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Magebike Courier #1
Road to Ruin
An electrifying, gritty fantasy from debut author Hana Lee that takes a royal messenger on a high-speed chase across a climate-ravaged wasteland, featuring motorcycles, monsters, and magic.
Jin-Lu has the most dangerous job in the wasteland. She’s a magebike courier, one of the few who venture outside the domed cities on motorcycles powered by magic. Every day, she braves the wasteland’s dangers—deadly storms, roving marauders, and territorial beasts—to deliver her wares.
Her most valuable cargo? A prince’s love letters addressed to Yi-Nereen, a princess desperate to escape the clutches of her abusive family and soon-to-be husband. Jin, desperately in love with both her and the prince, can’t refuse Yi-Nereen’s plea for help. The two of them flee across the wastes, pursued by Yi-Nereen’s furious father, her scheming betrothed, and a bounty hunter with mysterious powers.
A storm to end all storms is brewing and dark secrets about the heritability of magic are coming to light. Jin’s heart has led her into peril before, but this time she may not find her way back.
Jin-Lu has the most dangerous job in the wasteland. She’s a magebike courier, one of the few who venture outside the domed cities on motorcycles powered by magic. Every day, she braves the wasteland’s dangers—deadly storms, roving marauders, and territorial beasts—to deliver her wares.
Her most valuable cargo? A prince’s love letters addressed to Yi-Nereen, a princess desperate to escape the clutches of her abusive family and soon-to-be husband. Jin, desperately in love with both her and the prince, can’t refuse Yi-Nereen’s plea for help. The two of them flee across the wastes, pursued by Yi-Nereen’s furious father, her scheming betrothed, and a bounty hunter with mysterious powers.
A storm to end all storms is brewing and dark secrets about the heritability of magic are coming to light. Jin’s heart has led her into peril before, but this time she may not find her way back.
368 pages, Paperback
First published May 14, 2024
About the author
Hana Lee
1 book152 followersHana Lee is a biracial Korean American fantasy author. By day, she makes her living as a software engineer. She's always loved the dark, the gothic, and the occult, so there's usually a picturesque ruin of some kind lurking in the background of her novels.
She graduated from Stanford University with her B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science in 2018. Her family includes a partner and two ridiculously fluffy cats. They live in sunny Silicon Valley, California, in a three-story townhouse with plants on the balcony.
Hana's debut novel, ROAD TO RUIN, will be published by Saga Press in spring 2024. It's the first book in the Magebike Courier series, as well as a love letter to her favorite movie, Mad Max: Fury Road, which she owns on Bluray and watches whenever she's feeling down.
She graduated from Stanford University with her B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science in 2018. Her family includes a partner and two ridiculously fluffy cats. They live in sunny Silicon Valley, California, in a three-story townhouse with plants on the balcony.
Hana's debut novel, ROAD TO RUIN, will be published by Saga Press in spring 2024. It's the first book in the Magebike Courier series, as well as a love letter to her favorite movie, Mad Max: Fury Road, which she owns on Bluray and watches whenever she's feeling down.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
January 15, 2024
E-arc provided by Edelweiss.
I really, really wanted to love this book! It had so many promising elements and seemed right up my alley.
Fury Road- inspired apocalyptic wasteland? Interesting worldbuilding, if a bit simplistic? Hell yeah.
Sapphic tension between a sheltered princess and the magical motorcycle courier who has reluctantly agreed upon smuggling her to freedom? Hell yeah.
Fighting back against a societal caste system and subjugation of women? BIG hell yeah!!!
I just wish more had been shown to the reader, rather than told. I was bored. The characters, interesting in theory, fell flat in action. I never felt Yi-Nereen or Kadrin’s connection to Jin to be more than superficial, and honestly didn’t care about Kadrin at all. Not for me, unfortunately!
I really, really wanted to love this book! It had so many promising elements and seemed right up my alley.
Fury Road- inspired apocalyptic wasteland? Interesting worldbuilding, if a bit simplistic? Hell yeah.
Sapphic tension between a sheltered princess and the magical motorcycle courier who has reluctantly agreed upon smuggling her to freedom? Hell yeah.
Fighting back against a societal caste system and subjugation of women? BIG hell yeah!!!
I just wish more had been shown to the reader, rather than told. I was bored. The characters, interesting in theory, fell flat in action. I never felt Yi-Nereen or Kadrin’s connection to Jin to be more than superficial, and honestly didn’t care about Kadrin at all. Not for me, unfortunately!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2024
YOU GUYS, THIS BOOK WAS SO FUN!
