A couple mentions of slaves/slavery; A mention of a suicide mission; A mention of someone losing a hand in a battle (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of a young girl being slapped.
 
 
Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch, a hand kiss, three cheek kisses, a neck kiss, three not-detailed kisses, three barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and four semi-detailed kisses; Touches, Embraces, Cuddling, Warmth, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Remembering touches & embraces (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace; Noticing & Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); Selene & Damien share a bed (multiple times, but there is also a mention of them putting on their clothes the next morning; also a couple mentions of them missing the other being next to them in bed); A man covets Selene and her power; A man touches Selene’s cheek & she slaps him away; Mentions of an affair & an illegitimate child from it (the man makes also offers for the woman to stay the night with him); Mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of blushes & winks; Love, being in love, & the emotions.
 
-Selene Maris, around age 19
-Damien Maris, around age 24
                   P.O.V. switches between them, & Lady Ragna (x3), Raoul (x2), Caiaphas (x1)
                                                        384 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I can see why this is a popular series, as the plot is very unique and interesting. I think the bottom line, though, for me, is that I’m not the right reader and not a fan of certain parts that I mentioned in my review of the second book. I do have to say, this trilogy has been an adventure and I’ve enjoyed seeing what would happen next. Had there not been a fade-to-black scene in the second book, I would have kept this series in my bookshelves. (Side note: If you loved the whole “River of Time” series by Lisa T. Bergren, you would most likely be completely okay with how it’s handled in this book.)

I like Selene a lot more in this book. She’s more confident and well-spoken. I actually wasn’t a fan of seeing Lady Ragna having doubts…I kind of just wanted her to always be evil? That’s probably terrible to say, but her doubting her goals makes her feel wishy-washy, which she was not that way at all in the prior books. However, I was very satisfied by the ending. 

This fantasy trilogy has been a journey and I’m glad that I finally read it and can mark it off of my TBR. It definitely had its good points and not-so-good points in my eyes, but overall, I can see why so many love it. Older girl who are big fantasy fans would probably enjoy this series the most. 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

 

 

"Flight of the Raven" by Morgan L. Busse

About this book:

  “Outcast. Stragner. Lady of House Maris.
    Will her new life in a new land set her on a path from which she can’t escape?
   Selene Ravenwood, once the heir to House Ravenwood, is now an exile. On the run and free of her family's destiny, Selene hopes to find the real reason her family was given the gift of dreamwalking. But first she must adapt to her new life as wife to Lord Damien Maris, the man she was originally assigned to kill. 
    While adjusting to her marriage and her home in the north, her power over dreams begins to grow. As the strongest dreamwalker to exist in ages, her expanding power attracts not only nightmares but the attention of the Dark Lady herself.
    With a war looming on the horizon and a wicked being after her gift, Selene is faced with a choice: embrace the Dark Lady's offer, or search out the one who gave her the gift of dreamwalking. One path offers power, the other offers freedom. But time is running out, and soon her choice will be made for her.”


