Constance Lopez
Author of The Kasmian Chronicles
Series
Works by Constance Lopez
Of Chaos and Cadence: A Kasmian Chronicles Standalone (The Kasmian Chronicles) (2023) 6 copies, 2 reviews
Bookwyrm Acquisitions 6 copies
Associated Works
Fierce Hearts: A 2022 Charity Anthology of Romantic Fantasy and Fantasy Romance for Ukraine (2022) — Contributor — 8 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
Members
Reviews
"But if we only forgave those who deserved it, we’d all be condemned."
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book in 24 hours.
That’s three sittings. Which means the book must be good. Or, at the very least, captivating.
And it absolutely was.
My guilty pleasure will show more forever be, as I like to call them “light, clean, high-fantasy romances/fairytale retellings with overt Christian themes.” (While this book was certainly far more… substantial… than most of the others in that sub-sub-genre, it definitely still fits into that category.) Add onto that a one-sided enemies-to-lovers plot and I’m completely sold.
I enjoyed almost everything about this book, from the politics to the world building and characters, to the romantic chemistry between the leads, to the platonic chemistry between the leads and their (absolutely impeccable) closest allies (can I get a woot-woot for Liam and Uncle Kent, anyone???)
- Let it be known that I have an innate weakness for any and every father/daughter relationship between two characters who are not actually related. As a daughter to a wonderful father, and an “extra daughter” to the most amazing "extra dad" ever, relationships like this in books make me teary-eyed.
- I also have a weakness for bromance (really, though, don’t we all??) and I feel in my heart of hearts that Liam and Tristan’s relationship qualifies.
I know some other reviewer has already said this, but I totally agree that Riona and Tristan’s chemistry was IMMEDIATE. From the moment the two first interacted the sparks were tangible and I was here for it.
So why didn’t I give this five-stars? Because I’m hella picky about the books I give five-stars. And “light, clean, high-fantasy romances/fairytale retellings with overt Christian themes” don’t typically (and by “typically,” I mean ever) fall into that list.
Still, if any of these things sound of interest to you (or you’re like me and just want a guilty-pleasure book you could buddy-read with your mom) I would highly recommend this book.
I myself will be continuing on with the series immediately after writing this review. Hasta la vista, Frijoles. show less
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book in 24 hours.
That’s three sittings. Which means the book must be good. Or, at the very least, captivating.
And it absolutely was.
"The hurt doesn’t go away just because you release the anger—or guilt. I suspect true forgiving is a constant choice. Choosing every day to put the anger aside, to choose to love even when love isn’t deserved."
My guilty pleasure will show more forever be, as I like to call them “light, clean, high-fantasy romances/fairytale retellings with overt Christian themes.” (While this book was certainly far more… substantial… than most of the others in that sub-sub-genre, it definitely still fits into that category.) Add onto that a one-sided enemies-to-lovers plot and I’m completely sold.
She’d resigned her soul to darkness when she’d first chosen revenge. But in loving her, Tristan had saved her.
I enjoyed almost everything about this book, from the politics to the world building and characters, to the romantic chemistry between the leads, to the platonic chemistry between the leads and their (absolutely impeccable) closest allies (can I get a woot-woot for Liam and Uncle Kent, anyone???)
Liam grinned. ... "If Tristan wasn’t taken with her already, I’d kiss Riona myself." He paused and gagged. "Never mind, I definitely wouldn’t, that sounds terrible. Even getting rid of you isn’t worth kissing her."
- Let it be known that I have an innate weakness for any and every father/daughter relationship between two characters who are not actually related. As a daughter to a wonderful father, and an “extra daughter” to the most amazing "extra dad" ever, relationships like this in books make me teary-eyed.
- I also have a weakness for bromance (really, though, don’t we all??) and I feel in my heart of hearts that Liam and Tristan’s relationship qualifies.
His gaze pierced into hers, serious and searching. “Do you love me, Ria?”
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. “Yes. Entirely more than is rational.”
I know some other reviewer has already said this, but I totally agree that Riona and Tristan’s chemistry was IMMEDIATE. From the moment the two first interacted the sparks were tangible and I was here for it.
"You're exquisite." ...
"I've never had someone call me that," she said.
"I've never met someone who it fit so well."
So why didn’t I give this five-stars? Because I’m hella picky about the books I give five-stars. And “light, clean, high-fantasy romances/fairytale retellings with overt Christian themes” don’t typically (and by “typically,” I mean ever) fall into that list.
Still, if any of these things sound of interest to you (or you’re like me and just want a guilty-pleasure book you could buddy-read with your mom) I would highly recommend this book.
I myself will be continuing on with the series immediately after writing this review. Hasta la vista, Frijoles. show less
This book was delightful in almost every way possible.
Of Chaos and Cadence follows Isa, a half-elf/half-human girl who has never quite been at home anywhere. She has too much magic for the likes of humans and too much emotion for the likes of elves. Living in the in-between like this has caused some deep-rooted, far-too-relatable tendencies to repress both her emotions and her magic. But as we learned in the movie Frozen, repressing only makes things worse. And if you conceal-don't-feel for show more too long, things tend to blow up in your face.
In Isa's case, this is exactly what happens. The elf council, of course, is not thrilled with having an unpredictable human explosive on their hands, so they decide to solve the problem by making her someone else's. (Problem, that is.) Enter: Liam (aka, Kristoff... if Krisoff was a brunet mage who was best friends with the king and was too focused on his duty to fall in love).
^Isa, for most of this book.
If you've read my review of [b:Of Stormlarks and Silence|60729382|Of Stormlarks and Silence (Kasmian Chronicles #1)|Constance Lopez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1656538101l/60729382._SX50_.jpg|95748675], you already know that Liam was the magical, love-interest's-best-friend, man of my dreams. Seriously, give me a witty, over-protective magic man in a healthy bromance and I will eat it up every. single. time.
All that to say, I was totally psyched when I saw that Liam got his own book and, consequently, his own happiness. (The man deserves it.) What I wasn't expecting though, was that I would come out loving Isa almost as much (emphasis on the "almost") as I love Liam.
Not only was Isa incredibly relatable, but she was a really cool protagonist to read about in that she was very... soft for a Y/A protagonist (of course, only in the best way.) It's pretty common for female protagonists in books like this to be witty, tough, human weapons. This is becoming less common by the year, of course, but it's still nice to read a protagonist who doesn't read like a man in a woman's body.
Add onto all of this an adorable, clean, slow-burn romance and I'm friggin sold.
So you may be wondering, given all my high praise of this book, why I gave it only three stars? Well, because I liked the first one better. As much as Liam and Isa were adorable and as beautifully as their arcs were written, I liked Ria and Tristan more. I gave [b:Of Stormlarks and Silence|60729382|Of Stormlarks and Silence (Kasmian Chronicles #1)|Constance Lopez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1656538101l/60729382._SX50_.jpg|95748675] four stars. And because we all know Goodreads is dumb and doesn't allow for .5-star ratings, I had to give this one three stars so I could differentiate which was better. Do I actually only like this book three-stars worth? No. I probably enjoyed it about 3.75-stars worth. But the false rating isn't my fault, you guys. It's Amazon's. And, therefore, Bezos'. So if you have a problem, take it up with the crone himself.
reviews for the kasmian chronicles
book 1: Of Stormlarks and Silence
book 2: Of Chaos and Cadence show less
Of Chaos and Cadence follows Isa, a half-elf/half-human girl who has never quite been at home anywhere. She has too much magic for the likes of humans and too much emotion for the likes of elves. Living in the in-between like this has caused some deep-rooted, far-too-relatable tendencies to repress both her emotions and her magic. But as we learned in the movie Frozen, repressing only makes things worse. And if you conceal-don't-feel for show more too long, things tend to blow up in your face.
In Isa's case, this is exactly what happens. The elf council, of course, is not thrilled with having an unpredictable human explosive on their hands, so they decide to solve the problem by making her someone else's. (Problem, that is.) Enter: Liam (aka, Kristoff... if Krisoff was a brunet mage who was best friends with the king and was too focused on his duty to fall in love).
^Isa, for most of this book.
If you've read my review of [b:Of Stormlarks and Silence|60729382|Of Stormlarks and Silence (Kasmian Chronicles #1)|Constance Lopez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1656538101l/60729382._SX50_.jpg|95748675], you already know that Liam was the magical, love-interest's-best-friend, man of my dreams. Seriously, give me a witty, over-protective magic man in a healthy bromance and I will eat it up every. single. time.
All that to say, I was totally psyched when I saw that Liam got his own book and, consequently, his own happiness. (The man deserves it.) What I wasn't expecting though, was that I would come out loving Isa almost as much (emphasis on the "almost") as I love Liam.
Not only was Isa incredibly relatable, but she was a really cool protagonist to read about in that she was very... soft for a Y/A protagonist (of course, only in the best way.) It's pretty common for female protagonists in books like this to be witty, tough, human weapons. This is becoming less common by the year, of course, but it's still nice to read a protagonist who doesn't read like a man in a woman's body.
Add onto all of this an adorable, clean, slow-burn romance and I'm friggin sold.
So you may be wondering, given all my high praise of this book, why I gave it only three stars? Well, because I liked the first one better. As much as Liam and Isa were adorable and as beautifully as their arcs were written, I liked Ria and Tristan more. I gave [b:Of Stormlarks and Silence|60729382|Of Stormlarks and Silence (Kasmian Chronicles #1)|Constance Lopez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1656538101l/60729382._SX50_.jpg|95748675] four stars. And because we all know Goodreads is dumb and doesn't allow for .5-star ratings, I had to give this one three stars so I could differentiate which was better. Do I actually only like this book three-stars worth? No. I probably enjoyed it about 3.75-stars worth. But the false rating isn't my fault, you guys. It's Amazon's. And, therefore, Bezos'. So if you have a problem, take it up with the crone himself.
reviews for the kasmian chronicles
book 1: Of Stormlarks and Silence
book 2: Of Chaos and Cadence show less
Of Stormlarks and Silence: A Kasmian Chronicles Standalone (The Kasmian Chronicles) by Constance Lopez
Of Stormlarks and Silence is an enchanting debut fantasy romance. It is also a tale of forgiveness, something I haven't seen tackled quite like this in any fantasy novel I've read before.
Bitter after the murder of her parents, Ria vows revenge on the king and the mages who caused their deaths and the annihilation of her people. They will experience the pain she has felt, beginning with the murder of the crown prince, Tristan.
Constantly marginalized by his ambitious father, Tristan seeks to show more do good for his people, to treat peaceably with foreigners, to end the age-old prejudices against magic users. His kindness to the least among his people, servants and children, touches Ria's heart, but can it be real?
When revenge is within Ria's reach, she must decide what true justice looks like. Will she follow the path of peace her uncle advocates, seek the death of her enemies as her aunt insists, or find a third way?
“How are you supposed to be wise and compassionate when your whole life has been consumed by hatred for the man who killed them?”
She flinched at his words. “What else should consume me?”
“Forgiveness? Determination to find a better way than your parents’ murderer did?”
Told with humor and heart, Constance spins a tale that questions how we respond to evil and injustice. We also see much light shining through all the darker themes in this book. Loyal friends. Devoted servants. Caring rulers. People willing to place the needs of others above their own. People willing to be open about their own shortfalls. It's a beautiful story that I highly recommend to children and adults of all ages.
I was given an ARC by the author and have reviewed it willingly. show less
Bitter after the murder of her parents, Ria vows revenge on the king and the mages who caused their deaths and the annihilation of her people. They will experience the pain she has felt, beginning with the murder of the crown prince, Tristan.
Constantly marginalized by his ambitious father, Tristan seeks to show more do good for his people, to treat peaceably with foreigners, to end the age-old prejudices against magic users. His kindness to the least among his people, servants and children, touches Ria's heart, but can it be real?
When revenge is within Ria's reach, she must decide what true justice looks like. Will she follow the path of peace her uncle advocates, seek the death of her enemies as her aunt insists, or find a third way?
“How are you supposed to be wise and compassionate when your whole life has been consumed by hatred for the man who killed them?”
She flinched at his words. “What else should consume me?”
“Forgiveness? Determination to find a better way than your parents’ murderer did?”
Told with humor and heart, Constance spins a tale that questions how we respond to evil and injustice. We also see much light shining through all the darker themes in this book. Loyal friends. Devoted servants. Caring rulers. People willing to place the needs of others above their own. People willing to be open about their own shortfalls. It's a beautiful story that I highly recommend to children and adults of all ages.
I was given an ARC by the author and have reviewed it willingly. show less
When I finished the first book in the Kasmian Chronicles (Of Stormlarks and Silence), I wondered if Author Lopez could write a follow up as good as the first. The short answer? YES!
The longer answer? Absolutely yes!
I loved the chance to follow Liam and Isa, who appear in the first volume, and had so much more to be told of their stories. This book allows them to develop more and for us, as readers, to see more of the awesome created world.
Politics, snark, humor, romance and more are in these show more pages and the pacing and descriptive elements are spot on.
Now I want the next book. Please? show less
The longer answer? Absolutely yes!
I loved the chance to follow Liam and Isa, who appear in the first volume, and had so much more to be told of their stories. This book allows them to develop more and for us, as readers, to see more of the awesome created world.
Politics, snark, humor, romance and more are in these show more pages and the pacing and descriptive elements are spot on.
Now I want the next book. Please? show less
Lists
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 7
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 72
- Popularity
- #243,042
- Rating
- 4.2
- Reviews
- 6
- ISBNs
- 5