This is the first book I have read by this author, and this book is the first in a series. First off, I think the characters made this book. They were well-drawn, and I loved how they were neither all good nor all bad; they had their parts to play. Second, the plot was an interesting one, and I was really drawn into the book. I must address that the book was a little slow in the beginning, and I did have a hard time getting into it. However, once I did, the book just opened up and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next. I did not have any issues with how well-written it was, and I think the slowness was just getting the book set up. Now that everything is in place, and events have transpired, I am eagerly awaiting the next book because I can’t wait to see what is going to happen with the characters, especially Lily and the King; I hope everyone gets a happy ending. As an aside, I’m not sure I’d classify this as YA…maybe NA? The lines are a little blurred with this one. Do, though, pick the book up if you like mythology, as the author deals with it very well. Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and Skyscape and Two Lions for the e-copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

After accepting an invitation to a party, Sage goes from being a homeless teenager desperately trying to survive on the streets of L.A. to finding out she is actually the daughter of a Goddess. Her whole life is a lie and the world is way more fantastical than she ever imagined.

The beginning 1/3 or so of this book was a little bumpy for me. She doesn’t know what is going on and neither did I. It’s a little wordy and the lack of clear answers gets a bit frustrating. Not enough to give it up but it lacked the “can’t put it down” factor. Once it evens out and the pace picks up some, it was definitely worth the wait.

The characters are the biggest strength in this book. Sage is a fantastic MC and her reactions to certain events were true to who she is and her background. There is an element of love triangle which is totally not my thing but in this case it was definitely integral to the plot. Both of the interests are very different and compelling in their own right.

Overall, I really enjoyed Fire and Bone and would definitely recommend it. The Irish mythology was refreshingly different from the typical YA fantasy reads and the characters are well drawn and layered. I will definitely be adding the sequel to my TBR.

***I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review***

This book was given to me through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This review contains SPOILERS.


This book was decent, I was just kind of disappointed by the over-used tropes. If you're looking for a book with insta-love, love triangles, a girl who constantly needs saving, and no strong female relationships whatsoever then this will be your cup of tea. The one saving grace in the book, for me anyway, would have to be the flashbacks the main character experiences of her older sister, Lily, and the Raven King. In fact, I would most definitely read a book that was only about those two characters.

So the book starts out with our main character, Sage, living on the streets with her friend, Ziggy. Sage and Ziggy make their way to a party being hosted by a girl they meet at some restaurant, but the party turns out to be a KIDNAPPING! Sage gets drugged and taken by some hottie named Faelan and also Ziggy isn't actually her friend, but some person meant to keep an eye on her (GASP). Sage finds out she's actually a demi-god with fire powers that are extremely dangerous and she needs help learning to control them. Faelan is the one chosen to teach her about her powers and the new world she's living in. During this time Sage and Faelan are going to be living in guest houses on Faelan's boss' property. His boss, Marius, has a ditzy human wife who is good for nothing (go women!) and a daughter, Aelia, who is super shallow and snotty (go women again!). Aelia also happens to be a super badass druid - who would have guessed? So it hasn't even been like 2 days and Sage is already super into Faelan (you know - the guy who kidnapped her?) and she absolutely hates Aelia since she's pretty much a devil woman. During this time Sage also begins to have dreams about her sister Lily and she almost burns down the house with her fire. She also meets the "dark prince" Kieran who she automatically distrusts because he's a DARK PRINCE, duh. So let me stop there real quick... Sage is falling in love with her kidnapper, but she immediately dislikes some cutie in a dark alley??? This is all so confusing. Anyway, Kieran almost kills sage (guess she was right about that punk afterall!) and Faelan has to save her. Sage then has her demi-god coming out party and some different god's houses try to vie for her loyalty. There's political stuff, people trying to kill other people and other fun stuff. In the end BIG SPOILER INCOMING sage chooses to pledge herself to Kieran's house in order to thwart his evil and crazy sister (go women x3!). Maybe I am crazy, but I thought the story was fairly generic and none of the characters were all that likable. Now I have to admit that I will probably read the next book because I would like to find out more about Lily and the Raven King and I am really hoping that the author will work to fix some of the trope-y issues (and maybe PLEASE make Sage an interesting person). My rating for this book is 3 STARS.

I started out loving this book so much but as I got further into it, I began to lose that feeling. I was so excited to read this and was disappointed with it. I hit 85% finished weeks ago but I just can't get through it. I'm officially marking this as a DNF. I'd maybe recommend it to some close friends whose reading preferences are a bit different than mine but I wouldn't recommend it to others.

