Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany - 5 stars (finished 9/8)
BOOK 8 IN THE HARRY POTTER SAGA
Once I got used to the screenplay format, I blew through this book like it was nothing. I hated when I had to stop reading. Such a phenomenal continuation of the original stories. I only wish there were more. I would keep reading about these characters for a lifetime and more. I just absolutely loved it. I don't want to give any of the plot away for those who haven't read it, but please don't be discouraged by those angry that it's "glorified fanfiction" or has no plot. I honestly am not sure what they read because this has an amazing plot and although it may be written differently than the books, it doesn't make it a bad read in the slightest.
The Oathbreaker's Shadow by Amy McCullough - 4 stars (finished 9/16)
BOOK 1 IN THE KNOT SEQUENCE DUOLOGY
**I received this ebook for free from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**
The Oathbreaker's Shadow tells the story of a people who make vows with consequences for breaking them. They carry their vows as knots that are worn. The oathbreakers are scarred by their knots (like a brand), exiled into the desert, and haunted by a shadow of the person they made the vow to. Vows are not typically made until adulthood - as you can imagine the little promises children make and break between friends or parents - "I promise to clean my room!" "I promise to not go to this place." etc. The MC, Raim, however, has a knot that he has had his whole life and he is only 15 y/o. He has no idea what the vow is or who he made it to. When he makes the ultimate vow to protect his best friend and future ruler of their people, the small oath is broken. Raim is scarred and exiled, but he has no shadow.
I love high fantasy books. It has always been one of my favorite genres and I find that you either get really dry stories or ones you cannot put down. I docked a star, making this book 4 stars out of 5, because it did start out a teensy bit dry for me. I almost DNF it. I thought the premise was very interesting, but there was a lot of name introducing and descriptions that were a little unnecessary, in my opinion. Plus I kept getting confused with his bff's name, Khareh, with the place called Kharein. Once I got past that, it was fine. It was pretty solid. There were a few places that dragged on, but for the most part, it was a good read. I am very excited to read the next installment.
