Review: The Rebels of Gold - Elise Kova

A new rebellion rises from the still-smoldering remnants of the five guilds of Loom to stand against Dragon tyranny. Meanwhile, on Nova, those same Dragons fight amongst themselves, as age-old power struggles shift the political landscape in fateful and unexpected ways. Unlikely leaders vie for the opportunity to shape a new world order from the perfect clockwork designs of one temperamental engineer.

This is the final installment of USA Today bestselling author Elise Kova's Loom Saga, THE REBELS OF GOLD will reveal the fate of Loom's brilliantly contrasting world and its beloved inhabitants.

Loom Saga:
The Alchemists of Loom
The Dragons of Nova
The Rebels of Gold

Visit Elise Kova's website for more information

Review:
Down on Loom the guilds may have been almost destroyed but those who remain haven't given up on their rebellion, in fact they're now even more determined to get their revenge. Ari and Florence are in the thick of things trying to create a new weapon that will be strong enough to defeat the dragons but they're battling a powerful enemy and they've already seen first hand the price of failure.

Meanwhile, back on Nova Cvareh is trying to hold his family together after the death of his sister, he never wanted to be their leader but now he doesn't have a choice. All he can really focus on is avenging his sister and bringing down the dragon king once and for all but that's going to mean working alongside what's left of the guild and most of the dragons are really unhappy about that. Working with Loom was never an option before but sometimes it really is a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Its always sad to read the last book in a series you've really enjoyed but I think Elise Kova did a great job of wrapping up the Loom Saga in The Rebels of Gold. She created such a wonderful and unique world here and I really have had fun exploring it and getting to know the characters. I've loved how diverse the series has been and that continues here adding in an f/f romance to all the wonderful things that have come before.

As usual the story is told from multiple points of view so we get to spend time with Ari, Cvareh and Florence which really works from a world building point of view. I have to admit I didn't like Florence as much in this book as I had in the previous two, she had a few moments to shine but for some reason I didn't feel as connected with her this time around. I did enjoy her romance but I think she just took a little too much of the page time and didn't leave quite enough room for Ari and Cvareh. As always I loved both of those two, I was sad we didn't get to see them spending more time together but the moments we did get were worth waiting for.

Overall I thought the Loom Saga was a really enjoyable series and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Elise Kova in the future.

Source: Purchased

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Review: Society of Wishes - Elise Kova & Lynn Larsh

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.

Josephina Espinosa makes her living as a hacker-for-hire in the Lone Star Republic, a remnant of the fractured U.S.A. That is, until the day she and her best friend are gunned down in a government raid.

With her dying breath, Jo uses magical lore passed down from her grandmother to summon a wish-granter. Her wish? To save her friend’s life. Except wishes have costs, and for Jo, the price is the erasure of her entire mortal existence.

Now, as the most recent addition to the mysterious Society of Wishes, Jo must form a new “life” alongside the seven other members, one of which being her savior himself. Living as an occupant of the Society’s lavish mansion should be quite the perk, but while it is furnished with everything its inhabitants could possibly need, it lacks one thing—freedom.

Her otherworldly identity crisis takes a backseat, however, when Jo learns that the friend she sacrificed everything for is headed down the same path to ruin. Jumping in head-first, Jo uses her newfound magical abilities to protect him, only to realize that the ripples of her actions have far-reaching consequences. When the Society’s aloof leader Snow decides to give her a taste of his own ancient magic, Jo discovers that there are threads woven into the tapestry of her new reality that reach far beyond the wishes she is now required to grant. Ones that, if tugged on, could mean the unraveling of the world itself.