When a young homeless girl is invited to a party her whole world implodes. Sage has fandangled her way through the foster system, slept in odd places but had no idea that Celtic mythology was about to come to vivid life. Maybe it's because Sage has seen the seedy side of life, the underbelly of the big city but whatever the reason is she seems to readily accept the idea of demigods, vampires, pixies and druids. Her birthright and heritage pale in comparison to the political intrigue and magic that surrounds her and as much as Sage wants answers the ones she gets are nothing she was ever prepared for . She's expected to choose a house to serve but what if the choice she makes leads her towards a life long since buried. Is Sage really in charge of her own destiny or have events been set in motion before she was even born ?
This story didn't initially grab me and felt a little confusing if I'm brutally honest and it was only because I liked the tortured teen Sage that I continued to read it . I'm so glad I persevered as by a third of the way in so much was fleshed out with explanations about the world that Sage found herself in. That doesn't mean everything is laid out for the reader and it's a story that slowly unravels in the most delightful way. There's almost romance here but it's muddied by an unfortunate triangle. Yet this triangle is clearly integral to the plot as Sage discovers even more about herself and indeed those around her. The ending leaves me wanting to know what happens next as Sage steps forward to take her place amongst the other demigods and demigoddesses.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Sage is an eighteen year old young woman living on the streets when she experiences a huge paradigm shift into a magical world of Celtic gods and goddesses filled with all manner of otherworldly creatures including druids, pixies, and shades which are a type of vampire. As if she were drinking from a fire hose, Sage has to learn very quickly about this new world because she must choose which deity-led house to ally with in a very short time. Complicating this crazy new life, Sage meets two very different men who want to win her allegiance, and possibly, her heart. Faelan is her first protector and allied with the goddess Brighid, who happens to be Sage’s true mother making her a demigoddess. The other man, Kieran, known as the dark prince, from the House of Morrigan; his agenda may or may not be in Sage’s best interest. As Sage becomes part of this new realm, dreams of another woman’s life that seem too real haunt and confuse her.

This new series from Rachel Marks blends fantasy, the modern day world, and humor quite well. Sage has all the problems of someone her age who has learned to survive on her own plus then being tossed into the glitzy Los Angeles world of Otherborn politics not really knowing who she can trust. This tale reminds me of a combination of a little Lords of the Rings and Gossip Girls with some interesting new angles thrown in as the author’s world building takes elements from the Celtic mythology and makes them her own. Ms. Marks’s fantasy world is quite complex as is the story, but it all works very well to draw the reader in. This is a very well done YA book that will please readers of this genre.

Fire and Bone is a blend of dark fantasy and humor, integrating ancient Celtic mythology with modern day Los Angeles. I'm all about it! Aged out of foster care and living on the streets, Sage is ripped from everything she knows and discovers that she is a Celtic demi-god with burgeoning powers. Thrust into an unfamiliar world full of magic, political intrigue, and violence, she must decide who to trust and navigate her complicated feelings for two male demi-gods. Despite what it sounds like, this is not a typical love-triangle and there are plenty of interesting twists to the plot.

I really enjoyed stepping into this world where wealthy, immmortal beings play out all the worst tropes of the Hollywood elite- super entertaining! Meanwhile, Sage is this great mix of soft-hearted naivete and independent rebel. Her experience living as a human clashes with the lifestyle and power systems of this world she is stepping into. The way the story is told had me pushing forward, curious to uncover secrets and find out more about who Sage really is. The romance possibilities don't resolve in this first book and the slow-burn style is really refreshing in comparison to so many insta-love stories. While I wasn't completely blown away, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I am definitely interested in picking up the sequel! I received an e-arc of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I really enjoyed my time while reading this story. Rachel Marks takes the readers on a crazy adventure filled with mythology and fantasy. Just when you think you have everything figured out, she rips the rug out from right under you.

I loved that the author mixed modern day with a lot of heavy mythology. You have all these houses vying for the young blood. With Sage on their side, she would type the scales of power and make one house more powerful than the others. There were shades (vampires), wraiths, demigods with varying powers, pixies, and druids. I really appreciated the fact that the author didn't info dump on us in the beginning. Instead, we learn as we go, just like Sage does.

Speaking of Sage, I really liked her character. Sage is not a pushover. She may be completely out of her element with everything going on, but she never fully submits to what's going on around her. She doesn't trust easily, and she isn't afraid to voice her opinion. I loved that she didn't accept everything at face value and wasn't afraid to put her foot down in order to get answers.