Road To Ruin is like Fury Road x Death Stranding x Borderlands but like add lightning and make it queer. It has magic motorcycles and love letters! Forbidden romance! Vengeance! Yearning! in a desert setting!
This is a perfect fantasy for people who want something light on the politics but heavy on action. There is a lot of movement and zoom zoom and pow pow. I think the main character literally says they don't care about politics and the topic is completely dropped. LOVE THAT. But there are heavy themes, like diaspora and blood lines and other social issues. All of that is interspersed with some cute romantic tension.
If you're in the mood for an action-packed badass little romp, Road To Ruin is absolute perfection. I had such a blast and need y'all to read it asap okay thanks.
And thank you to my faves at SAGA for sending me a copy!!
Road To Ruin is like Fury Road x Death Stranding x Borderlands but like add lightning and make it queer. It has magic motorcycles and love letters! Forbidden romance! Vengeance! Yearning! in a desert setting!
This is a perfect fantasy for people who want something light on the politics but heavy on action. There is a lot of movement and zoom zoom and pow pow. I think the main character literally says they don't care about politics and the topic is completely dropped. LOVE THAT. But there are heavy themes, like diaspora and blood lines and other social issues. All of that is interspersed with some cute romantic tension.
If you're in the mood for an action-packed badass little romp, Road To Ruin is absolute perfection. I had such a blast and need y'all to read it asap okay thanks.
And thank you to my faves at SAGA for sending me a copy!!
June 19, 2024
Ugh!!! I'm too old for this "will they won't they" angst and misunderstandings and arguments over nothing.
DNF at Chapter 11.
This book has such an intreaguing worldbuilding and magic, but the interactions between the characters are so cliché!
Recomended for YA readers.
Not sure why this is marketed as Adult Fantasy, but that is a diservice to the book.
DNF at Chapter 11.
This book has such an intreaguing worldbuilding and magic, but the interactions between the characters are so cliché!
Recomended for YA readers.
Not sure why this is marketed as Adult Fantasy, but that is a diservice to the book.
July 3, 2024
A fun mash-up of magic, Mad Max, and bisexual angst. There's a fun post-apocalyptic world here, with dinosaurs and old magic motorcycles that run on power in certain people's blood.
But by far my favorite element was the love triangle. You see, our heroine is a courier who brings love letters back and forth between a princess and prince. For plottish reasons, she's had to read all of them. And so she's developed a feverish crush--on both of them.
But by far my favorite element was the love triangle. You see, our heroine is a courier who brings love letters back and forth between a princess and prince. For plottish reasons, she's had to read all of them. And so she's developed a feverish crush--on both of them.
May 28, 2024
I have very conflicting thoughts on this book, and honestly a strong argument could be made in favor of either lowering it to 2 stars or rasing it to 4.
I loved this book up until about the 60% mark, at which point. From then on the book just felt increasingly more and more rushed, with characters being suddenly added with entirely too much significance (looking at you, Vann), only to barely do anything other than just move the plot forward slightly. And then the ending. Truly, from the bottom of my heart: fuck you all the way to hell, Hana Lee. That ending was so genuinely awful that it has the potential to make me never read another book you write. You managed to make an ending that combined some of the worst tropes in fiction, from power loss, to denying a character the chance to grow and develop in any way. And then topped it off with the having the book leave off without doing the thing you were building to the entire time with zero explanation and a sudden cut to black.
Seriously: FUCK that ending.
And as I write this, I realize the book does only deserve 2 stars.
I loved this book up until about the 60% mark, at which point. From then on the book just felt increasingly more and more rushed, with characters being suddenly added with entirely too much significance (looking at you, Vann), only to barely do anything other than just move the plot forward slightly. And then the ending. Truly, from the bottom of my heart: fuck you all the way to hell, Hana Lee. That ending was so genuinely awful that it has the potential to make me never read another book you write. You managed to make an ending that combined some of the worst tropes in fiction, from power loss, to denying a character the chance to grow and develop in any way. And then topped it off with the having the book leave off without doing the thing you were building to the entire time with zero explanation and a sudden cut to black.
Seriously: FUCK that ending.
And as I write this, I realize the book does only deserve 2 stars.
April 4, 2024
There had better be a book 2!!! I loved this book and I can't wait to reread it and I'm so mad that book 2 is not already here in my hands (even though book 1 hasn't even been published yet.) Seriously Road to Ruin was INCREDIBLE! High Fantasy Mad Max that I never knew I needed. Our protagonist, Jin, is wonderful. The type of girl who pretends to be tough and closed off but would give her last bit of food to the alley cat that just bit her. Kadrin and Reena are each wonderful in their own ways, both of them truly playing on the sun and moon imagery. Always bound together but still so unique. I hope we get to see more of Kadrin next time because I feel like we really got to know Reena well, see her intelligence and her desire to do the right thing even when she's not sure what that is. I also want to see more of Sou-Zelle even. I fully expected to hate him the entire time and while he still has a long way to go I can see the seeds of change planted in him. Pre-Order this book! Read this book immediately! It was SO GOOD!!
Want to read
April 4, 2024what do you MEAN wasteland motorcycle wlw
July 5, 2023
Is this the sapphic Mad Max fantasy we've all been waiting for? My answer is a resounding yes! Road to Ruin is an accomplished debut, featuring a vivid, atmospheric world, an intricately built mystery, and a cast of complex characters I loved getting to know.
I struggle to pick what was my favourite element of this novel. At first, I fell in love with the world. Part Mad Max, part Charlie Jane Anders's The City in the Middle of the Night, part Lee's unique invention, I felt fully immersed in this desolate, desert landscape where strange creatures roam and getting caught outside during a storm can cost your life. Sprinkled among the desert are city-states, each with its own distinct culture and politics. The magic system was both extremely imaginative and insanely cool—I mean, it includes motorcycles powered by mana!
Then, I thought it wasn't the world I loved most, after all, it was the way the mystery plot twisted, turned, and kept surprising me. Characters we thought we'd left in the past returned. Ancient ruins came back to life. Political struggles and old magic turned out to be more complicated than they seemed a first. At no point I could guess how it would all get resolved, and I kept turning the pages, hungry for more.
Finally, just like our Jin coming to terms with her complicated feelings towards Yi-Nereen and Kadrin, I realised, along the way, I'd fallen in love with Road to Ruin's characters. Jin, our protagonist, quickly won me over with her sharp, snarky voice and her tough exterior only to reveal a much softer interior. The two royals, I'd dismissed at first as vaguely boring and preoccupied with their budding romance—I was completely wrong. They're both fully realised characters in their own right, both brilliant in their own unique ways. The supporting cast were all fascinating, from Faolin's desert people to Yi-Nereen's scheming father—but I have a particular soft spot for Sou-Zell. What a glorious bastard. I can't wait to see what he does next.
Overall, this is a very strong debut and I'll be impatiently waiting for the sequel.
I struggle to pick what was my favourite element of this novel. At first, I fell in love with the world. Part Mad Max, part Charlie Jane Anders's The City in the Middle of the Night, part Lee's unique invention, I felt fully immersed in this desolate, desert landscape where strange creatures roam and getting caught outside during a storm can cost your life. Sprinkled among the desert are city-states, each with its own distinct culture and politics. The magic system was both extremely imaginative and insanely cool—I mean, it includes motorcycles powered by mana!
Then, I thought it wasn't the world I loved most, after all, it was the way the mystery plot twisted, turned, and kept surprising me. Characters we thought we'd left in the past returned. Ancient ruins came back to life. Political struggles and old magic turned out to be more complicated than they seemed a first. At no point I could guess how it would all get resolved, and I kept turning the pages, hungry for more.
Finally, just like our Jin coming to terms with her complicated feelings towards Yi-Nereen and Kadrin, I realised, along the way, I'd fallen in love with Road to Ruin's characters. Jin, our protagonist, quickly won me over with her sharp, snarky voice and her tough exterior only to reveal a much softer interior. The two royals, I'd dismissed at first as vaguely boring and preoccupied with their budding romance—I was completely wrong. They're both fully realised characters in their own right, both brilliant in their own unique ways. The supporting cast were all fascinating, from Faolin's desert people to Yi-Nereen's scheming father—but I have a particular soft spot for Sou-Zell. What a glorious bastard. I can't wait to see what he does next.
Overall, this is a very strong debut and I'll be impatiently waiting for the sequel.
June 12, 2024
Road to Ruin
4⭐
Mad Max, Jurassic Park, and the alphabet Mafia all rolled into one.
Mage courier, Jin-Lu is in love with a prince and a Princess which is how she was convinced to rescue said princess from an arranged marriage...
Least to say that's the most boring part of this book. A non stop adventure filled with magic, motorcycles, and mystery.
It was short and enjoyable!
4⭐
Mad Max, Jurassic Park, and the alphabet Mafia all rolled into one.
Mage courier, Jin-Lu is in love with a prince and a Princess which is how she was convinced to rescue said princess from an arranged marriage...
Least to say that's the most boring part of this book. A non stop adventure filled with magic, motorcycles, and mystery.
It was short and enjoyable!
May 19, 2024
This will most likely be my favorite book of 2024. This is one of the most unique adult SFF books I've ever had the pleasure to read. Lee has crafted an amazing world of dinosaur-like creatures, mana magic, and purple and blue lightning storms ravaging a wasteland. Add to that a courier who delivers packages on a motorcycle, and how much cooler could you get? The politics and world were built so intricately that the world felt REAL. The main character Jin was easy to love, and her snarky voice lent a great humor to the book that really added to the story. And of course, I loved the queer poly w/w/m romance. The Mad Max: Fury Road vibes were perfect! I honestly can't believe this is a debut. It reads like a seasoned SFF author wrote it. Safe to say I am a fan of Hana Lee's work from now on and can't wait for the sequel!
June 10, 2024
Hana Lee took so many of my favorite movie and video game tropes and wove them flawlessly into an incredible novel. She created a complex magical desert wasteland world with a completely messed up society that I could Not. Put. Down. How is this her debut novel?!
MFF, desert post-apocalypse with magic (mad max inspired), on the run, multipov, epistolary element, magical dino pet
I await your reply, in which I expect to find out precisely how much offense I have incurred. Since I am oblivious by nature, it may take a lot of letters to drive the lesson home, and long letters at that. Please employ whatever insults you can think of. I expect to be granted no quarter.
With utmost sincerity,
Prince Kadrin
MFF, desert post-apocalypse with magic (mad max inspired), on the run, multipov, epistolary element, magical dino pet
I await your reply, in which I expect to find out precisely how much offense I have incurred. Since I am oblivious by nature, it may take a lot of letters to drive the lesson home, and long letters at that. Please employ whatever insults you can think of. I expect to be granted no quarter.
With utmost sincerity,
Prince Kadrin
January 18, 2024
thank you very much to the publisher and edelweiss for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
this book has it all it's got gay people it has bisexual disasters it has hot women on dirt bikes it has a love triangle it has yearning it has off-brand dinosaurs it has deeply flawed characters you can't help but connect with, even if they only get a few POV chapters.
if that wasn't enough to convince you, i'd like to start by saying this is the best book i've read in like 12 months. it drew me in from the first page with a main character full of personality, and i stayed for the stunning worldbuilding and story.
i don't have anything that i didn't like about this book. there was no point at which i set the book down and was not extremely excited for when i could next pick it back up. i was having physical and audible reactions as i was reading it, and i cried at least once. i absolutely cannot wait to hold this book in my hands and to have it in my store so i can get other people to read it.
this book has it all it's got gay people it has bisexual disasters it has hot women on dirt bikes it has a love triangle it has yearning it has off-brand dinosaurs it has deeply flawed characters you can't help but connect with, even if they only get a few POV chapters.
if that wasn't enough to convince you, i'd like to start by saying this is the best book i've read in like 12 months. it drew me in from the first page with a main character full of personality, and i stayed for the stunning worldbuilding and story.
i don't have anything that i didn't like about this book. there was no point at which i set the book down and was not extremely excited for when i could next pick it back up. i was having physical and audible reactions as i was reading it, and i cried at least once. i absolutely cannot wait to hold this book in my hands and to have it in my store so i can get other people to read it.
July 31, 2023
Road to Ruin is a gritty, messy anthem to freedom. Strap in for a wild ride through ancient ruins, mana storms, and desperate raiders. Root for our disaster courier Jin as she navigates old secrets and new loves. I loved this book and can't wait for the next installment!
Want to read
May 21, 2024"An electrifying, gritty fantasy that takes a royal messenger on a high-speed chase across a climate-ravaged wasteland, featuring motorcycles, monsters, and magic"
a sapphic mad max? preordered!
a sapphic mad max? preordered!