Series: Book #2 in “The Ravenwood Saga”. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- Prayers; Visiting an abbey & a temple; A festival for the Light; Talks about the Light (God figure), praying to him, trusting him, & following him; 'H's are not capital when referring to the Light; Selene longs for the light, but thinks her soul is too dark; Damien shows Selene how he worships the Light with his gift; Selene asks a lot of questions about the Light (*Spoiler* she prays to the Light for others, thinking that is isn’t worthy of asking for anything on her behalf but maybe the Light would listen if she interceded for others; Towards the end, she asks the Light for help and the Light talks to her *End of Spoiler*); Damien protects Selene by calling on the Light; Selene wonders what happens to someone when they die; Mentions of the Light, having faith, & why he allows bad or sad things to happen; Mentions of prayers, praying, & Thanking the Light (mentions of prayers to the Dark Lady as well); Mentions of Damien’s time of prayer and offering his gift up to the Light (similar to worship); Mentions of monks, their chanting, an abbey, & a temple; Mentions of a pilgrimage; A mention of a man believing the Light exists but nothing more as he’s “seen too much darkness”; A mention of a blessing; 
             *Note: Each of the seven Great Houses have a special gift (some control water, others fire or the earth, and Selene’s house is able to get into others’ dreams) and some believe in gods of some form, the “old god/god of old ways”(called “the Light”), and others believe in “the Dark Lady”; The gifts each house has are from the Light to protect their people; The House Ravenwood’s patroness is the Dark Lady, who tries to chase after Selene in her dreams to keep her in her control (Selene wonders if she’s been punished for forsaking her house, but does not want to worship her; There’s a war going on inside of her to who she will choose, up to semi-detailed); To keep people from sharing house secrets, they are “bounded” to their house (and consort as well) and if they go to speak of the secrets with someone else, now words will come out of their mouths; Selene slips into others’ dreams, talking on the form of a raven and can change back into her human form; Amara has no interest in the Dark Lady or the Light, believing that religion was a foolish pursuit (*Spoiler* But goes on a pilgrimage to get to a place to murder someone and starts listening about the Light; She acknowledges the Light at the end *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of souls & some being dark and some being light; Mentions of the Dark Lady, the sanctuary for her in the Ravenwood home, & the dark priest receiving messages from her; Mentions of worship (a couple towards the Dark Lady and a couple towards the Light); A few mentions of people looking like spirits in the dream world; A couple mentions of seeing those who have passed on the other “side of the veil”; A mention of the Dark Lady being capable of many things and have power, but cannot give gifts; A mention of someone wishing for the Dark Lady to be with another on a trip. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘by the Light’ (used as the beginning of a sentence), a ‘stupid’, a ‘who in land’s end’, two forms of ‘confound it/confound it all’, two unfinished ‘what in the…’s, two unfinished ‘what the—‘s, and fifteen ‘dart’an’s; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Seeing a loved one die (up to semi-detailed); Seeing a dead body (up to semi-detailed); Causing a death (via a dream and seeing the body in real life, Amara, up to semi-detailed); Fighting, Being attacked, Pain, & Injuries (up to semi-detailed); Being slapped (Amara, from her mother); Nightmares (up to semi-detailed); Social drinking (wine at dinners, both main characters drink, though Selene is careful to not drink too much); Selene has a dream where she’s standing on a cliff and a voice tells her to take another step and end it; Selene feels guilty keeping something from Damien (she tells him a few days later); A handful of lies (from Selene and Amara); Damien is grieving his parents and brother (recalling seeing his brother pass away, barely-above-not-detailed); *Spoiler* Selene grieves her sister *End of Spoiler*; Sibling rivalry (Selene & Amara); All about many mentions of nightmares & different things Selene has seen in them (including a man who was killed by a wolf, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of wars, fighting, & a razing of an empire; Mentions of deaths, assassins/assassinations, & drownings (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of bandits, attacks, fighting, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of threats; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of lies; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of alcohol & drinking; Mentions of deaths from a plague & grief/grieving (for parents, a father, a brother, and a sister); A few mentions of executions; A few mentions of a woman’s mind being shattered and her becoming “as good as dead” as she can’t do anything (Book #1); A few mentions of poison; A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of slaves/slavery; A couple mentions of passing out; A mention of a plan being suicide; A mention of fires burning those who have died because of a plague.
 
 
Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch, four hand (up to semi-detailed) kisses, three forehead/head kisses, a cheek kiss, two almost (semi-detailed) kisses, two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, six semi-detailed kisses, and two detailed kisses; Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Cuddling, Hand holding, Heat, Warmth, Smelling, & Flutters (up to semi-detailed); Remembering touches & embraces (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (mainly Damien towards Selene, up to semi-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing & Staring (including muscles, barely-above-not-detailed); Damien walks in on Selene bathing (he doesn’t see anything because of her hair, barely-above-not-detailed); Selene & Damien share bedrooms (at first, one of them sleeps on the floor and a few other times, she falls asleep next to him in bed); About halfway, Selene wonders if she is ready to do more than just kiss with Damien (there are scenes of her thinking about it and if she’s ready; Later that chapter, there’s a fade-to-black scene of them going into his bedroom and the next chapter starts with them waking up in bed together, missing clothing; They continue to sleep in the same bed for the rest of the book); Mentions of an affair & an illegitimate child from it; Mentions of the main couple sleeping together (in the same room and bed, mostly blushing and being flustered when it’s brought up); Mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of blushes; A few mentions of jealousy; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A comment/misunderstanding of joining someone while washing up (didn’t mean it that way and so he awkwardly clarifies); Mentions of the main couple getting dressed & the other not being ready to see them in a “state of undress”; A mention of a woman’s curves; A mention of a group of men being coarse and vulgar. 
 
-Selene Maris, age 19
-Damien Maris, age 24
                                P.O.V. switches between them, Amara (x7), & Lady Ragna (x2)
                                                        396 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

 **

My personal Rating- 

**Due to a fade-to-black scene, this rating is a case-by-case bases. See below.

This book definitely toed the line for me, personally. 

While I’m interested in the plot and this world (the author has made it well, it’s very fleshed out and detailed), this book went past my comfort zone on some elements. Mainly the romance and the Good vs. Evil fight.

Let’s discuss the second one first: Because of the Dark Lady is chasing Selene in her dreams, it kind of felt like a spiritual warfare book, which I’ll admit, I typically stay far away from those kinds of stories. I can handle all kinds of suspense books, but spiritual warfare is my personal tipping point. 

