I really didn't enjoy this book. The concept was so interesting, and I was very excited to read it once I read the summary of it. However, there is very little world-building in the actual book, and I didn't understand what was going on or why anything was happening. I also didn't understand the magic system or really why magic was so deadly. It reminded me a little of the City of Ember books, which I enjoyed, but I hated the lack of world-building or any explanation of what was happening or what had happened prior to the start of the novel.

What a creepy, fairy tale-esque and wonderfully drawn world this is! This tells the story of siblings Azzy and Armin who live in the relative underground safety of the Heap, far away from the above, where dangerous magical creatures roam. When Armin is cast out for showing signs of magic, Azzy must undertake a dangerous journey to try and rescue him. I loved the world here - we are thrown straight in, which is a little jarring, but once I found my bearings, this is a rich fantasy land full of magic and monsters that is genuinely sinister in places. I found the relationship between Azzy and Armin really touching and the way in which they relied on each other was lovely. Similarly, I thought that the narrative was really well structured and that the pacing is good, albeit a wee bit slow to start. Overall I found this to be a really immersive and interesting story and I will look forward to the next instalment.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Disclaimer: I have voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley, thank you!

Do you ever read a book awaiting some kind of conclusion or twist or big reveal and it just never comes? Yeah.

Marrow Charm is a story about a world in which magic twists and corrupts people, turning them into monsters. Humans live in underground cities, plagued by sickness, hunger and monsters, and ones tainted by magic are mercilessly banished to the above world that’s full of danger. The main character, Azzy and her brother Armin are the apothecary’s apprentices and Azzy sometimes comes out of the tunnels to gather herbs and other ingredients needed for making medicine. Her brother Armin hides powerful magic that for a long time was undetected. At least until a plague comes to their city and to protect Azzy on their way to find the cure, Armin unleashes a huge blast of magic that gets him infected. When he’s cast out, Azzy decides to follow him to the above together with their late mother’s friend and their guardian, Brixby but when both him and Armin are captured by human traffickers called Snatchers, Azzy needs to survive on her own and find her family before Armin turns into a monster and loses himself.

Despite the fact that I have a lot of issues with this book, I need to assure you all that I didn’t hate it at all. The characters were okay, the locations nicely described and there was a lot of action to keep me interested. However, there are major things that prevent me from giving a higher rating.

My first issue is an absolute lack of any advanced worldbuilding. Yes, there are many locations in the book that are neatly described and interesting but besides the places, the characters visit we barely know anything about the rest of the world. There are very brief mentions of places where people live above the ground and use magic without being tainted, some hints about the fact that the world is actually our world many years after some mysterious disaster when magic was unleashed but besides that, everything seems completely random. The characters don’t know anything but they also barely learn anything throughout their journey. The only place where the backstory of the world is actually explained is the book’s synopsis and I surely don’t have to say why this is bad. Because of that, the locations the character passes through seem completely random and they don’t actually bring much to the plot most of the time.

Another issue I had is actually kind of connected to the previous one and that is the magic. Oh boy, the magic in this world is absolutely unexplainable and works however it’s currently convenient to the plot. The only thing we know about it is that it infects people who use too much of it and turns them into monsters lacking humanity. But there are characters who, despite their changed appearance still keep their humanity? There are also characters who are clearly said to have used magic for a long time and yet they aren’t infected in any way. Azzy at first seems not to have any magic at all and as the story progresses not only we learn that she does have it but also see her power grow from simple superhuman instincts into something that makes us go “Hey, I don’t think she should be able to do that” but we actually don’t really know that because there are no set rules to how magic works in this world. The characters can do seemingly random stuff that’s not defined by anything. And how do they know that Azzy’s power defies the norm if there’s no set norm whatsoever? Magic seems to work on pure convenience here and it’s really disappointing. The most illogical thing is a wolf who has a healing factor in his saliva. Good luck to him trying to hunt anything.

Another thing is that there were far too many scenes in which the characters just dreamed. They didn’t bring anything to the plot, they were just supposed to set this ominous atmosphere and give off the feeling of impending danger but there were far too many of them and they were just tiring at some point.

I went through the book expecting some revelation, plot-twist or something that would turn the plot around, change the characters’ view on the world and magic, uncover a great secret or give a reason for character development but it never happened. I was waiting for a culmination point that never happened and despite Marrow Charm being the first book in the series, I still feel it needed some kind of conclusion. The ending was alright and I would like to read more to see what happens next but it felt like a longer book cut in half.

As I mentioned, though, there was good stuff too - a lot of action kept me reading, the characters were maybe not the most memorable but likable enough and there was this atmosphere of danger and suspense that makes post-apo so good. I liked how the plot progressed to the ending and the last location left me carving for more because it was so different from the caves and the forests we’ve seen most of the book. It wasn’t a horrible book but it surely had the potential to be better.

