REVIEW Immortal Longings (Flesh & False Gods Book 1) by Chloe Gong

Immortal Longings (Flesh & False Gods Book 1) by Chloe Gong
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Release Date: July 18, 2023
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited) + Audiobook (Borrowed from Library)
Publisher: S&S/Saga Press

“She could do nothing on a throne, but she can do everything with a sword in her hand.”

Chloe Gong's Immortal Longings, the first book in the Flesh and False Gods duology, was an exciting and fast paced adventure fantasy. Borrowing elements from Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, it’s full of political intrigue, complex characters, and questionable morality. Jeena Yi did an excellent job bringing the story to life with her performance in the audiobook narration. As a bonus, it was available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited.

The worldbuilding in this book is exciting. It's set in a futuristic secondary world that’s very cyberpunk. Conditions in the city are destitute, but citizens live for the yearly games (where players compete in a bloodbath akin to Hunger Games, using their ability to ‘jump’ into other bodies to evade detection). While I'm not that familiar with Shakespeare's original play, I could definitely see the subtle influences throughout the story. I also loved the idea of 'jumping'. It’s a really cool 'magic system', if you will, and it was intriguing to learn about the different rules (who's immune to jumping, who you can't jump into, etc.). The author definitely leaned into a Roman structure, with the games, the Colosseum and the empire (which also leant itself to a dystopian flair).

The characters are complex. There are three main point of view characters in the book - Calla, Anton, and August - all have very different personalities and motivations for wanting to win the games and challenge the monarchy. With the ability to jump from body to body being central to the story and the action, the concept of bodily autonomy and ownership was an important one throughout the book. For example, could you recognize someone you cared about through only their mannerisms and their eyes? And is it lawful to possess someone else's body, if the ends justify the means? There are two main cliffhangers towards the end of the book that threw me for a loop, so I'm excited to see where the author takes it in the next book, Vilest Things. I would recommend this to a upper young adult to adult audience level (so new adult).

REVIEW The Dragon's Apprentice by James Riley

The Dragon's Apprentice by James Riley
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: April 1, 2025
Format: Audiobook (Borrowed from Library) + eBook (Personal Library, Bookshop.org)
Publisher: Labyrinth Road 

The Dragon's Apprentice by James Riley was a really fun new middle grade fantasy read. Audiobook narrator Alana Kerr Collins did an excellent job with her performance bringing both Scorch and Ciara's perspectives to life. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy humorous reads filled with magic, dragons, and slightly cliche but equally despicable villains.

Ciara is a very relatable protagonist who is willing to do anything to save her mother. When she stumbles upon the journal of the 'lost apprentice' (which also happens to be somewhat sentient), it changes her life and that of her village forever. Enter Scorch, the grumpy and stern Great Dragon. He agrees to help Ciara save her mother as long as she helps him find his lost siblings and determine what happened to his last apprentice. Shenanigans ensue, as they work towards both of their goals. I loved the heart of the book as well as the worldbuilding (one specific power of the dragons was quite cool). There is a major cliffhanger, where the author sets up the events of the next book but it left me excited. If you like dragons, magical mentor-mentee relationships, and/or magic in general, this book is for you.