Wish Quartet Series:
Society of Wishes
Circle of Ashes
Birth of Chaos (2018)

Visit Elise Kova's website or Lynn Larsh's website for more information

Review:
Jo's world is turned completely upside down when she uses her last breath to make a wish to save her best friend's life. Saving her friend has the unexpected consequence of also saving her own life but not the same version she used to live. Now her family and friends have completely forgotten she ever existed and she finds herself the newest member of the Society of Wishes, a group of people who use magic to grant the wishes of anyone who knows the correct ritual. As Jo struggles to come to terms with everything that has happened to her she realises that the best friend she gave up everything for is about to walk into the same trap she already saved him from once. Refusing to let her sacrifice be in vain she breaks all the rules to try and save him and ends up causing more trouble than she could possibly have imagined.

Society of Wishes is the first book in a new series by Elise Kova and Lynn Larsh, the idea of the Society is a really intriguing one but I have to admit I struggled a little with the world building. Jo is taken away from everything that is familiar with and thrown completely in the deep end within the Society, nobody takes the time to explain anything to her an it leaves both her and the reader very confused about what is happening. The way the other characters just tell Jo not to do things but don't explain why leads her to make some very stupid mistakes but that's pretty understandable when nobody bothers to talk through the consequences of her actions. If she was working alone that wouldn't be so bad but she has a lot of help from another member of the Society, one who should know exactly how badly her plans could screw up things for everyone else and I just couldn't understand why he was willing to go along with her.

We're introduced to a diverse group of characters and I'm definitely interested in learning more about all of them but I also really need some more answers about how the Society works and how it came to exist in the first place. I think because I didn't really understand why things happened I found it harder to connect to the story and the characters but I'm hoping that will get easier as the series continues.

One thing I really wasn't sure about here was the romantic element though. There are not one but two potential relationships thrown out there but they both pretty much came out of nowhere, there isn't much in the way of a slow build up and that made Jo's feelings hard to believe. The sex scene was well written but it felt out of place and didn't really fit in with the rest of the story, it felt more like an afterthought added to make the story fit the NA category and it could easily have been left out. I tend to prefer some romantic tension that takes a while to reach a payoff in urban fantasy, when you have a series you don't have to rush to fit it all in the first book and it can be better to tease your readers a little and keep them waiting.

I think this series has a lot of potential but unfortunately for me the first book didn't quite live up to that. It can be really hard to introduce a whole new world in just one book though so I'm always willing to give a series with an interesting premise at least two books to fully catch my interest. I'm hoping that things will start to fall into place in City of Ashes and I'm curious to see what will happen next.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
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Cover Reveal: Circle of Ashes - Elise Kova & Lynn Larsh

Today I'm taking part in the cover reveal for Circle of Ashes, the second book in the new-adult urban fantasy Wish Quartet series by Elise Kova and Lynn Larsh. I've not had time to read the first book, Society of Wishes, yet but the authors will be hosting a read along starting in March (more details below) so I'll definitely be joining in with that. Anyway, first let me share the gorgeous cover of Circle of Ashes with you!

Circle of Ashes:

Blurb:

EVERY WISH HAS A COST BUT WILL THE SOCIETY BE WILLING TO PAY IT?

Once a hacker-for-hire living in the shadows, Josephina “Jo” Espinosa is the newest member of a magical Society. Their mandate? To grant the wishes of mortals. A simple enough task until Jo is faced with an impossible wish – and her inability to grant it might spell disaster for her entire team, if not the Society itself.

Jo is used to high-pressure situations, but after a string of disasters, the last thing she needs is stakes of this magnitude. Especially given that neither she nor the Society know quite what the consequences of failing to grant a wish might be.

The only person with answers is the Society’s aloof and cryptic leader, Snow. Yet while Jo is enigmatically drawn to the man, all their clandestine encounters leave her with only more questions about the true nature of the Society, her magic, and her own history.

Time is running out for the Society, and an executioner will rise from among them to exact the price of failure.

Publication Date: April 9, 2018

Pre-Order on Amazon: http://getbook.at/circleofashes

(NOTE: The book is FREE to Kindle Unlimited subscribers. Readers who don’t have a Kindle can send proof of purchase from Amazon to Elise.Kova.Author@gmail.com to get a “read anywhere” link when the book is out.)