Secondly, the romance: There’s a fade-to-black scene of our main couple and while they’re married at the time, I still don’t need to know about their kissing leading to the bedroom. It’s an unpopular opinion, but one I stand firm on. I think it rubbed me the wrong way even more because they were not equally yoked then and being lead by their emotions and feelings for the other. I wish that would have at least been touched on, but no. (Side note: If you loved the whole “River of Time” series by Lisa T. Bergren, you would most likely be completely okay with how it’s handled in this book. I wasn’t a fan of that series because of the marital content. This book had it milder and less comments/suggestions. I’m not a fan of either way, though, so there’s that.) Damien and Selene are cute together, but there’s quite a bit of tension now that they’re married. 

So, opinion thus far on this series? Hmm. I see why so many love it. It’s fleshed out and captivating. But this book definitely goes right up to the line of what I’m comfortable with in both the spiritual warfare and the romance. 

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

 

"Mark of the Raven" by Morgan L. Busse

About this book:

  “Dreamwalker. Nightwatcher. Lady of Ravenwood.
    Lady Selene Has Come into Her Family's Power. But Has She Inherited a Gift or a Curse?
    Lady Selene is heir to the House of Ravenwood and the secret family gift of dreamwalking. As a dreamwalker, she can enter a person's dreams and manipulate their greatest fears or desires. Soon after the gifting, however, Selene discovers that the Ravenwood women have been secretly using their gift to gather information or to assassinate those responsible for the fall of House Ravenwood to the Dominia Empire hundreds of years ago.
    As she becomes more entrenched in Ravenwood's dark past, Selene longs to find out the true reason behind her family's gift, believing that its original intent could not have been for such evil purposes, but she is torn about upholding her family's legacy—a legacy that supports her people. Selene's dilemma comes to a head when she is tasked with assassinating the one man who can bring peace to the nations—but who is also prophesied to bring about the downfall of her own house.
    One path holds glory and power and will solidify her position as Lady of Ravenwood. The other path holds shame and likely death. Which will she choose? And is she willing to pay the price for the path chosen?”


Series: Book #1 in “The Ravenwood Saga”. 


Spiritual Content- Prayers (to “the Light” from Damien and to “the Dark Lady” from others); Selene prays for any of the gods to help her, if they’re real & later says another prayer, wondering whom it is towards; Damien believes that the gifts of each house are from the Light & prays to the Light before using his gift; Both encouraging and negative voices appear in Selene & Damien’s minds (Good vs Evil); Mentions of prayers, praying, & Thanking the Light (mentions of prayers to the Dark Lady as well); Mentions of monks, an abbey, & a Father; A few mentions of priests & a temple; A couple mentions of miraculously healing & a House being able to heal people by touching them; A mention of a House being blessed; A mention of someone looking like an angel; 
             *Note: Each of the seven Great Houses have a special gift (some control water, others fire or the earth, and Selene’s house is able to get into others’ dreams) and some believe in gods of some form, the “old god/god of old ways”(called “the Light”), and others believe in “the Dark Lady”; To keep people from sharing house secrets, they are “bounded” to their house (and consort as well) and if they go to speak of the secrets with someone else, now words will come out of their mouths; Selene slips into others’ dreams, talking on the form of a raven (she is told to never touch the orb in the dream as that is the person’s soul); In the opening chapter, Selene is at a sanctuary with her mother and sister praying to “the Dark Lady” (who is the patroness of their House) while a “dark priest” speaks in an old tongue; Later, Selene’s mother receives a message from the Dark Lady via the priest; Prior to getting her gift, Selene was a “doubtful—but dutiful— follower” of the Dark Lady (she picks up her string of beads to pray, but is unable to, feeling like her lips have been sealed; she starts questioning about the Dark Lady about halfway, thinking that she knows the Dark Lady exists, but wonders about the other god, “the Light”, and who actually gave them their gifts; Later, Selene prays for the Dark Lady to help her but is met with silence); After seeing a soul that is a bright light, Selene desperately wants to touch it, wonders how somehow has a blazing light, & wants to have it as well (*Spoiler* It seems to be connected to how someone believes, the person who’s soul she sees is a follower of the Light *End of Spoiler*); Selene wonders what’s after death, thinking that her soul is too dark for a good place and the Dark Lady will make her pay; It’s said that the Dark Lady exists “where she is given power”; Selene’s mother doesn’t want to think that the Dark Lady is bound “by a higher power” or inferior to the Light as her house has trusted her; Mentions of how those who are followers of the Light’s dreams are harder to manipulate; Mentions of souls & some being dark and some being light (in the dream world, Selene’s mother says the pure ones are the most dangerous to them); A mention of Selene thinking that her destiny will “paint [her] soul blacker than hell”; A mention of the Dark Lady blessing the House of Ravenwood; A mention of keeping demons away (thoughts); A mention of a devilish smile; A mention of a rumor of someone being cursed. 
 
