Review: Keyflame by Tallulah Lucy

Title: Keyflame
Author: Tallulah Lucy
Publisher: Astral Owl Press (6th March 2020)

I was fortunate to get an advance review copy of Keyflame, the debut novel of South African author Tallulah Lucy.

Set in Grahamstown, South Africa, Keyflame follows first-year student Lilah as she navigates the struggles of fitting in, being away from home and everything else that comes with University life. But, things soon take a turn for the fantastical and Lilah starts questioning who she really is.

I do not want to elaborate further on the plat than that, as I think part of Keyflame's appeal is the mystery that is slowly introduced to both the reader and Lilah as the story progresses.

Scenic Grahamstown (Wikipedia.com)

It was an authentic experience, having the book set in a town I am familiar with. Although I didn't spend time there as a student, I was still able to enjoy the nostalgia when various landmarks were named. I also really loved the South African flavor of this over all, and think it's a pretty bold move for the author to not only make this choice, but to keep it true and undiluted by other influences.

For context, a lot of South African authors tend to place their stores in either the States or a generic setting for the sake of marketability. Which is understandable, should authors wish to appeal to an international audience. However, the setting here adds to Keyflame's charm and I feel would certainly appeal to a larger audience.

Keyflame also has really strong, well-developed characters with their own quirks. Some of Lilah's thoughts made me giggle as I found them to be things I might have thought in that situation. I love that we are not presented with perfect characters This is especially true of the love interest as he is not described as having perfect, godly looks.

Overall, this book was really enjoyable and made me miss my home country a little.

If you are looking for a fun fantasy, this is definitely worth the buy and you will also be supporting a deserving and creative author.

Keyflame is out on the 6th March 2020 and is available for pre-order now!

Visit Tallulah's website here.
Buy Keyflame on Amazon here.
Add Keyflame on Goodreads here.
Follow Tallulah on Instagram here.

Reading Goals: Series I Want to Get to In 2020

I am really bad at not finishing series I enjoy, so one of my big reading goals for this year is to finally finish completed series that I own.

This means doing a reread of the books I have read before and wrapping up the rest of the books with the story still fresh in my mind.

I have put together a  list of the top series I want to finally finish this year.

All descriptions come from Goodreads, detailing the first book in the series.

1. Arc of a Scythe by Neal Schusterman

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

2. The Illuninae Files by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents--including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more--Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

3. Nevernight Trilogy by Jay Kristoff

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.
Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.
Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.
Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her ... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

5. Snow Like Ashes Trilogy by Sara Raasch

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.
Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.
So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

6. Strange the Dreamer Duology by Laini Taylor

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.
What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?
The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

7. Cursebreakers Duology by Brigid Kemmerer

Fall in love, break the curse.
Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.
Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she's pulled into a magical world.

6. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

I am so excited to read all of these as I have read the first book for most of them and loved it! Are any of these on your list of series you want to try out or finish?

Keep an eye out for my reviews as I read these.

January 2020 Wrap-Up

This has been a really good reading month for me. This is mostly due to me still looking for work having only been in the Netherlands for 2 months.

In total, I completed 9 books, putting me one book ahead of my goal of 100 books for the year.

The books I read were:

1. De droomebewaker - Thea Stilton

This is a simple Dutch reader that I picked from the library to help me learn some of the language. I actually really enjoyed it as it has loads of pretty illustrations.

2. The Poppy War - RF Kuang

This is an adult fantasy with a strong female lead who defies all odds. I loved it and highly recommend it for fans of YA fantasy looking for that step-up into something a little more mature.

3. A Very Large Expanse of Sea - Tahereh Mafi

Super surprising. I loved this and read it on one sitting. You can check out my review here.

4. Lipstick, Lies and Dead Guys - Jennifer Fischetto

A random book I had on my Kindle. This is the start of an Indie paranormal romance series with reminds me a little of an old tv show called Tru Calling. I enjoyed the humorous writing and might even get the next ones in the series on Kindle Unlimited.

5. Stepsister - Jennifer Donnelly

This is a fairy-tale inspired novel about one of Cinderella's stepsisters and her story after Cinderella finds the prince. I really enjoyed this unique take on a known fairy tale.

6. The Faerie Guardian - Rachel Morgan

The first in South African author Rachel Morgan's self-published fantasy YA series. I am not going to lie. I thought it was a little generic at first, but then the plot twist kicked in and I was hooked.

7. Air  Awakens - Elize Kova

Another Kindle read. I didn't like this, though it is well-written. The main character literally had four men pining after her by the middle of the book and it was just too annoying to continue the series.

8. We Rule the Night - Claire Eliza Bartlett

I loved this fantasy about two girls finding their place in a male-dominated war setting. While it's clearly inspired by modern warfare, the fantasy elements are awesomely integrated. Highly recommended.

9. Agent of Chaos - Kami Garcia

This is the first of two X-Files Origin novels. I got them for the nostalgia and didn't really expect it to be as good as it was.

I hope to manage this many books this month too! I am also going to be focusing more on reading completed series I own so that I can start clearing space on my bookshelves.