We also get the POV of her mentor and protector, Faelan. He was a surly character at first given the fact that his job was only to find Sage and bring her in, not be her babysitter and teacher. However, the more time he spends with her, you can see him start to lighten up and let her in. At first you have no clue what he is, other than the fact that he's super powerful. I mean, he's able to withstand her flame, his suite is a legit forest, and he heals and feeds by pulling the life from plants. He was definitely an interesting character and I really appreciated that the author chose to give him a voice.

While a lot of the story is of Sage figuring out how to handle her power, learning about the new world she's not part of, dodging attacks from one of the houses, and having to figure out what house to align herself with. There wasn't really a dull moment to this story. There was always something going on.

I will be honest and say that I'm not quite sure about the potential love triangle... or hexagon if you will, that looks like it may take place. A lot of the side parts of the story now make sense, and you build a connection between these characters because of it, but I'm just not on board with it. Although, nothing is definite yet, so I suppose I will just have to wait and see what the author has in store next for Sage.

I was completely wrapped up in the story right from the moment we meet Sage on the streets. I had a hard time putting it down as she's kidnapped, told she's a demigoddess, and starts setting things on fire by accident. I enjoyed reading about all the mythology the author incorporated into the story.

Not for me. I know I'm in the minority, but I didn't care for Fire and Bone at all. I am an avid reader, both of YA and UF, and often will read a book in a day, but this took me forever. Reading shouldn't be a chore, but I kept looking to see how much was left, so I stopped at 45%. For me Sage was unlikeable and oddly dumb for someone who survived the foster care system and living on the streets. I also felt like I was dropped in the middle of the story, I guess I wanted a little more build up that hopefully would have given more background for the world. Lastly there was a lot of description, but very little action. While the world seemed interesting, and,I liked the idea of the Celtic mythology, the book just didn't capture my attention.

Rachel Marks hits it out of the park with this tale of adventure, love, and intrigue! I loved the characters and the plot. This is a story of demigods and demigoddesses, pixies, and druids. There is a secret to uncover that rises from the past to reveal and an evil deed that destroyed lives and continues to cast an evil shadow. Sage, our heroine, is brought from her mortal life on the streets to this Otherworld as the daughter of the goddess of fire. Her life is thrown into tumult as she discovers her heritage and claims her life and her new abilities. I was riveted to the story as it played out and it left me wanting more. I'm hoping this is a series and the next book is available soon!

Thanks to Rachel Marks and Skyscape and Two Lions through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Thrones of Fire and Bone
I have been waiting for a new book by Rachel A. Marks since the moment I finished the Dark Cycle trilogy. To say I was thrilled by the chance to read her latest offering, Fire and Bone, before its release, would be an understatement! I love the way Rachel adeptly paints pictures of both our familiar urban sprawl, and of the magical vistas on a paranormal plane. Her characters are always well drawn, full of depth, and easy to empathize with, staying in the mind long after the last words have been read and digested. And although my expectations were high, Fire and Image result for fire witch gifBone was everything I hoped it would be! In it, a brand new urban fantasy landscape was created, peopled with characters who promise to deliver plenty of grit, frustration, and fulfillment.

The world of the Otherborn series is unique because it takes its inspiration from Celtic mythology, and the stories of the goddess Danu and her quarrelsome children. And while I have read plenty of stories spawned from Greek and Roman mythology, the world of the Celts is somewhat less well explored, and its one that I’m glad is now getting attention. The main character, Sage, is the daughter of the fire goddess Brighid, and her main love interest is a son of the fertility god Cernunnos…who has naturally taken a vow of celibacy. As if that doesn’t complicate matters enough, Sage has also caught the eye (and possibly the affection) of the son of the goddess of death and war, the Morrigan. Sage’s emergence as a new demigoddess kicks off a round of competition amongst the houses representing each god and goddess…but all Sage really wants is a sense of belonging and family, since she is the product of the L.A. foster care system. These tensions, Image result for Magical Lovealong with Sage’s growing feeling that there is more to her nature than she ever thought possible, bring the book to an end with one heck of a cliffhanger, when Sage decides to go after the throne of an unexpected house in order to vanquish her enemies, bring balance back to the houses…and maybe find love.

Fire and Bone will release on February 20th, but pre-ordering is available now on Amazon. Fans of Rachel A. Marks, mythology, and paranormal/urban fiction should not miss out on reading this book!

I received a copy through Netgalley.
I have to give this 4.5 stars.

