Category: Fantasy - JARED R. LOPATIN

SHIELD OF SPARROWS by Devney Perry (Audiobook)

10/20/2025

Read by Samantha Brentmore and Jason Clarke.
#1 - Shield of Sparrows

I had never heard of this one but it popped up on my Libby feed so I thought I would give it a try and I'm glad I did. Perry's world is engaging and full - full of monsters, that is. Monsters of all kinds and varieties. It follows the trope of a spunky woman and a strong-willed man and a "will-they, won't they?" enemies to lovers pattern but I didn't mind. There was a lot of political intrigue happening around the romance, not to mention the cast of characters is a great. I suspected one reveal, guessed correctly at another, and was surprised by the third. Will definitely pick up the second book and I am curious for the screen adaptation.

5/5

MOVING PICTURES by Terry Pratchett (Print)

10/18/2025

#10 - Discworld

The commentary on the film industry was good but I just couldn't fall into this one as much as I wanted to. Not quite enough Death, of course (there never is). However, I enjoyed Pratchett's genius being applied to the thinly veiled applications of film technology to the Discworld. It became a little repetitive at moments. The payoff, though, was a delight. Pratchett's subversion of genre is always fun to read. I also like that the mechanics for all of this were set up in previous books.

3/5

Quotes:

"The whole of life is just like watching a click [film], he thought. Only it's as though you always get in ten minutes after the big picture has started, and no one will tell you the plot, so you have to work it all out yourself from the clues."
"Darkness was everywhere, all the time, just waiting for the lights to go out. [...] Just waiting for reality to snap."
"Magic wasn't difficult. [...] The trick was to do magic and get away with it."

BLOODMARKED by Tracy Deonn (Audiobook)

10/11/2025

Read by Janiece Abbott-Pratt.
#2 - The Legendborn Cycle

Ireally wanted to like this more than I did. I enjoyed the lorebuild in the first book and the premise of the magic system but I just couldn't bring myself to care as much about the greater war happening as I did about the characters and their relationships. The parts that really focused in on Bree and her connections to Selwyn and Alice were the most interesting for me but they were too few and far between. The grander scale adventure was mildly interesting and I think it would capture the attention of many; it just wasn't doing it for me.

3/5

Quote:

"Grief is not a competition. It's not an identical pain we all meet one day when death finds us; it's a monster, personalized by our love and memories to devour us just so. Grief is suffering, tailored."

THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas (Audiobook)

10/2/2025

Read by Elizabeth Evans.
#1 - Throne of Glass

I was expecting more. I think after reading ACOTAR and the CRESCENT CITY series, I was expecting something with more twists or turns. This was fairly straightforward as far as Maas goes. It has the strong female protagonist - Celaena - who is more than she seems. It has some of the 'dark academy' rules with trials where there can only be one winner. It has the romantic descriptions that Maas is somewhat famous for. I definitely enjoyed it. I think it might have rated higher if it had been the first Maas I'd read but I can't help comparing it to her other works. That being said, I will be reading the next in the series to see what happens.

4/5

THE FORBIDDEN BOOK by Sacha Lamb (Audiobook)

9/30/2025

Read by Sophie Amoss.

I know they say "don't just a book by its cover" but this one is really pretty. The story inside also had a beauty to it. I enjoyed WHEN THE ANGELS LEFT THE OLD COUNTRY so I thought I would give another Lamb a try. I enjoyed this one. I don't think I liked it as much as I enjoyed the first, though. The protagonist, Sorel, is certainly one to support and cheer on and the journey kept a steady pace. It was a nice story with an exploration of gender roles, spirits, mythology, and politics. It never reached a high peak for me but neither did it bore me. It stayed relatively level.

3.5/5

GOLDEN SON by Pierce Brown (Audiobook)

9/27/2025

Read by Tim Gerard Reynolds.
#2 - Red Rising

I wanted to like this more than I did. I really enjoyed RED RISING. I understand why the story took the direction it did but it lost me during the moments of battle. I think one of the key skills of Brown is the ability to write relationships and that was the hook for me throughout RED RISING and GOLDEN SON. I found his quieter scenes to be more compelling. That doesn't mean I didn't love the intrigue and machinations throughout the story thus far and I will be reading the third book in this series. I also believe that Brown has a great complex character in Darrow and the exploration of his inner conflict makes for more captivating reading.

4/5

GHOST BOOK by Remi Lai (Print)

9/25/2025

I really enjoyed this one. It was the last of the Battle of the Book stories that I read and I'm kind of glad I ended with this. Having been introduced to the Underworld, Oxhead, and Horseface, through other media, I felt pretty comfortable from page one. Lai has a tight weave in this story, bringing multiple threads together to craft a really lovely story. It really emphasizes the bonds between people without hitting you over the head with it. I loved the relationship that built between July and William and I'm glad it ends on the note it does.

5/5

Quotes:

"A broken heart is a heart that has loved and been loved." (6)

RISE OF THE EARTH DRAGON by Tracey West (Print)

9/23/2025

#1 - Dragon Masters

This year, four books were given out for the Battle of the Books. This was one of them. It's a light story, the first in a series, about young dragon masters in a kingdom that not only captures dragons but keeps them secret. A young boy is one of these dragon masters and he must learn to bond with his dragon while the others have already done so. I like the worldbuild thus far. It seems accessible to younger readers, though there are some concepts that will be a little more abstract for them. I am curious to see where the series goes, especially because the ending is not satisfying.

4/5

RUTHLESS FAE by Susanne Valenti and Caroline Peckham (Audiobook)

9/10/2025

Read by Khaya Fraites as Tory Vega, Jessica Schly as Darcy Vega, Gregory Linington as Lance Orion, Julian Dailey as Darius Acrux, Ryan Dalusung as Seth Capella, Jon Vertullo as Caleb Altair, and Gabriel Michael as Max Rigel. Also with Daniel Llaca, Michael Glenn, Karenna Foley, Lydia Kraniotis, Nora Achrati, James Konicek, Lise Bruneau, Kelly Baskin, Stephanie Németh-Parker, Ian Russell, Kit Swann, Terence Aselford, Laura C. Harris, Shravan Amin, Michael John Casey, Tyler Hyrchuk, Crystal Lee, Ken Jackson, Yasmin Tuazon, Christopher Williams, Nanette Savard, Jeri J. Marshall, Kaylee Eluvian, Richard Rohan, Dawn Ursula, Eric Messner, Bradley Foster Smith, Amanda Forstrom, Colleen Delaney, Matthew Bassett, and Christopher Walker
#2 - Zodiac Academy

I must say that I enjoyed this more than the first one. The mixture of the heirs' perspectives grows stronger in this book and I'm waiting for the aligning of forces. The lines aren't quite so clear cut this time, between the Vegas and the heirs, between the students and the teachers...everything is becoming blurred. It's interesting to see how the story is unfolding. The name is a bit of a misnomer. While the star signs play a role, they don't seem to have as much influence on the characters as the elements do. It's much more rooted in the four elements than the signs themselves. Then again, maybe there's a larger game at work here and the signs will come into play later. Either way, I'm planning to continue this series.

4.25/5

THE MANIFESTOR PROPHECY by Angie Thomas (Audiobook)

9/5/2025

Read by Janiece Abbott-Pratt
#1 - Nic Blake and the Remarkables

I had so much fun with this one. Having read Thomas' other work, I was excited to read this. I love the strength of Nic Blake. Thomas is fabulous at writing her thoughts and building her relationships with the other characters, especially the two boys. The worldbuild in this is fantastic, not to mention the way Thomas builds in lore and culture. Thank goodness this is a series; I need more of this.

5/5