I would recommend this book for people who like the fairytale-like atmosphere but the heavy and mysterious one, not the candy-sweet Disney one. If you have some time and like a ya fantasy and post-apo mix that doesn’t require a great emotional investment, definitely give it a read.

CHARACTERS
Azure (Azzy) – main protagonist
Armin – brother, having magic inside him growing stronger
Brixby – guardian of the pair, after their mother died
Wolf (Kai) – protector of Azzy, after she saved his life
Safiya – witch in the woods

WRITING
“The sun-soaked day to your brother’s storms.” – a beautiful quote from the book to describe brother and sister. The first half of the story is read through Azzy’s eyes. Then we switch to other character’s views of the story. Jumping from one character’s view to another can get confusing, but I didn’t get lost once, reading til the very last page. Reaching the fevered climax where the plot takes an unexpected turn, jumping between character narrations, was infuriating and made each page that much more intriguing as we wait to find out what will happen next, blending past with present.

PLOT
There is the main plot, Azzy’s search for her brother, seamlessly woven with subplots that feel both realistic and possible in this world. Losing myself in this fantastical world was unexpectedly easy.

WORLD
There are creatures in this world, warped and changed by magic. I loved learning more about how this world was changed. There are cities above and below ground, very different from one another. My only wish here was to learn more about how magic came to exist in this world, and why it tainted humans and animals alike.

OVERALL
I wished there were more history and flashbacks into the pasts of the characters in this book. I don’t want to wait for the second installment. I need to know where this journey will end, and whether everything will end well… There are so many routes open to this ending that there’s no way I can wait to read more!

In Short

a dark, twisted and extraordinary world filled with imagery woven with words
a love so deep, it transcends space and time
captivating characters you will long for and root for until the bitter end

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. The writing style was great, loved the story, characters were developed. I will be reading more from this author in the future!

I absolutely loved this book!!! I really liked the relationship between Azure and her brother Armin. The bond they have was so strong. No matter what happened to them she wouldn't and didn't give up hope if finding her brother. I can not wait to get this book at my local bookstore.

'I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.'

Overall: 3.75 stars

In a world where 'most' magic is tainted, Azzy, a girl who grew up in the Below, must travel across the Above to find her brother and guardian who were captured by snatchers. She encounters many obstacles along the way, including the realization that she has magic deep in her marrow and that all monsters aren't as monstrous as they appear.

I really love Azzy's character and how she interacts with the people and monsters in the Above, like she's connected to them all in a sense. The wolf companion was a great addition. The two characters introduced at the end captured my attention and I can't wait to see how they develop in book 2.

The the beginning was a bit slow, but picked up quickly and I was able to enjoy the rest of the book.
I didn't love the change in point of views and part 2. I enjoyed the story they told, but the randomness of it confused me. I would like more backstory on Brixby, Safiya, Kai and their mother. Their magic is tied to the gate, the world and their mother somehow, but it's never really explained. I'm assuming this will be discussed in book two, which I'm already looking forward to.

This would have been a 4-star possibly 4.5 star book, however the magic system wasn't explained that well and it's supposed to be the backbone of the book. There is rot, humans turned into monsters, and a Gate that was opened by a man, which caused all of this, but I don't know what happened. And it's stated that someone is trying to use the Gate again, but still no explanation. Only that many don't survive it, but Armin did.

Overall, I really enjoyed the journey to Avergard through Azzy's POV. I loved the characters she met along the way and I'm looking forward to book 2. ❤️

So this book is officially out and I'm ready for book 2! The writing in this book was so captivating, it felt like I was truly in the world. It was a fast parted book that left you wanting more. The magical elements were tastefully executed and not overly done or over the top.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book in the near future with an honest rating and review.

I am actually kinda mad. Here I was completely invested and riveted by the story of Azzy, Kai, and all the other characters....it just stopped. So, please give me a sequel cause it's cruel to leave people hanging like this.

As you can gather I really liked this book...there's fantasy, magic, good and evil and at the heart of all that a young woman who goes after her outcast brother and finds some unlikely allies on the way. The characters resonate, I was moved by the different backgrounds and stories and the world Kristin Jacques has created is beautifully described, you can envision the bleak surroundings, the multitude of a different creatures and the power struggles that take place.

The plot is also an interesting one, not everything is given away and we slowly find out that Azzy has magic in her as well, it's nice to find things out together with the main character and connecting the dots slowly to get a picture instead of already knowing the whole premise. Although I am left with questions now, so please get that sequel out soon, I almost beg you!