Society of Wishes:

In case, like me, you've not read the first book yet, you might be interested in joining the read along that Elise Kova and Lynn Larsh are hosting on Facebook here. The read along runs from the 2nd of March until the 6th of April and there will be chances to have all your questions answered, discuss chapters, get exclusive character bios, writing insights, and take part in weekly giveaways for the duration of the event.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.

Josephina Espinosa makes her living as a hacker-for-hire in the Lone Star Republic, a remnant of the fractured U.S.A. That is, until the day she and her best friend are gunned down in a government raid.

With her dying breath, Jo uses magical lore passed down from her grandmother to summon a wish-granter. Her wish? To save her friend’s life. Except wishes have costs, and for Jo, the price is the erasure of her entire mortal existence.

Now, as the most recent addition to the mysterious Society of Wishes, Jo must form a new “life” alongside the seven other members, one of which being her savior himself. Living as an occupant of the Society’s lavish mansion should be quite the perk, but while it is furnished with everything its inhabitants could possibly need, it lacks one thing—freedom.

Her otherworldly identity crisis takes a backseat, however, when Jo learns that the friend she sacrificed everything for is headed down the same path to ruin. Jumping in head-first, Jo uses her newfound magical abilities to protect him, only to realize that the ripples of her actions have far-reaching consequences. When the Society’s aloof leader Snow decides to give her a taste of his own ancient magic, Jo discovers that there are threads woven into the tapestry of her new reality that reach far beyond the wishes she is now required to grant. Ones that, if tugged on, could mean the unraveling of the world itself.

Purchase on Amazon: http://getbook.at/sow

(NOTE: The book is FREE to Kindle Unlimited subscribers. Readers who don’t have a Kindle can send proof of purchase from Amazon to Elise.Kova.Author@gmail.com to get a “read anywhere” link when the book is out.)

About the Authors:

Elise Kova:

Elise Kova is the USA Today bestselling author of the Air Awakens series, Loom Saga, and Wish Quartet.

In her past lives, she has graduated from an MBA program, lived in Japan for a bit, and worked for a Fortune 500 technology company. However, she finds herself much happier in her current reincarnation as full-time author. When not writing, she can usually be found playing video games, drawing, watching anime, or talking with readers on social media. She’s happy to call Saint Petersburg, Florida, her home, but is always looking forward to her next trip.

Elise’s Website: http://elisekova.com

Lynn Larsh:

Lynn Larsh considers herself to be a serial hobby-dabbler. She got a bachelors degree in music (which she used for all of four months), studied aerial acrobatics and classical piano for many years, worked briefly as a stunt woman in a Wild West stunt show (it’s a long story), and eventually settled down into the bar tending business in St. Petersberg, FL. When she’s not acting as a purveyor of fine libations, you can find her diving head first into her newest venture as a New Adult author, or simply writing Voltron fan fiction on Archive of Our Own.

Lynn’s Website: https://www.lynnlarsh.com/

Review: The Dragons of Nova - Elise Kova

Cvareh returns home to his sky world of Nova with the genius crafter Arianna as his temperamental guest. The mercurial inventor possesses all the Xin family needs to turn the tides of a centuries-old power struggle, but the secrets she harbors must be earned with trust -- hard to come by for Ari, especially when it comes to Dragons. On Nova, Ari finds herself closer to exacting vengeance against the traitor who killed everything -- and everyone – she once loved. But before Ari can complete her campaign of revenge, the Crimson Court exposes her shadowed past and reveals something even more dangerous sparking between her and Cvareh.

While Nova is embroiled in blood sport and political games, the rebels on Loom prepare for an all-out assault on their Dragon oppressors. Florence unexpectedly finds herself at the forefront of change, as her unique blend of skills -- and quick-shooting accuracy -- makes her a force to be reckoned with. For the future of her world, she vows vengeance against the Dragons.

Before the rebellion can rise, though, the Guilds must fall.

