Kat Ross

If there were a Kat Ross fan club I’d probably be President of it. Have you seen all my glowing reviews of so many of her books? So many that I’ve given her her own category on my blog Kat Ross. Which is why It’s surprising that I hadn’t read her first book Some Fine Day.

Cause not only is it by Kat, but it’s also a young adult dystopian story which I am absolute garbage 🗑️ for. Give me angsty teens fighting a corrupt dystopian government any day. Hunger Games. ✔️ Uglies. ✔️ Unwind. ✔️ Partials. ✔️Maze Runner. ✔️Ember. ✔️ The Giver. ✔️Yes I’ve read them all, and I could list a dozen more.

Some Fine Day belongs right in that list. A thrilling YA dystopian, with a kickin’ female MC, a untrust worthy government and layer of lies to be uncovered. You might think with those troupes that its *just* another one of those stories.

But it’s so much more.

Kat Ross is a master at world building. It’s one of the major reasons I love her work so much. I can just fall into the worlds she builds. The idea of these huge dangerous storms that drove people underground is believable considering everything going on in our world, and the actual hurricanes that are getting bigger and more destructive.

Jansin is also a good and believable MC. She’s trying to do what will make her family happy. Trying to get the education they want her to have. To live up to their expectations. Even before we get to the action she has misgivings.

One of the thing I really appreciated was how the love story played out. It wasn’t one of the two typical troupe you see in these kind of stories. Neither the first-love forever-love or the falls-for-the-bad-boy-who-has-a-good-heart.

The finale was amazing and it kept me riveted. But I won’t say more for fear of spoilers.

Bottom Line:

If you enjoy YA dystopian reads don’t want as long as I did to read this one. A hidden gem, if there ever was one.… (meer)

The City of Storms is the first in the Nightmarked series. It follows the story of Kasia, a Tarot card reader who has a shady past and some kind of magical power, along with Alexei, a priest of the Via Sancta, the ruling church, and a user of good ley line magic. They are battling the Nightmarked, or fallen angels, specifically Malach. The death of a high-ranking psychiatrist brings these characters together in discovering political intrigue going back centuries. Out of necessity, there is a lot of world-building that has to take place in this first installment, and it can be a little difficult to figure out why things are happening because of this. However, the story is fascinating with a compelling approach to magic use, the characters are well-defined and interesting, and the plot moves very quickly. I really enjoyed this and think that the second in the series should be even better.… (meer)

Well written, easy read young adult book, with engaging characters. Fantasy with convincing world building, and a bit of romance mixed in.

This book does several things that make a good read. It shows, rather than tells, even to the extend of the main character thinking something completely different is happening to what the reader can deduce.

It surprises the reader, or at least me. For the first part of the book I was confident that I knew where the story was heading, then after main character death, things suddenly happen I could not have foreseen.

The writing was easy to wind down with, nothing too complex. And the story encourages you to read on, even when you may think you know what will happen.

Unfortunately it does end without a full wrap up, as I assume the story continues in the next book. But I may very well read it!… (meer)

I never would have guessed, back when Balthazar made his first enigmatic appearance in The Midnight Sea, that he would become one of my favourite protagonists out of all these series, but Ross did such an amazing job developing his character that spending a whole book with him here was an absolute treat. This book has all the action, adventure and humour one would expect from Kat, and fans won’t be disappointed. I also think those who are new to her books could enjoy this without having read previous instalments in the series.… (meer)