Lila Black doesn’t believe in matchmaking, let alone soul mates. But she continues to be hassled by the Cupid’s matchmaking service. In an attempt to put a stop to their constant spamming she finds out that there is a little magic in the world after all.
The Cupid’s matchmaking service is run by actual cupids from ancient mythology and she has matched with someone who shouldn’t even be in their system or have a match. Cupid, the original bad boy of love. Now Lila’s once-normal teenaged world has exploded into a mythological nightmare overrun by crime-lord sirens, wrathful cupid hitmen, magic arrows that cause no end of trouble, and a mischievous, and a not-so-angelic love god. I received this book from NetGalley and all opinions are my own. This book was released on October 1, 2019.
I was uncertain about picking this book up but all I can say is that it was an intriguing and somewhat shorter read. Originally, I chose this book because it was based around mythology and seemed like a quick read. I was soon wrapped up in this tale and despite my misgivings due to the original description of the story, I enjoyed it.
The book is based around Cupid and the author managed to weave this mythological outlook into the modern world. It was well done as cupids and other creatures from mythology managed to live in a world that no longer believed in them. Despite being focused around mythology the author managed to thread in her own creativeness not necessarily adhering to tales from Greek mythology. Overall, the world-building was well done.
The characters were fascinating, to say the least. The main character Lila, was just a normal teenager until she goes to a matchmaking service to stop their constant spamming. Well, there she finds out her world isn’t exactly what she thought it was. Her perseverance in taking on this mythological world was admirable and she came to realize that she avoided love due to her mother’s death. Sadly, I felt that more character growth could have been incorporated but the emotions that were thrown at us through Lila were phenomenal.
The other characters were simply intriguing. Cupid took the world in nonchalant strides to avoid the loneliness and sadness of his existence. I don’t know if I would agree that he was necessarily the perfect match for Lila but he offset her seriousness with his joviality. His brother Cal is the opposite of Cupid for he is more serious but just as heartbroken and lonely. Their relationship was interesting to read about for they were still loyal to one another despite all their disagreements and arguments. And before I stop talking about side characters I should mention how much I loved the villainess. One normally does not associate her with how she is presented in the book and I adored it. Her methods and reasoning were never really explained but it just added to the madness that seemed to surround her character. I am not going to give any more away about her but she was an excellent antagonist.
In the end, I would recommend the book. If you are looking for a modern and mythological world combination this is it. A book that will drag you through a world filled with creatures who shouldn’t even exist. It is a wonderful tale. The one thing I hated though was how forced the romance was. The characters weren’t allowed to get together so then they did in a cliche move. It was too forced and did lessen my enjoyment of the book. Still, it is a wonderful three out of five stars.
Rasmira has trained her whole life to lead her village and become a warrior. But when she fails her coming of age trial due to trickery and sabotage she is banished to the monster-filled wilderness. To regain her honor she must destroy the god who claims tribute from the villages or die trying. As she explores the wilderness she learns more about her people, herself, and the god that reigns over them all like a constant menacing shadow.
The characters were stunning. Rasmira, the main character is the daughter of the chieftain and is a woman determined to become a warrior. At the beginning of the book, we see her as an aloof character who is unsure of how to lead people. As the book continues readers see her growth into a confident leader ready to make the change she wants. In the beginning, all she wants is to please her father but by the end, all she cares for is that she did something for herself, not for her father. Another aspect of her character is overcoming her distrust of friends for the only one she ever had before going into the wild betrayed her. Rasmira is determined to do everything by herself but in the wild, she realizes that the only way to survive is together not apart.
In the end, I loved the book much like I did her other ones. It brought to life a strong female in a harsh world and demonstrated the growth she went through to become a better leader and person.
Robin of Locksley is dead and Maid Marian doesn’t know how to continue but the people need a savior. Guy of Gisbourne wishes to step into Robin’s shoes as the Lord of Locksley and Marian’s fiance but he is the horrible right-hand man of the Sherriff of Nottingham. 
The characters are what created the tale for we all know the setting of Robin Hood and the world-building is practically set in stone. The main character, Marian was a noblewoman who could fight and shoot better than almost anybody including Robin. After Robin’s death, she sees a need in her world that she decides to fill by becoming the masked legend of Robin Hood. We see her struggle to decide what is right and what her path and purpose should be. Her anguish and yet internal strength called to the reader and I deeply felt her emotions and admired the raw determination of character it took to do what she did.
I would recommend reading the story. Don’t read it though if you still have another retelling of Robin Hood in your head because it will mess with you. But overall this was a phenomenal read that lives up to Spooner’s adept storytelling of bringing old characters and stories to life in a different and unique manner.
Everyone knows what happens in the end. True love and a kiss but before that, there were three friends. One feared, one royal, and one already dead.
The characters of the tale were vivid, to say the least. Evie, the central character is a witch who hides her powers from everyone. She is friends with a prince and she is reviled for this along with her being the survivor of a tragedy in which her friend lost her life. The strength of her character showed for she moved beyond the pain of the past and was willing to do anything for a friend. She denied the truth in some areas of her life and by the end we empathize with the sea witch and we feel the pain of being a lonely oddity. It was heartrending to watch her on her journey and the ending of the book left me sorrowful and unable to ever read the little mermaid without feeling for the sea witch.
I loved how the author truly built a world for the tale of the little mermaid. We see little of the sea but we grow to understand the kingdom and their worship of the sea. In a world built for nobles, a poor witch rises and eventually becomes one of the most feared villains of all time.
Moira Alexander is fascinated by the deadly sirens in the waters surrounding her home. She plays her violin for them dancing on the edge of thrilling danger for a single note from a siren can send her to a watery grave.
The world-building was a good idea in theory with an island of tough people used to the dangers of sirens constantly lurking beneath the waves. However, it was not well written. I could not figure out what time period the author was trying to emulate. At first, the world seemed set in a time where they did not have well-developed technology and the people were just trying to live but as the story went on the time period changed with the introduction of telephones. It was just blatantly confusing. The author furthermore did not take chances to expand on the sirens and the constant balancing scale between the islanders and the sirens. The places within the story seemed to just be there though I did enjoy the few moments the author expanded on the history and the feeling of the inhospitable land. The world-building could have been ultimately better.
And I could not stand the progression of the book. It was questions after questions with no answers or leads. It was boring because the suspects never made sense and the evidence Moira had to go off of was minimal. When the murderer was finally revealed it all seemed so mundane and somewhat predictable but then again we never even had any true suspects or well-thought-out characters to suspect. The villain of the tale seemed cobbled together which was not fun to read and it lessened my enjoyment of the tale even more.
Write your Destiny 