Loom Saga:
The Alchemists of Loom
The Dragons of Nova
The Rebels of Gold

Visit Elise Kova's website for more information

Review:
Where the first book focused on Loom and the lives of the fenthri as they are controlled by the dragons this sequel gives readers a chance to travel to Nova to see how the other half live. We still get to watch what's happening with the guilds on Loom through Florence's eyes but Ari has travelled with Cvareh to meet with his sister Petra and see if they can come to some kind of alliance against the current dragon king. Ari holds the key to Petra and House Xin, currently the weakest of the dragon houses, to change their fortunes and come out on top for once, but Ari made the mistake of trusting a dragon once before and it nearly cost her everything so she's not going to be swayed to Petra's cause easily.

In The Dragons of Nova Elise Kova has taken everything I loved about the first book and ramped it up a gear, we still have the wonderful world building (which has just become even more fascinating now that we're seeing how the dragons live), the rich, multilayered characters and a plot full of political machinations, back stabbing and betrayals. Ari is completely out of her element on Nova and surrounded by her enemies but she's not going to let that stop her plans, she will do anything to stop the dragon king but she's only going to work with House Xin if they can prove to her that they'll make life better for the fenthri in the long term. Cvareh finds himself strangely torn between following his sister's orders and wanting to bend the rules for Ari's sake. His life is made more difficult by the fact that they must keep Ari's identity a secret because if any of the dragons from House Rok find out Petra is working with a chimera then all hell will break lose.

There are so many things I want to talk about in this series, I love the diversity, the positive female role models and also the way it raises questions about personal identity and racism. Ari is an openly bisexual character and that's treated as perfectly normal in this world which is wonderful. There are so many positive messages throughout this novel but they're all just woven in so naturally that it never bogs down the story and makes this feel like an issues book. I love it when an author can create a rich and detailed fantasy world that is so much better than our own in so many ways. The story is fast paced and full of action, things on Loom are reaching crisis point and Florence is right in the middle of planning a rebellion, Ari and Cvareh are busy on Nova trying to bring out the same goal but in a totally different way. There are plots within plots and a lot of people are playing one side against the other so it's hard to tell where most of their loyalties lie. Just when you think one thing is about to happen the author twists things around and turns the world upside down so she always keeps you guessing.

This series is absolutely fantastic and I can't wait to get my hands on the final book, The Rebels of Gold, in December!

Source: Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Kindle:

Cover Reveal: The Rebels of Gold - Elise Kova

I'm a HUGE fan of Elise Kova's Loom Saga so I'm thrilled to be taking part in the cover reveal for the third and final book, The Rebels of Gold, today. This is a fantastic steampunk fantasy series and I can't wait to see how the story ends (even though I'm not sure that I'm ready to say goodbye to this world!). I think the covers for this series are absolutely beautiful and I love that we get to see what Florence looks like on the final book.

A new rebellion rises from the still-smoldering remnants of the five guilds of Loom to stand against Dragon tyranny. Meanwhile, on Nova, those same Dragons fight amongst themselves, as age-old power struggles shift the political landscape in fateful and unexpected ways. Unlikely leaders vie for the opportunity to shape a new world order from the perfect clockwork designs of one temperamental engineer.

This is the final installment of USA Today bestselling author Elise Kova’s Loom Saga, THE REBELS OF GOLD will reveal the fate of Loom’s brilliantly contrasting world and its beloved inhabitants.

The Rebels of Gold will publish on the 5th of December and is already available to preorder from the links below. You can also add the book to your shelves on Goodreads.

Pre-order THE REBELS OF GOLD from:

| AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY |
| BOOKS A MILLION |
(more pre-order locations to come)

As an extra bonus for preordering you can receive free exclusive swag from Elise Kova. Find all the details on her website here!

If you haven't started this series yet then you're really missing out! It's quickly become a favourite of mine and I'm looking forward to starting to work my way through Elise Kova's backlist.

Review: The Alchemists of Loom - Elise Kova

Her vengeance. His vision.