Prepare to enter the realm of the old Gods (not the greek pantheon), elemental Gods. Earth, air, water, fire, spirt. The maker of the world Danu, had many powerful children. Seven mortals, were given the gift of immortality to oversee the offspring of those children, powerful Gods and Goddesses, to manage, oversee the balance, known as the Cast, each of the favored gods of which there are 5 have places on the board, where they may have more control over the ways of the world.
Each of the gods have a house in their name, in which new Demi Gods when they come of age can choose to join, increasing the power of that house.
The competition is fierce, and Sage a runaway, nearly 18, whose only goal in life is to finally be free of the system that has controlled her every move since childhood is about to find herself the main event. And with a one way ticket to a world, and a very powerful mother she never knew existed.

Transformations, scars from another time, magic, a sinister plot, forbidden romance, betrayal, a fantastic revenge, a hidden world, Ah... it's got so much good stuff.

I have to say I really enjoyed this, it had so many layers, and unexpected plot twists, and twisty characters that weren't what they seemed, and the ending really was a slam dunk and I cannot wait to see how Sage proceeds with her plans. And hope that the tragic past of her sister doesn't repeat it's self. I'm even sort of rooting for Kieran.

This urban fantasy is set in current day Los Angeles and gets its paranormal from Celtic mythology. Living among humans are demigods, shades, druids with magical powers, pixies and other magical beings.

Sage is a street kid who just turned eighteen. She entered the child welfare system as a ten-year-old when she was removed from her drug addict mother's care. She had a variety of foster care experiences but none of them were good. She doesn't trust anyone. But she has a secret past and powers that fit her into the magical world.

Sage is a demigoddess, the daughter of Brighid, and her power is fire. She should have been found as a twelve-year-old and introduced to the magical world. Now she just has a month or so to learn all she can and choose which of the powerful Otherworld families she is going to pledge allegiance to. She was found by the Brighid group and given Faelan Ua Cleirigh as a guardian and teacher. Faelan is an outcast from his birth court and is a man with many secrets.

Sage is being courted by all the houses who want this talented demigoddes to belong to their house. Kieran is a prince of House Morrigan and is particularly determined to win Sage for his house. Sage doesn't know anything about the politics of the houses or her magic and keeps getting less than clear answers when she asks questions. It doesn't help that she is being plagued by very realistic dreams that tell the story of a tragic romance 700 years in the past.

This was an entertaining beginning to a series told in alternating chapters by Sage and Kieran. It had, action, danger, and romance. Fans of urban fantasy will enjoy it and be looking forward to more stories in this series.

This is not a meaningful thought, but I love the cover, I like its colors a lot.
Anyway… go with the important stuff, shall we? I changed idea a lot during the reading. And I mean A LOT. I was liking it, then I was quite meh, I disliked it and I was really annoyed with it, I was captivated again, bored again, then I liked it again, then I was waiting for something to really surprise me, then I was disappointed and had mixed feeling all around. It wasn’t easy, really! And now that I have to talk about it I am more confused than ever! I can’t even say if I liked it or not!

To be honest, it is not a bad book, and it has a lot of good things in it, and probably I would read the second book, whenever it would come out, but there are a lot of things that weren’t so good, either.
The author has a lot of potentialities, and I liked her idea a lot. Her world is good and interesting, but I have loved to see more of them. The problem is that the main characters is a stranger to this world and so we learn about it with her, all is new and so there is a fat chance to meet info drops. Lucky for us, we don’t have info drops in this, but the risk is high and so we don’t see a lot of this world. I mean, we have a lot of supernatural creatures going around, and I’d loved to learn more of them, and to see more of them around, but… no such luck!

Also, we have the main characters, Sage, Falean and Kieran that are developed, some of the secondary characters that are not so good but not so bad either, like Lia and the old monk (this one is an interesting character, that’s for sure!) and all the others that are quite plain. It’s not so bad, tbh, but it’s just typical YA book (and here I mean all the YA that are average, not the ones really good, obviously) and it’s a shame, because if she can create the monk, she can create more characters with some depths in them!

The writing is good and I was feeling compelled to go on with the reading even when I was annoyed with it, and even if this first book is more an introductive story than the story itself, it’s full of things, happenings and intrigues.
And we learn about two stories: the story in the present, Sage’s story, and the story in the past, Lily’s. We have two POVs and then we have some parts that are set in the past, but even if this is a past long gone, its echoes aren’t far from our world and are very important for the present story. I was quite pleased by all of this, so this is the reason for which I would continue this series.

And… we have a love triangle. Sort of. Usually I’m not a big fan, and this would have been reason enough to not continue the series, but, and I know it’s really, really strange, I liked it a lot, and I can’t choose my ship yet, so obviously I have to keep on with the reading, right???