 
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bah!’, an unfinished ‘what the—‘, and seven ‘dart’an!’, (used as an exclamation); Curses that go with the gods of the book: a ‘Light’ and two forms ‘Dark Lady’ (all used as the start of a sentence or could be a replacement for taking God’s name in vain); A tiny bit of sarcasm; Selene receives her “gift” of being able to walk into others’ dreams and her mother teaches her to be able to manipulate the dreams to find out the dreamer’s fears, secrets, or possible guilt or even kill them (Selene is unsettled by this and doesn’t want to do it, but believes she has to because her mother will train her sisters if she doesn’t and Selene doesn’t want that for her sisters, so Selene tries to lock away her heart and emotions); Selene’s mother orders her to kill others (some to practice her gift & another who is in the way in her plans), which Selene does not want to do, but finds herself wondering if she’s turning into a killer (up to semi-detailed on the planning); Selene’s mother puts her and her sister against each other (which Selene hates as it does nothing to help their relationship); Damien grieves his parents & brother; Causing deaths (drownings) & seeing bodies (for the protection of his people, but still feels guilt, up to semi-detailed); Fighting (barely-above-not-detailed); Almost drowning & Pain (up to semi-detailed); Seeing a fire, bandits attacking, a wolf attack, & deaths (in dreams, up to semi-detailed); Social drinking (wine at dinners, both main characters drink); A couple lies; Eavesdropping; Mentions of wars, deaths, a razing, fights, fighting, & weapons; Many mentions of murders, murderers, assassinations, assassins, & plans/orders to kill others; Many mentions of nightmares; Mentions of plans to kill others (via nightmares/dreams); Mentions of executions (including burnings at the stake) & treason; Mentions of deaths, drownings, bodies, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fires, deaths, injuries/burns, & guilt (in a dream, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a wolf attack, a death, blood, & a body (in a dream, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of criminals/bandits, bandit attacks, screams, & injuries (in a dream, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of blood/bleeding, injuries, & a girl’s mind being shattered (leaving her disable *Spoiler* Selene accidentally does this and is distraught by doing it and plans to protect the girl *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of threats & blackmail; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of throwing up; Mentions of the deaths of loved ones & grief (for parents and a brother); Mentions of drinking & wine; A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of pipes & smoking; A few mentions of relieving oneself (more awkward because it’s a group of mixed genders); A mention of a suicide mission; A mention of divorce (which Damien’s House does not allow); A mention of a man being cruel to animals.
 
 
Sexual Content- A (borderline barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed) hand kiss; Touches, Dancing, & Warmth (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Flutters; Noticing & Smelling (including muscles, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of affairs & lovers (*Spoiler* Selene is told her mother is having an affair and she thinks it’s true *End of Spoiler*); A few mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of bandits taking women away from their group & Selene being shaken to see what happened (in a dream of an actual event, all she can see and that is mentioned is her seeing their legs; implied assault); A mention of seeing a couple in bed together (Selene looks away, not wanting to see an intimate moment, but realizes it’s not); A mention of a man staring at Selene and her thinking that she knows what’s in his mind without going into his dreams (implied suggestive); A mention of hand holding; Some attraction & interest; 
             *Note: Selene wonders how her youngest sister came to be as her parents detest each other; A couple mentions of a girls dress with a deep neckline.
 
-Selene Ravenwood
-Damien Maris, age 24
                                P.O.V. switches between them & Lady Ragna (x2)
                                                        341 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’ve heard about this trilogy for years and since I was craving a fantasy series, I decided to finally pick this one up. 

At first, I was a bit concerned about what I was getting myself into with that opening chapter. Selene is at a sanctuary praying to “The Dark Lady” which is said to have given her ancestors their powers. Needless to say, I was concerned on this darker element, but it’s quickly was revealed to be a book of Good vs Evil (or in this case, Light vs Dark) and have a moral dilemma for our main character (which I love reading those!). 

This was a really interesting plot, I have to say. The fantasy elements worked well and made sense even to my not-a-big-fantasy-fan brain. Though I did struggle a bit with all the characters, thankfully there was a character guide at the beginning of the book. I was quickly invested into the story and was curious how things would go. 

I would probably mark this series as more NA (new adult) than YA (young adult) based on a few hints in this book and different things I’ve heard about the rest of the books, but we’ll see how the rest of the trilogy continues. I think major fantasy fans would probably really like this one.  