What a unique read! I loved the world-building and fast paced story-line! When I first read the description on Net Galley, I knew I needed to read this book. I quite enjoyed the "twisted" magic spin. Usually magic is made to be a "light/dark" side...whereas in this book, magic is like an infection and it is to be avoided at all costs. The only thing that bothered me just a teeny, tiny bit was the plot, I wish it would have been a little more.....something? I can't quite put my finger on what I want from the plot....but I just wanted a little more. BUT overall, I really enjoyed this book and would read more from this author in the future.

*I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

(Also posted on my GR account!)

I'm not sure if this is the case of 'it's not you, it's me' because others clearly thought this book is worth 4 to 5 stars.

Sadly, the gorgeous cover (seriously, so gorg!) and intriguing world-building couldn't help the fact that it wasn't interesting enough for me. I dozed off several times while reading because of the way the author described things. There were exposition left and right, epithet galore (couldn't read past 'his/her guardian' anymore), weird tones that I caught in the story.

Such a let down for the world-building to deal with unengaged lead female and unnecessary 'bond' and such. I know it's the first book of a series, but I don't think I will continue forward with this.

This book was an impulse read and I couldn't be happier to have read it!! I absolutely adored it!! Azure, or Azzy, has she is better known, lives with her brother under the care of their apothecary guardian in the underground city known as the Heap. It's a town on the edge of complete ruin and Azzy does all that she can to keep her brother safe and help her neighbors as best she can, by risking trips into the dangers of the Above.

When tragedy strikes and Azzy is separated from her brother, the remainder of the novel shifts into a more traditional journey-style fantasy novel. And the cliffhanger of an ending has me quite anxious for the sequel!! I really hope that the wait isn't too terribly long!!

Azzy is a heroine that is easy to root for - and her strong connections and relationships strengthen the book. The plot hold some truly shocking surprises that literally made me gasp aloud (so watch out for that if you read this in public!), The pacing moves along quickly and the book really is hard to put down (seriously, I wish I had been able to clear my calendar to read this in one sitting). The writing and world-building sets a genuinely stunning stage that is grim, but also darkly beautiful... I definitely think that this could be a great TV show, too. It's certainly a wonderful novel - Jacques' prose is lovely and I really adored the bonds between all of the characters (though of course I loved the wolf's relationship with her the most). The artwork of the interludes made for a nice surprise, too.

I didn't expect the ending to be quite so unresolved, so I really cannot wait for the next book!! I genuinely loved reading this and am so impressed with Jacques' writing. Truly excellent!!

Title: Marrow Charm (The Gate Cycle #1)
Author: Kristin Jacques
Pub. Date: October 1, 2019
Rating: 4.5

This will be a spoiler free review. Free copy of Marrow Charm provided by NeGalley in exchange for an honest review.

THIS. BOOK.

I had no expectations going into this. I saw the cover, it’s gorgeous, then I read the synopsis and thought that it sounded interesting. I requested it not even thinking that I was actually going to be approved, and I’m so glad I was. This is honestly a new favorite and I’m trash for Azure and Kai (the love interest) and I want them to be happy.

Marrow Charm is dark, gritty and unforgiving. Humans live underground after magic had (basically) ransacked the surface. Six cities, all havens for humanity but they’re falling. Azure’s (Azzy) home, Heaven, or better known as the Heap is struggling. A sickness called “The Rot” has steadily culled the cities population over time and the remaining humans are struggling to survive. Hope is all but nonexistent and choices have to be made in order to keep everyone alive. When meat is scarce…you don’t waste a single death.
It’s uncomfortable and a turning point for Azzy. Things are set in motion after one feast and they do not stop rolling even by the end of the book.

Azzy is badass. Even when the odds are stacked impossibly high against her, she keeps moving forward. She’s super capable but not invincible. She has many moments of weakness where she wants to give up, but she knows if she does, she’s dead. She knows that finding her brother may be the last thing she does, and if and when she does, he might not be the person she knew.

This book was amazing and the bonds that are formed between Azzy and the people she meets are raw, real and honest. She’s very much a girl who is willing to face anything, go the distance, but is also very much out of her element. Death scares her in the sense that it terrifies most people, but she also understands that it’s a very real possibility. She’s one to put herself in harm’s way to protect those she cares about.
Her bond with Kai is * chef’s kiss * perfect. At least in my opinion. It’s one that grew out of debts being paid, but also so much more – feelings that cannot be explained, that run deeper than given words can explain.
I fell in love with the two of them on their journey. They have a fierce protectiveness for each other and the more invested I got, the more my heart raced and the louder I screamed at the end of Part 1…okay it was like 3AM so I didn’t actually scream (audibly) but it felt like my heart was torn from my chest. I need to know if Kai and Azzy are okay because their current predicaments aren’t exactly great. Hell, no one’s predicament is great at the end of the book which leaves me with this feeling of dread and anxiety for what’s going to happen next and I have to wait until May 2020 to find out.
I’ll just be over here in the corner dying.

Much like [redacted]

This is my shout out to you all to read this book and fall in love.
You know that feeling when you’re reading a book and you get that bubbly, giddy feeling in your chest and you find yourself grinning like a fool because the book is so good and the romance is so good? and you just want to keep reading because you HAVE to know what happens next? That’s how I felt while reading this book.

Marrow Charm is out now! Make sure you pick up your copy and read this book! Fall in love with Kai and Azzy and get invested in her journey to save her brother! Make sure you add it on Goodreads as well!

This review will be posted to my blog on October 2, 2019 at 8AM EST

It took me awhile to get into this (until like 40%) and I was almost about to stop reading it for good when it started becoming better!

Majority of this book is spent by the main character, trying to find her brother who was cast out from their society because of his magic/power. It was slow at first until a wolf decided to join her on her quest. I really enjoyed the relationship between the girl and the wolf, especially how protective they were of each other.

Even if I'm not usually a huge fan of dystopian I found this book excellent.
I loved the fascinating, gripping and well crafted plot, the well written cast of characters and the amazing world building.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Azure ‘Azzy’ Brimvine lives in a world decimated by magic, where humans have retreated underground, but Below is no safer than Above. Magic borne plagues continue to eat away at the remaining human cities, a sickness that creates aberrations from the stricken: people twisted by magic. It is an existence of fear and constant dread. When Azzy’s brother, Armin, is infected and cast out into the Above, she sets out after him, determined to be there for him no matter what. The world Above is full of monsters, both wild and cunning, some more human than Azzy was led to believe. Armin is captured and bound for the Auction block of Avergard, a ruthless city of inhuman lords and twisted creatures. To reach him, Azzy must brave the perils of the Above. To reach him, she must find allies and forge new bonds in this broken world. And Azzy must reach him, before Armin’s new power is used to open the Gate once more.

I'm so thrilled to have had the opportunity to read Marrow Charm by Kristin Jacques! It's a pretty fantastic series opener. It's unique concept and luckily it really delivers. It was my first novel by Jacques, but it certain won't be my last. The fantasy dystopian world-building for both Below and Above is darkly lush and atmospheric. In regards to the cast of characters, I particularly appreciated the relationship between siblings, Azzy and Armin. Their journey is really something else, isn't it. The supporting cast is also quite intriguing as well. My only gripe is the multiple third person perspective. I would have preferred that aspect narrowed down to just one or two characters.

Overall, Marrow Charm (The Gate Cycle #1) by Kristin Jacques is a brilliant dark YA fantasy dystopian novel that stands out from the crowd. If you're interested in dark fantasy or dystopian worlds, I highly recommend this author's unique new story. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next this series with Skin Curse which is due to be released next May. Thanks again, NetGalley!

This book was really surprising. The setting of a post-apocalyptic world is always a favorite of mine. I enjoyed the different take on magic being an undesirable trait and it being seen as a curse. This definitely goes against most of the books about magic I have read. This book was a definite page turner and I cannot wait to read the next installment.

Received this as an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars for me!

What an intense dystopian book! I picked it up without reading the synopsis, the cover of the book was so gorgeous I just had to read it. Kristin Jacques' imagination is wild and intriguing! After couple of pages I was so dragged into the story. The magic, the extraordinary powers, the characters, the creatures. It has it all !

This book was received as an ARC from the Author, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own

In his pursuit of the occult, the Third Reich opened the Gate to a realm of magic and brought the world to ruin. The Gate was eventually closed, but They were already in our world and They were hungry.

Marrow Charm is an insanely dark fantasy horror, set in a inventive dystopian world, where the few Humans who survive live below ground in makeshift towns. While the world world above-ground is crawling with dangerous beings that have been infected with a magical plaque called the Rot
Imaginative world building, The magic borne plagues continue to eat away at the remaining human cities, a sickness that doesn’t merely kill, but creates aberrations from the stricken: people twisted by magic into something dark, dangerous, and powerful. It is an existence of fear and constant dread. When Azzy’s brother, Armin, is infected and cast out into the Above, she sets out after him, determined to be there for him no matter what he becomes.

When her brother Armin, is captured and bound for the Auction block of Avergard, a ruthless city of inhuman lords and twisted creatures. To Save him, Azzy must brave the horrific chaotic life forms created by the Gate. Ultimately Their sibling bond is what drives through the dangers of their world. Twisted by fears and uncertainty of his fate, Armin's love for his sister is unwavering.
Azzy must step out of her comfort zone and alliances with allies in this gut wrenching dark an morbid, torn broken world

This book was everything I thought it would be. Perfect for readers who want to step out of the norm and into the dark

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