Ari lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ market. There isn’t a place on Loom that is secure from the engineer turned thief, and her magical talents are sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon oppressors.

Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long. The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s assassins.

When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to get him where he wants to go.

He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom.

Loom Saga:
The Alchemists of Loom
The Dragons of Nova
The Rebels of Gold

Visit Elise Kova's website for more information

Review:
The worlds of Loom and Nova may be within touching distance but they couldn't be more different. The fenthri, who make their home on Loom, are a society of workers who are always striving to learn and create new technology. Their people are split into five different guilds, each with a different speciality, but the guilds always used to work together and people were free to choose their own paths, that is until the dragons from Nova came down from the skies and took control. Now the guild structure has become more rigid, you are born into you guild and if you fail to pass the tests to qualify then you will die, no second chances and no other options. The dragons are much stronger and more powerful than the fenthri but they rely on their magic to get things done so they've never really focused their energy on creating or building. If it wasn't for the fenthri the dragons wouldn't even have the ability to reach Loom but once they arrived they were quick to use their superior strength to take over, the guilds are strictly regulated and they must follow orders sent by the king of the dragons or they will be destroyed.

Ari is old enough to remember a time before the dragon king's rule, she lost everything when the Guild's resistance failed and now she's made it her life's mission to do whatever she can to disrupt the dragons. Ari is a totally kickass character, she's more powerful than most fenthri (for reasons I won't go into here) and she's a skilled fighter as well as a master at creating weapons and explosives. Known only as the White Wraith Ari will take any job as long as it disrupts dragon plans and she thrives on causing them as many problems as possible. It is when she's on one of these jobs that her path crosses with Cvareh and her immediate instincts when confronted with a dragon is to kill him and harvest his organs. Cvareh is on an important mission of his own though and he offers her a boon (a powerful magical promise) if she will help him reach the alchemists guild. The last thing Ari wants is to work with a dragon, she knows from experience they can't be trusted, but the boon could be her one big chance to cause major damage to the dragon king so she reluctantly agrees.

The Alchemists of Loom does kind of throw readers into the deep end, Elise Kova has created a complex world that it takes time to get to grips with but it's well worth the effort and I loved the way the story dives straight into the action. It's clear from the very beginning that Ari is a fierce warrior bent on revenge against the dragons who subjugate her people, she's quite a prickly character who is wary of strangers and has very little interest in making friends because she is so focused on destroying the dragons. At the same time she is also intensely protective of her young assistant and protege Florence and that makes it easier to like her. Flor is the only one who brings out Ari's softer side and I loved the sisterly relationship between the two of them. It's obvious that Flor hero worships Ari and wants to be just like her but because she's not suffered the same things as Ari she is more open and far less jaded. She's fiercely intelligent and almost as skilled as Ari at creating weapons but she's also the one who brings a bit of lightness to the series and I just loved her character.

Cvareh is the youngest son of House Xin, the least powerful of the dragon families on Nova. His older sister has a lot of ambition though and she has sent Cvareh on a mission to Loom to secure an alliance with the alchemists guild against the dragon king. He is fiercely loyal to his sister and his family but he looks down on the fenthri and definitely doesn't consider Ari and Flor his equals. It took a while for me to warm up to Cvareh as he could be a little cold and distant but both he and Ari learn and grow a lot on their journey so it becomes much easier to root for them both as individuals and as a potential couple. There is a lot going on with this story, not only the gradual introduction of the incredible world that the author has created but also learning more about Ari's background and the secret mission Cvareh is on. There are some quite dark parts to the world (as you might have guessed when Ari considered harvesting Cvareh's organs the first time they met!) but there are more lighthearted moments too and there are some brilliant friendships and strong bonds too.

This was my first book by Elise Kova but it definitely won't be the last, I can't wait to pick up the sequel The Dragons of Nova and explore the dragon's home and I'm definitely going to be checking out her Air Awakens series too!

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Paperback / Kindle: