Book Review – ‘Luminous’ by Mara Rutherford

TITLE: Luminous
AUTHORS: Mara Rutherford
GENRE: YA Fantasy
WORD/PAGE COUNT: 384 pages (paperback)
PUBLICATION DETAILS: by Harlequin Australia on January 5th, 2022
RRP: $19.99 AUD (paperback)

Blurb from Goodreads:

Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.

To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos–and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.

A witch who must learn to harness her power–or risk losing her loved ones forever.

If you’ve read Mara Rutherford’s Crown of Coral and Pearl duology, you know she has a knack for charismatic scene-stealing villains and her newest book LUMINOUS is no different. We’re introduced to Darius, a powerful mage and the king’s right hand who rules the land by proxy, who is super compelling and I have to admit I was rooting for him throughout the book. Sure, he’s the bad guy, but I really enjoy when an author makes them understandable (not by trying to justify what they’re doing, but giving them believable motives than just ‘born evil’) plus I’m a sucker for the ‘Friendly Enemy’ trope. 

Our heroine Liora has spent her life hidden away in a small village in the middle of nowhere to keep her safe from Darius, who collects magic-users for his own purposes. Liora’s repressed her magic as much as possible, but after she’s revealed to be a witch, she’s drawn into danger as a diabolical plan unfolds that threatens everyone she loves and the only way out is to rely on her magic. 

In a lot of ways, I found her to be a pretty typical YA fantasy lead – sheltered and naive, in love with her best friend, low on self-esteem yet recklessly overconfident. However I did like her self-awareness in recognizing her selfish tendencies at times when she wanted to be special, hoped to be noticed and prioritized her magic over a quiet dull life because that felt relatable. 

I also liked Liora’s dynamic with her sisters and that she stood up to her father when he tried to stifle her, but the romance with Evran fell flat for me. His lack of communication and unwillingness to trust her even when he knew that she was hurting because of his abandonment made it seem toxic. PSA: don’t ghost people for their own good, that’s nonsense! There are two minor female characters introduced that I enjoyed and wished played a bigger role, but the major focus is on Liora’s coming-of-age arc. 

This fast-paced standalone fantasy is a fun read with a bunch of entertaining plot twists. It had enough material to fill a duology and felt a bit too easily resolved at the end, but it kept me engaged all the way through. 

Disclaimer: physical copy provided free from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Review – ‘The Coldest Touch’ by Isabel Sterling

TITLE: The Coldest Touch
AUTHOR: Isabel Sterling
GENRE: YA Urban Fantasy
WORD/PAGE COUNT: 384 pages (hardcover)
PUBLISHED: on December 7th, 2021

Blurb from Goodreads:

Elise Beaumont is cursed. With every touch, she experiences exactly how her loved ones will die. And after her brother’s death—a death she predicted but was unable to prevent—Elise is desperate to get rid of her terrible gift, no matter the cost.

Claire Montgomery also has a unique relationship with death, mostly because she’s already dead. Technically, anyway. Claire is a vampire, and she’s been assigned by the Veil to help Elise master her rare Death Oracle powers.

At first, Elise is reluctant to work with a vampire, but when she predicts a teacher’s imminent murder, she’s determined to stop the violent death, even if it means sacrificing her own future to secure Claire’s help.

The trouble is, Claire and Elise aren’t the only paranormals in town—a killer is stalking the streets, and Claire can’t seem to shake the pull she feels toward Elise, a romance that could upend the Veil’s mission. But as Elise and Claire grow closer, Elise begins to wonder—can she really trust someone tasked with securing her loyalty? Someone who could so easily kill her? Someone who might hold the key to unraveling her brother’s mysterious death? 

I’ve  wanted a book with a sapphic vampire/human relationship for YEARS which is why I’m so thrilled Isabel Sterling came through with THE COLDEST TOUCH! It’s my first read of 2022 and what a way to start the year. ❤

Claire wants nothing more than to get rid of her strange new ability to see how people die – it’s ruined her life as she’s isolated herself from everyone she loves to escape the pain of seeing and experiencing their deaths. When the mysterious new girl at school (love that trope being genderswapped!) says she can explain what’s happening, Claire seizes at this last chance to get her life back. What she doesn’t know is that Elise represents the Veil, a group that governs the paranormal world, and they need her ability to maintain order whether she likes it or not. 

This book was EXCELLENT, it hooked me in from the first page and didn’t let me go, it was a one-sitting read! The fast-paced plot, intriguing world-building and lovable characters made it super enjoyable. I loved that Claire’s friends played a big role (including her ex-boyfriend, which I thought would be awkward, but turned out so sweet) and the focus on her fractured family dealing with grief over losing her brother and how they come together by the end.

And it was great how Elise had important goals outside of the growing romance with Claire that she never lost sight of, plus her relationship with her boss Wyn who treated her like a kid sister was fantastic. My favorite character has to be the adorable cat Richie who stole every scene she was in!

As a standalone, there was no nasty cliffhanger and it felt so satisfying to reach the last page and sigh sappily at our couple getting their happy ending. I would love to read any further books about Claire and Elise, there are plot threads set up that can be explored, but this feels complete and fulfilling as is. 

Disclaimer: digital copy provided free from publisher via Netgalley for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.