One last thing… the ending. It was mildly disappointing. I mean, I know that this would be the end, I was expecting it and you can see this coming from afar, even if not the motivations maybe, but I didn’t like it a lot. It’s not a bad ending, and it’s also quite right for the story, but I am not satisfied with it.

So… I am still confused about this one, I didn’t dislike it and I didn’t love it, this is clear, but it seems I can’t decide how much I liked it.

Fire and bone is an urban fantasy rich with mythology and mystery. Sage is a young homeless girl who finds out she’s no ordinary girl. She’s powerful, and dangerous people want that power for their own. Enter Faelan; a hot other world protector who’s duty is to keep her safe. The romance is full of tension and a slow build which I love. People who enjoy Sarah j Maas will love this series.

This book took a while to get into. It was well-written and had a ton of character development. It was really hard to like or dislike most of the characters since they were all so complex. Sage didn't feel genuine to me since she had been on the streets for some time, but then she becomes permanently stupid. I didn't know how to feel about that. It just felt off to me. Also, there didn't seem to be any concrete resolution. I was about halfway done with this book by the time it became decent to me.

4.5/5 stars
*I received a copy from netgalley for an honest review*

This book was such a pleasant surprise. When I started this book I thought it was ok by the time I finished I thought it was amazing. We meet Sage a young women on the streets trying to make it on her own. She attends a party after some friends talk her Into going, with the hopes of getting a fresh meal and a shower. Once there she realizes pretty quickly that things aren't what they seem and that she's a decendant of a Goddess. She's thrust into a whole new world of Demi Gods where she tries to find a way to control her powers and understand who and what she is. This book really developed well getting to know Sage and her history is a mystery in its own and the past and present is woven into this story so well. I found myself getting so invested in the characters and by the end even shedding some tears. I can't wait for the next book.

I came across this book by accident and I am SO EXCITED THAT I DID. I love a good YA fantasy read and this one grabbed from page one and I was a goner.



Tortured teen who doesn't know who she really is? YES PLEASE

Give me all the angst and all the potential chaos and I am for it. We have not only one BUT TWO brooding awesome guys in this book and I am honestly shipping both of them. I know, its terrible. I can't help it though. You will see.

This book grabbed me like ACOTAR did. I instantly loved the storyline and was all for getting lost in it. If you like YA reads like The Iron Queen, Any Melissa Marr or Tempestuous, you will love this.

This is one of those books that you devour in one setting, I couldn't put it down even though I was bleary-eyes. 

Sage is a young girl whose mother was and addict and instead of staying in the foster system she chooses to live on the streets with her person she considers her best friend.  They've been befriended by a woman who works at a restaurant and gives them food instead of throwing it away as told to by her boss.  One night she invites them to a party, Sage really doesn't want to go but she is promised a hot shower and decides go just to get clean with hot water.  Turns out it's a trap, most of the guests? are Otherworders and they are need Sage because she is a princess who doesn't know who or what she is and after she accidentally hurts Ben one of the guests she agrees to go along and see what she can learn and she earns plenty some good and some bad. 

This is an amazing story, I love the Irish mythology and the authors creation of the Otherworlders who inhabit it without humans knowing.  There are some truly evil beings but there are also good ones and sometimes you aren't sure of some characters motives.  While I love this book and definitely want to read the next book, this is one of the reasons that I prefer to start a series once all the books are released; I dislike CH and having to wait months/years to finish a series that I like. 

4.75/5 STARS:  **I received a free digital ARC in exchange for a honest, unbiased review.  I sincerely thank the author and/or publisher for providing an ARC through NetGalley,.**

I was actually quite surprised by this book and the premise was a unique concept to me. I’ve never read a book with Celtic gods so this was a breath of fresh air for me.

The plot was engaging and it has me waiting for the next book and the world building was pretty solid.

One thing that I enjoyed was the fact that two of the main supporting characters were people of color. In YA people of color are rarely depicted, and this is even more common in YA fantasy so it was great that this author included them in the novel.

A gripe I do have is the constant switching of point of views. There were about three point of views throughout the book and sometimes it made it confusing to know which one was which and I would have to flip back to remember which point of view I was in. A tip for the next book would to either decrease the amount of point of views or to extend the period of time between each point of view to make it less confusing.

The relationship in this book was OK. It seemed a bit instalovey and it kept on going round and round in circles and became a bit redundant to me. There is potential for a love triangle in the next book and I’m not mad at it however I would say that it is very hard to pull them off.
Overall a great read and can't wait for the next installment!!
#TeamKiernan