 

 

See y’all on Monday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"Awakened" by Morgan L. Busse

About this book:

  “The monster has awakened.
    After her escape from the Tower and from her father's experiments, Kat Bloodmayne wakes up to discover the dark power inside of her has grown stronger. Now more than ever she needs to find the doctor who holds the key to healing her, but the only one who can help her find him is Stephen Grey, the very man who betrayed her.
    Stephen Grey cannot change the past or what he did to Kat, but he will do everything he can to help her now. But will Kat let him? Or will his transgression be too much to overcome?
    Time races against them as they travel with sky pirates through harrowing storms and across the war-torn country of Austrium in search of the doctor who can cure Kat. But can he cure what is broken inside of her? Or will the monster inside of Kat consume her soul?”


Series: Book #2 in the “Soul Chronicles” duology. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- A couple Scriptures read, thought over, remembered, & mentioned (multiple times); Prayers & Thanking God; Thinking about God; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Kat isn’t sure if God cares about “monsters like her”, but asks for Him to help her, if He’s real; Stephen hasn’t talked to God in two years due to an upsetting event, but recalls the story of the prodigal and turns back to God again; Stephen isn’t sure how Kat’s condition fit into his understanding of the world, or of God, but he knows that God could do anything, including curing Kat; Stephen has a feeling that Kat’s knowledge of God was limited or even non-existent based on her father, but wonders if his aunt shared with her about God; A scientist says that “souls are God’s province” and that only God can bring someone back to life; *Major Spoiler* When unconscious and on the brick of death, Kat hears God talking to her and He also quotes a Scripture; After this and accepting His light, she no longer feels any darkness inside of her *End of Major Spoiler*; Mentions of God; Mentions of the Bible & the story of the prodigal son; Mentions of a doctor writing down bits of Scriptures and posting them around a war camp & that it comforts those who are dying (another doctor says that the words “sound like there is more to death than just the end of existence”); A few mentions of talking to & knowing God; A few mentions of a man not putting much stock into religion, but believing he witnessed a miracle & someone else asking why his “angel” didn’t save anyone else (he thinks God healed him, *Spoiler* but it was actually Kat through her powers *End of Spoiler*); A couple mentions of prayers & praying; A couple mentions of Heaven (in regards to Kat recalling Ms. Stuart telling her that God lived in Heaven and that Heaven in somewhere in the sky); A couple mentions of a family Bible; A mention of God dying and coming back to life; A mention of a man not being religious but finding some of Scriptures shared interesting; A mention of a cathedral; A mention of a doctor doing miracles for soldiers in a war; A mention of someone asking forgiveness for the evil he committed;
             *Note: A scientist wants to be able to bring the dead back to life & straying from science to get answers (he wants to unlock the power around death); Mentions of scientists trying to harness the power of life and death; Mentions of a scientist saying that after he learned more about God, he realized that there are powers humans should never temper with because “of the destruction they could cause” and that they were “past the physical and into the spiritual, a place where we could potentially sever our souls”; Mentions of souls & Kat wondering if her soul is dying due to her powers; Mention of a scientist using pagan rituals, “dark arts”, incantations, and symbols on the floor in his experiments; A mention of a couple people who have passed away being said to have “gone to that dark place where science could not reach”(thought by Kat); A mention that if Kat’s father had a god, it would be knowledge; A mention of a scientist saying “we call ourselves enlightened, but we often deny the fact that there is more to us than our physical bodies”; A mention of someone calling Kat’s powers “black magic”. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘dumb’, a ‘gah!’, a ‘get the blazes out of here’, a ‘like blazes’, two forms of ‘how the blazes’/’how in the blazes’, two ‘what the—‘s, five forms of ‘what the blazes’/’what in the blazes’s, and eleven ‘blazes’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Fires, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, Being injected by a needle, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Being under attack (on an airship), Gunfire/Shootouts, Shooting at others (self-defense), Seeing others shot, Explosions, Bombs, A Head Concussion, Pain, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Being tied-up, gagged, tested on, being attacked by rodents, & killing the rodents (which Kat didn’t want to do, up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone fall out of an airship (up to semi-detailed); Kat has a power that when she gets very emotional, she can cause fires from her hands, control and objects or people, & freeze time (After it happens, she passes out and is then numb around her heart once awakening (she has to calm down a few times, is unsuccessful a couple times, and also tries to control it (which causes her pain); when uncontrolled, it’s said to releases “another side of her” and that scares both herself and Stephen)); Kat cuts herself to show Stephen that she can’t feel pain in that area (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Kat thinks that she could crush a man’s throat with even touching him, but cuts off that thought & later has to cut off other thoughts of harming or causing harm; Kat thinks that if she dies, “the world would be rid of a monster”; Kat thinks she is a monster due to her powers & wonders if she is dying; Kat feels like she’s drowning in an unconscious state/dream (a few times), Nightmares, & Recalling past events that were like nightmares (including fires and being choked, up to semi-detailed); When unconscious and struggling in a dream of drowning, Kat has a voice in her head telling her to just let go and stop fighting (which Kat doesn’t want to die, so she fights against the voice); *Spoiler* Kat is able to close-up someone’s major injury and their skin with her power (barely-above-not-detailed) *End of Spoiler*; *Major Spoilers* Kat loses control towards the end due to experiments/harsh testing and ends up creating a fire that kills a room full of people, which after waking up, she feels terrible about but knows that it wasn’t her fault because she couldn’t control it (up to semi-detailed); Someone says that no one deserves to die that way, but Stephen wasn’t agree with that since those people poked and prodded Kat like she wasn’t human and that caused the monster inside of her to be released; A scientist (a good guy) believes that Kat wasn’t supposed to exist outside of life and that’s why every time she uses her ability, it kills a part of her soul; His theory is that they reset her life, then everything might realign; When they do it, a machine similar to an AED is used and the scientist says that “souls are God’s province, not mine. If her soul is truly dead, than only God can bring her back to life. My only hope is to reset her physical body back into the world.”; This works and while she’s in an unconscious state, God talks to her and she accepts His light, which removes the darkness from her and therefore heals her *End of Major Spoiler*; Kat longs for her father’s approval & attention, but he just sees her as an experiment; All about many, many mentions of ill people disappearing, grave robbers, dead bodies, testing on humans, seeing it happen, dissecting humans, the smell of decay and dead bodies, screams/moans of pain, & scientists trying to bring the dead back to life (*Spoiler* Kat’s father froze her late mother’s body, hoping to use Kat’s powers to bring her back from the dead; He tells Kat that he never wanted her and that she took away is wife from him *End of Spoiler*, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of wars, fighting, creating human weapons, & deaths; Many mentions of fires, smoke, screams, others in pain, & injuries/burns (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of injuries, pain, stitches, blood/bleeding, someone being injected with a needle, & passing out (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of bounty hunters, murders/murderers, criminals, crimes, & arrests Mentions of weapons (guns, cannons, and people like Kat), gunfire/shootouts, shooting at others (self-defense), seeing others shot, being shot at, explosions, fighting, fights, & an airship attack (up to semi-detailed): Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & taverns; Mentions of smoking, cigars, & pipes; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of throwing up (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of tattoos; A few mentions of a murder (Book #1); A few mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of rumors; A couple mentions of animal testing; A mention of threats; A mention of poison; A mention of a man saying that men aren’t interested in intelligent women (Book #1); A mention of someone looking at another like a raven might look at a carcass. 
 
 
Sexual Content- Two semi-detailed kisses; Recalling a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Dancing, Warmth, Nearness, & Smelling (including a “revolting” touch by a young man to Kat, border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (including Kat’s curves while in a thin dress (which leaves little to the imagination and Stephen tries not to look at her), barely-above-not-detailed); Stephen goes to undress an unconscious Kat due to her wet clothing, but only takes off her boots because he doesn’t have a clue on how to take a corset off; Kat unbuttons part of her blouse to tell Stephen that she can’t feel her heart/chest area anymore (they both blush and he looks away, but she is determined to show him and cuts herself to show that she doesn’t feel pain there); Stephen is shirtless (when injured) and pulls up the covers, thinking that Kat has never seen a man without his shirt on (she blushes and looks away); Mentions of kisses & kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of an affair, seeing the couple in bed together, & betrayal (Book #1); A couple mentions of a female friend being assaulted by young men (& also recalling his comment about kissing a smart girl) (Book #1); A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a man carefully bandaging an injured young woman (being a gentleman); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Kat’s blouse is torn open for a test, but it’s done by another female and she tried to keep Kat as modest as possible (Stephen keeps his eyes elsewhere); Mentions of a mother who died giving birth & the husband resenting their child because of it (*Spoiler* Kat’s father, who says he never wanted her *End of Spoiler*); A mention of a woman’s neckline being lower than any lady would wear; A mention of women from a dancing hall and their short skirts. 
 
-Kathryn “Kat” Bloodmayne, around age 20
-Stephen Grey
                                P.O.V. switches between them, Jake (x5), & Dr. Bloodmayne (x1)
                                                        256 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{Ratings are based on content}

That felt very short. Which is a positive, I suppose, meaning it kept my attention as I read it fast, but at the same time, I wish that last chapter had been longer.

After reading the first book in this duology, I really wasn’t a fan of Stephen because of a huge mess-up he did and wasn’t thrilled about the idea of a relationship between him and Kat. I’m still not completely sold on that idea after reading this final book, but I do appreciate that communication happened between the two of them pretty quickly and we were able to somewhat move on from that part. 

Another maybe slightly odd thing to note, but something I want to comment on was a…commonality between this duology and the “Skyworld” duology. Both that series and this one has villain-like characters that are serious burn victims, which has obviously altered their appearances, but also their personalities getting worse. Both characters are described in blunt…not gruesome or crude ways, but in a way that implies that’s part of their evil character. Which I might be totally sensitive to this element as I’ve known people that are burn and major burn victims, but after seeing it in both series I’ve read by this author, it didn’t settle well with me. I definitely don’t think the author had any ill-intent, but I would warn readers with burns that the characters with burns in these two series aren’t good-character representation. 

You’ll see above in the Spiritual Content section that I gave a lot of details about the faith content that’s in this book. Personally, I’m not sure how I feel about certain elements of the theology found in this story.
I think, though, that this duology just isn’t for me. The human experimenting and Kat’s father being the basic villain father that dislikes his kid because his wife died giving birth. I can see why other readers may enjoy this book with it’s fast-paced and unique plot, but this duology had different elements that made it not for me, personally. 

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"Tainted" by Morgan L. Busse

About this book:

  “What Happens When Your Soul Dies?
   Kat Bloodmayne is one of the first women chosen to attend the Tower Academy of Sciences. But she carries a secret: she can twist the natural laws of science. She has no idea where this ability came from, only that every time she loses control and unleashes this power, it kills a part of her soul. If she doesn't find a cure soon, her soul will die and she will become something else entirely.
    After a devastating personal loss, Stephen Grey leaves the World City Police Force to become a bounty hunter. He believes in justice and will stop at nothing to ensure criminals are caught and locked up. However, when Kat Bloodmayne shows up in his office seeking his help, his world is turned upside down.
    Together they search World City and beyond for a doctor who can cure Kat. But what they discover on the way goes beyond science and into the dark sphere of magic.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Soul Chronicles” duology. 


Spiritual Content- Prayers & Thanking God; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Kat recalls that her father never put stock in religion or anything spiritual (when the housekeeper tried to tell Kat stories about God, her father was very upset about it and Kat hasn’t been told anything else since then); Kat knows very little about God except He “lived in churches or something” and was powerful (she tries praying, saying that if He is real, to please help her); Stephen has a faith in the first couple chapters, but after an upsetting event, it’s said that he walked away from God (but he still believes in God and later prays); Stephen wonders if God will help him and Kat (describing themselves as “a heathen woman scientist and a broken man who had walked away a long time ago”); Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of church going, church bells, & a minister; A few mentions of thanking God; A mention of Bible reading; A mention of a man looking like a vicar; A mention of a man having a grudge at religion & baiting Stephen whenever possible; 
             *Note: During one of the times Kat releases her powers, it’s described as “darkness spread across her eyes, and she heard laughter—high-pitched and eerie. It was her but not her. As if she had split in two and the other Kat was in control.” (Stephen thinks of her a demon or a monster or a witch from an old fairytale (though he says there’s no such there as magic) and that she is dangerous); Kat thinks there’s an evil dwelling inside of her; Stephen thinks that his line of work has taught him that everyone has “a core of darkness inside” of them; A scientist wants to be able to bring the dead back to life; A handful of mentions of souls & a scientist saying there is “no disconnect between the physical and spiritual”; A couple mentions of ghost stories; A mention of imagining a ghost; A mention of hell freezing over (because something happened); A mention of a lie that’s “from the pit of hell”; A mention of a man’s facial hair making him look devilish; A mention of Kat’s powers being described as “witchcraft” by someone who saw it happen; A mention of a scientist using “pagan rituals of old” in his experiments; A mention of a dark and evil place. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘how in the—‘, an ‘idiot’, a ‘shut up’, two ‘cogglesfoot’s, three ‘blast it’s, five ‘what the—‘s, eight ‘what the blazes’s, and nine ‘blazes’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling & sarcasm; Fires, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, Being injected by a needle, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Knocking someone out, Kicking someone, Fighting, Being hit/punched, Gunfire/Shootouts, Shooting at others (self-defense and at a runaway criminal), Being Shot, Seeing others shot, Pain, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Being tied up & tested on (up to semi-detailed); Nightmares & Recalling past events that were like nightmares (in regards to Kat activating her powers and Stephen with something Kat told him about, up to semi-detailed); Stephen aims his gun at someone who has betrayed him, thinking of killing that person (he is talked out of it and knows they aren’t worth the prison time); To forget upsetting events, Kat gets drunk on wine (semi-detailed); Kat has a power that when she gets very emotional, she can cause fires from her hands, attract objects, throw people or objects hard, & freeze time (After it happens, she passes out and is then numb once awakening (she has to calm down a few times & is unsuccessful a couple times; it’s said to releases “another side of her” and that scares both herself and Stephen)); After an upsetting event, Kat thinks it would be best to go to a bridge and end it all (her housekeeper tells her that she won’t lose her and to stop talking about ending her life); Kat thinks she is a monster due to her powers & should have died instead of someone else (she wonders if she’s even human or possibly a lab mistake); Kat longs for her father’s approval & attention; There are comments from men and women that are not happy about the first group of women (which includes Kat) being accepted to a university; All about many, many mentions of ill people disappearing (a scientist says that they were going to die anyway), grave robbers, dead bodies, testing on humans, dissecting humans, the smell of decay, seeing it happen, & scientists trying to bring the dead back to life (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of wars; Mentions of fires, smoke, screams, others in pain, & injuries/burns (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of bounty hunters (including ones that inflict a lot of pain on the people they are capturing), murderers, criminals, crimes, thugs, mob bosses, & gangs; Mentions of weapons (guns, truncheons, tasers), gunfire/shootouts, shooting at others (self-defense), seeing others shot, being shot, being shot at, fighting, fights, & a murder/death (up to semi-detailed): Mentions of injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of riots & someone throwing excrement at Kat; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, hang overs, & taverns/bars (side characters drink, Kat gets drunk to forget about an event, & Stephen refuses to drink alcohol because he doesn’t want to be addicted); Mentions of smoking & cigars; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of memories that are like nightmares (up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of card games (implied betting/gambling based on Kat’s distaste of it); A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of tattoos; A couple mentions of jars of human body parts; A couple mentions of animal carcasses; A couple mentions of animal testing; A mention of someone looking like a puppy that was kicked over and over;           

