Piper CJ

“The Deer and the Dragon,” by Piper CJ

Marlow has lived her entire life thinking she suffered from delusions. She now finds our creatures exist; angels, demons, fae, gods and all. She also finds out her imaginary man of her dreams is really a Prince of Hell. The Prince of Hell has now gone missing, and Marlow is determined to find her way back to him.

This book is readable, and I did not hate it, but I have a lot of things I didn’t like about the book. I did like the concept of someone who has maladaptive daydreams struggling with real life and figuring out what is real and not real. What I didn’t like was that FMC is stupid. She told him to go away twice! Even after the first time she regretted it she still decided to do it again, like what?! Also, she writes fantasy, so she has knowledge of supernatural lore but then finds out the supernatural is real, so she acts like she’s never heard of anything non-human ever, it was actually pretty annoying how her personality did not line up a lot of the time. And then last is it was marketed as Hazbin Hotel meets Crescent City, and I’ll be honest… it did not give me enough of those vibes to consider it anything like it. I listened to the audiobook version and the audiobook narration was good and I enjoyed that part of it. 3 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.… (more)

The first reviews I read for this book kept saying that this book was their new favorite from Piper. As someone who ADORES the Night and its Moon series, I could not fathom anything topping my love for Nox and Amaris.

About two chapters in, I fully understood the hype. Piper has such a beautiful way of crafting a world that fully immerses you. Our main character, Marlow, makes the kind of impulsive and (often) reckless decisions I'd fully expect from a 26 year old, and I cannot get enough of it.

I saw so much of myself in Marlow and how she handles anxiety and trauma. The way she describes her history with men made me feel so deeply seen. Piper handles the complexities of unpacking emotional and religious traumas in a way that makes the character seem incredibly vulnerable and strong at the same time. This is a world I find myself daydreaming about weeks later.

I would absolutely go to Hell and back to get my hands on the next book in the No Other Gods series! Already excited to start a reread of this one.… (more)

I wish I had the vocabulary to more accurately express my love for this series.

We pick up just where book 3 left off with our group of (sort of) heroes trying to save what they can of their world. The group splits once again to send a party to the North to try to negotiate peace and potentially even some trade in hopes that the kingdoms could be allies. We get to see an entirely new country after a chilling trek across a frozen sea. I absolutely loved some of the creative ways magic and engineering were combined to bring the new city to life. Our group finds a new enemy to face together, with the help of my favorite new creature from the world.

There is so much beautifully written unpacking of trauma, particularly in books three and four of this series. I loved watching the growth of the characters we have grown to adore. While I wish we had a bit more presence from some of the characters that did were not a part of the journey to the north, the author found some delightful ways to still be able to check in on them.

Between trying to survive the treacherous journeys across unforgiving terrains, navigating politics of a country that has essentially been closed off for years, and a dangerous cult waiting to strike - there is certainly no lack of excitement to be found.

The build up from the last three books paid off tremendously in this final book of the series. While I still have questions and an overwhelming desire for more, I am beyond happy with the ending. Nox, Amaris, and the rest of the party will stay close to my heart as I already want to give this series a reread.… (more)