I really enjoyed Marrow Charm! The Heap gave me major City of Ember vibes which I adored and when the action starts up it's full on and doesn't shy away from being a boss-battle. The characters were extremely lovable and provided a wholesome quality to the book. I loved the exploration of the world and hope to one day find a map to go along so I could visualise their journey in a more holistic way. Can I please have a Kai? Great set up for future books, I'm keen to see how the world expands and what mayhem our characters end up in.

At first I wasnt sure this was going to be the book for me. It starts off really dark and I was very worried I would end up having nightmares about giant spiders. But, quickly the story drug me in. Azzy's story is twisty and turbulent. It keeps readers engaged and wondering what will happen next. My only complaint is the fact I didnt know this was going to be part one of the story and judging from the Author note at the end Im not sure that there is another book being written.

I’m gonna keep this brief because I think it’s one of those stories to go into with as little information as possible, it just makes for a really interesting reading experience.

So I really enjoyed this one! It’s been a while since I’ve read a fantasy story that I could get sucked into but this one definitely fit the bill. The world that it takes place in is so vivid, it’s a dystopian type story but it’s so far in the future and so full of dark imagery and themes that it feels like more of a high fantasy. It’s really dark and gritty, and at times disturbing, but it just makes all the threats so much more real.

The basic premise of the story is that magic is forbidden Below, so once the main characters brother is thrown Above for having magic, she sets out to save him. The book is full of weird and creepy creatures and shows a really dark side to humanity, but that makes the story really fast paced and easy to get through.

The characters didn’t full fully developed to me, but I also didn’t realize it was a series until the very end so I expect there will be more growth in the next installment. The different relationships were so varied and really pushed the story forward.

Overall I really liked this book! It was so easy to picture everything that was happening and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Compelling, thematic and filled with beautiful descriptions. Marrow Charm is a unique genre mash-up of being set in a dystopian world while also being a magic-filled fantasy and a chilling horror. The drool-worthy cover is actually a good way to set the tone for the story.

The story is exciting and intriguing right from the start, and just gets better the more you read.

People are really sleeping on this release and I hope it will get a larger audience because this book was GOOD! I will be pushing this deliciously dark series opener on all of my friends.

I can’t wait to see the story develop even more in the next book.

Marrow Charm - ⭐⭐⭐

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This book held so much promise in the first chapter. It gripped me so hard and swore to never let me go and to be honest I was swept up in the dark and gritty world that Kristin had created...

But...

It fell a little short for me.

I reached the halfway point of the book and honestly just felt like the plot itself was ok. It felt staggered and staged, one moment there was an action sequence, then dialogue, then action sequence, then dialogue. It was a circle of repetition and that reduced the rating for me.

However, the elements I did enjoy was the world building, the writing style (Kristin certainly knows how to paint a truly gruesome picture), the creatures, and the characters. I found the creatures particularly interesting, being reminiscent of something you'd find in a horror movie.

All in all it was an enjoyable read, not bad but not amazing, hence the 3 stars. I will keep my eyes peeled for the next installment.

OMG Marrow Charm is SO GOOD. I stayed up until 4am to finish this and I want the next book to come out already.

My favorite part of this book is the magic system. The world as we know it has ended and magic has corrupted everything on the surface. So humanity has gone underground. Magic is an infection and if a human gets infected they become a monster.

The pacing is great and I love the characters, its set up as an adventure after someone the main character cares about is infected with magic and is kicked out of the human city into the above.

highly highly recommend!

I was kindly provided with a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review - all thoughts are my own.

I really, really wanted to enjoy this book. The beginning held promise but soon after the first chapter things slowed down and I struggled to feel motivated to continue. I gave reading this several chances but given that i've made it half way through and still have no real interest in the narrative i'm going to 'dnf' this one.

The world created was fascinating - I loved the concept of the above and the below. But this ended up feeling a bit like an info dump in the first few chapters.

The narrative felt like it took ages to get started - I didn't know what Azure's motivation was. Sometimes it felt like there was no direction to the narrative that I could identify. This really dragged me down while reading and I lost interest quickly.

Finally, the sentence structures were incredibly repetitive in some paragraphs. Perhaps I'm being too picky but the constant use of commas in the place of conjugations and the lack of variation in sentence length and flow really interfered with my reading.

I would have liked to continue reading but just couldn't bring myself to finish it. Perhaps I'll try out one of the authors other books in the future.

Book – Marrow Charm
Author – Kristin Jacques
Series – The Gate Cycle
Cliffhanger? - Yes
Publication Date – October 1, 2019
Genre – YA Dystopian/Fantasy
Rating – 4 1/4 out of 5 Stars

Complimentary copy generously provided by the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts - Story

OMG…it’s been awhile since I’ve read anything other than Historical Fantasy and what a treat it was to be able to read Marrow Charm where we mesh the fantasy with the dystopian and on top of that…this author did it seamlessly.

The world building is breath taking where the reader is transported into their own world full of the writer’s descriptions molded into the personality of the reader.

But the one thing I have to gush about is….Kai! OMG….I am in love! What dedication and what loyalty. I can’t wait to get more of these characters and see how they develop further!

Reason for Reading – NetGalley Review
Story – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Steam – 4 out of 5 Stars
Angst – 5 out of 5 Stars
Writing – 4 out of 5 Stars
Content Flow – 4 out of 5 Stars
Would Read More from Author? Yes
Recommend To – Lovers of something different in fantasy and dystopian

Thank you to NetGalley and The Parliament House for the E-arc copy of Marrow Charm.
Marrow Charm seems like a turtle when you first start it, but as you get to the middle it becomes a rabbit running at full speed. I think because it is the first in a series it had a lot of world to build. Once it gets through the beginning it becomes a page turner so stick in there.
#MarrowCharm
#NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley for my copy of Marrow Charm! This story started out kinda slow for me and I was not loving it. I am so glad I kept reading and really enjoyed the story. I did not know that this was going to be a series so I was bummed not knowing how everything is going to end. I am excited to read the next book and see what happens next!

I found this to be a wonderful fantasy book, the world building was done amazingly and the characters were flashed out and relatable. Worth the read.

I absolutely loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. Very cool concepts while also smoothly writing in a way to where the created bits make sense. I was able to enmesh myself thoroughly in the author's world they created and I can honestly say if there isn't a sequel I'm officially heartbroken. The main character is so utterly likeable in her strength and ferocity to protect her brother while meeting some interesting characters along the path to finding him again. Fantastic read with a fantastic journey.

I was disappointed by this one - or at least, by my reaction to it. I also think this is one of those where the publisher did the book a disservice with the blurb choice. I LOVED Ragnarok Unwound, and when I saw that Jacques had a new title - one that promised to bring together the occult, Nazis, and a world-within-the-world, I was immediately intrigued. I started reading and felt like I'd maybe downloaded the wrong file - Azzy's story didn't feel AT ALL like what was described, and the letdown was hard.

This was dystopia, which was not at all what I was expecting - and which is a category I don't often choose. Or at least, don't choose lightly. I suspect that if I'd stumbled upon the story blind, I might have had better luck with it - Jacques tells a compelling story, no matter the topic, although I must confess I found this one less immediately engaging than RU even though it was just as original. I just never felt like I found my way into the experience I was expecting.

I understand this is the first in a series - that may explain some of the questions and confusion I'm left with, although it is not common for the first book, setting everything up, to be quite so oblique... It's possible this just isn't the series for me - or at least, not for me right now. I may need to let my original anticipation for what I thought I was getting fade away, then come back to this one as a blank slate. Once I have an expectation about a story it's hard to let that slide, and if the book doesn't deliver on that expectation, it's tough to pull me in - even if the story is otherwise entertaining.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this early.
I really enjoyed this book. The main character is what made this book so great for me, her passion and determination to help out her brother was just so heart warming. The world building and the world in this book are absolutely amazing and very dystopian like and I enjoyed that aspect. This book was a joy to read and I cannot wait for the next. I highly recommend this book. I gave this book 4 stars.

A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

3.5/5 - Liked it quite a bit, rounded up to 4 stars.

This book is the first part of a series and quite honestly, I can't wait to continue the story. As it is set in a magical futuristic dystopia, it combines several genres. This is an ambitious undertaking, but Jacques masterfully builds a world that is believable and thoroughly packed with monsters and magic. Although it borrows themes from dystopian and fantasy literature, the story is unique and unpredictable, which makes for a wild ride. I especially loved the settings that Jacques crafts - the book felt like an adventure through an unmapped, thrilling landscape. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read!

My only gripe with it is that at times it was confusing. The characters would have motivations I didn't quite understand, or certain magical rules would be set up earlier to be broken later. Azzy especially puzzled me, because her actions didn't always correlate with her inner dialogue. This made her difficult to grasp as a character. The multiple POVs were interesting, but because they moved back and forth between different timelines and dreams, it was easy to get lost. The writing could also get a little verbose - I think the author just loved the world she crafted so much that she wanted the reader to really visualize it, but at times the overindulgence in detail slowed down the pace of the story too much.

However, I think the positives by far outweigh the negatives and I would certainly recommend this book to lovers of dystopia and YA fantasy. Can't wait to read the next

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a longgggg time and I wish that the sequel was already available because I need it now. The main character, I adore. She’s an amazing person and so determined to help her brother and as many people she can meet along the way, even if most people wouldn’t. The world is so fascinating and terrifying and I can’t get enough it. I loved every page and I almost just want to start it over and read it all over again, such a dark book, but with so many moments of hope and goodness and light. Read it!!!!

This is the first book in the Gate Cycle series and I loved it! This is a dark fantasy series set in a post-apocalyptic type Earth were a magical gate has opened releasing magical monsters and magical taint into the world above.

Azzy and her brother Armin have been eeking out at living by assisting the apothecary of one of the Earth’s last full human underground cities. However, when Armin ends up tainted they flee to the Earth’s surface to try and make a living there.

I really really enjoyed this book a ton. It was very creative, the writing was very descriptive, and I loved the complex and conflicted characters. There is a lot of magic and interesting monsters in here as well. This is a very adventure driven fantasy, which is something I always love!

This is a fairly adult novel and very dark. It borders on being a fantasy horror. However, the adventure element is what I really latched on to. This is one of those books where I could not predict what would happen next, everything was just so creative and unexpected.

Overall I loved this book. The adventure, dark faerie tale elements, and magic drew me in completely. I am definitely planning on continuing this series. I would recommend if you like reading very dark fantasy adventure/dark faerie tales.

This book is an exciting dystopian adventure with magic and monsters. The world-building is immersive and dark. The story moves very quickly and it is obvious that this is the first of a trilogy. I would recommend this to teens who enjoy dark stories and fantasy.

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
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4,5*
Pros: Beautiful description and world-building. Dark and twisty fantastical creatures and folklore. Interesting and complex characters. Refreshing magic system. Stars an awesome wolf. Features deep relationships. Relevant notes about enslavement and fight for survival. A perfect mix of dystopian and fantasy.
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Cons: A few confusing and unexplained details and plot events.

My favorite part about this book was the world building. It's a magic system that has taken its toll on society and become far worse than they hoped. 

It's a story with mystery, family, and disease. The writing sucks you in as much as the magic does to its victims. 

If you're looking for a unique touch to magic and the horrors that make a good Halloween story, this series may be right up your alley. 

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.