             *Note: Stephen fights a young man who was badly burned & different comments such as the man barely looking human and thinking that he was an experiment are thought (up to semi-detailed on his looks).
 
 
Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch, an almost cheek kiss, and a detailed kiss (in both point of views, happens when Kat is drunk, Stephen feels desire for her and later thinks that he took advantage of her); Recalling a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss & desiring someone; Touches, Dancing, Hand holding, Warmth, Nearness, & Smelling (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (including Kat’s curves and breasts (which Stephen tries not to look at), barely-above-not-detailed); A fiancée is caught in bed with another man (mentions him being shirtless and her pulling the covers up) *Slight Spoiler* Stephen finds her fiancée in bed with his work partner and kissing; This guts him and he vows to never trust a woman again *End of Spoiler*; A young man tries to corner Kat and her friend into giving him a kiss (her friend is very upset, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of kisses & kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a misunderstanding of Stephen thinking Kat has a lover & is pregnant (she does not & is not); Mentions of the affair, seeing the couple in bed together, & betrayal; Mentions of a dance hall (with mentions of the sign outside that promises a good time, Kat being horrified to go in there, the women in there selling more than just alcohol, & the women showing skin); Mentions of flirting, flirts, winks, & blushes; A few mentions of a man’s son who is called a cad and a scoundrel & scandals he’s had with maids; A couple mentions of men whistling, winking, & roving their eyes at Kat; A couple mentions of couples embracing; A mention of a conniving woman with a wandering heart; A mention of a guy looking at Kat’s face then his gaze traveling down; A mention of how an unmarried couple shouldn’t be alone together at night without a chaperone; A mention of Kat saying that it’s better to have an education than a husband because “at least you know what you’re getting with an education”; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Kat is stripped down into a thin nightgown that shows her curves and breasts; Mentions of women’s curves; A few mentions of a mother who died giving birth & the husband resenting their child because of it (*Spoiler* Kat’s father *End of Spoiler*); A few mentions of the women in a dancing hall showing a lot of their legs (Kat gasps in shock); A mention of a saloon/dance hall woman taking money into her cleavage; A mention of a woman’s low-cut gown (Stephen notices it).
 
-Kathryn “Kat” Bloodmayne
-Stephen Grey
                                P.O.V. switches between them & Dr. Bloodmayne (x2)
                                                        292 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{Trigger warning for a couple mentions of Kat wanting to end it all after an upsetting event}

{Ratings are based on content}

Note to self: This author likes ending her books on a cliffhanger with a main character passed out. (Example 1)

I’ve had this book on my TBR for quite a while and it was definitely not what I expected it would be at all. I enjoyed the “Skyworld” duology by this author, but I’m not sure about my feelings for this book. I was very interested in this story at the beginning and the steampunk setting, but as the story continued, I became less and less excited about where the plot was heading. Particularly in the terms of human experiments and the romance. Even before Stephen royally messed up, I thought the romance elements between him and Kat happened very fast and was more physically attracted based. After his big mess up? I definitely don’t like the idea of a relationship between the two of them, personally. 

I’m really bummed about not enjoying this one as much I hoped I would. I think I’ll still read the second book for answers, but I don’t have the highest expectations now. 

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.