May 23, 2024
2.5 stars- Mad Max-inspired science fantasy with an FFM romance subplot. The world has been reduced to a post-apocalyptic wasteland with dystopian cities, a classist society that only values people with magical abilities, and magic-less people are thrown out into the wastes to become raiders. Magebike courier Jin has been delivering love letters between Prince Kadrin and Princess Yi-Nereen for years while slowly falling in love with them. Out of the blue Yi-Nereen tells Jin that an arranged marriage has been set for her and asks to be smuggled out of her city to be united with Prince Kadrin. Things go south quickly.
I think this book is more fun in theory than in reality, the world was too simplistic and Yi-Nereen is a terrible villain who only needed a minute of convincing before she was ready and willing to commit genocide yet she was written as a sympathetic heroine. There’s a lot of infodumping that makes the book drag in spots and some one-dimensional antagonists. On the other hand, Kadrin was charming in a dandy kind of way and I liked the prickly ex-fiancé Sou-Zell.
CWs: eugenics, classism, genocide, child death, misogyny, murder, abuse, kidnapping
I think this book is more fun in theory than in reality, the world was too simplistic and Yi-Nereen is a terrible villain who only needed a minute of convincing before she was ready and willing to commit genocide yet she was written as a sympathetic heroine. There’s a lot of infodumping that makes the book drag in spots and some one-dimensional antagonists. On the other hand, Kadrin was charming in a dandy kind of way and I liked the prickly ex-fiancé Sou-Zell.
CWs: eugenics, classism, genocide, child death, misogyny, murder, abuse, kidnapping
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2024
3.5. was not as compelled by this as I had hoped, but a fun little debut nonetheless. always get annoyed by folks saying ooooooh this was so YA why is it marketed as adult sff, but this did read very YA to me.
maybe the next book in the series will bring a bit more depth to the world. seriously, though, what are those roads made out of?
maybe the next book in the series will bring a bit more depth to the world. seriously, though, what are those roads made out of?
Shelved as 'dnf'
June 3, 2024DNF @ 50%
It’s probably a “me, not you.” I think others will enjoy this more than I did.
It’s probably a “me, not you.” I think others will enjoy this more than I did.
July 1, 2024
w/w/m poly romance
very accessible read for fantasy/sci fi
enjoyed political themes
ending felt a little rushed
very accessible read for fantasy/sci fi
enjoyed political themes
ending felt a little rushed
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2024
spectacular, gimme 10 more
July 21, 2024
no thoughts just motorcycles vroom vroom
May 17, 2024
I always tend to start with negatives, so to be whacky and different this time, I'll say this was fun first! And then move onto the things I found weakest. Which were mostly character and politics. Politics don't have to be a big deal in all SFF but they definitely play a big role in why the characters in this book are doing what they're doing, so I would have preferred to hear more about them. I didn't really understand Yi-Nereen's goals throughout the book because the politics were so vague. I didn't feel like I had the appropriate grasp of the situation to know a) where she was coming from, b) her actual plan, or c) the stakes.
As for character, I felt this weird barrier. I think they're good characters that I can fully see being beautifully fleshed-out inside the author's mind, but I don't think that made it fully to page. They don't feel 2 dimensional or cliche or any of that, but instead I feel like Lee wanted to hold back certain pieces of information from the reader and so limited what we were able to experience of each character's thoughts. But rather than building suspense or creating opportunity for big reveals, it made the characters feel somewhat far away, despite being inside their minds.
The biggest success in this book was the worldbuilding. It feels complete and unique and is written in a way that is fun to imagine. The romance in this book can be summarized as "y'all stupid," but it's entertaining and doesn't occupy too much focus to turn this from an adventure story into a romance novel. It was fun.
As for character, I felt this weird barrier. I think they're good characters that I can fully see being beautifully fleshed-out inside the author's mind, but I don't think that made it fully to page. They don't feel 2 dimensional or cliche or any of that, but instead I feel like Lee wanted to hold back certain pieces of information from the reader and so limited what we were able to experience of each character's thoughts. But rather than building suspense or creating opportunity for big reveals, it made the characters feel somewhat far away, despite being inside their minds.
The biggest success in this book was the worldbuilding. It feels complete and unique and is written in a way that is fun to imagine. The romance in this book can be summarized as "y'all stupid," but it's entertaining and doesn't occupy too much focus to turn this from an adventure story into a romance novel. It was fun.
May 17, 2024
shelved as I've-read-this-book-so-many-times-that-I-deserve-to-give-it-a-rating-even-though-I'm-the-author
Seriously, though, I hope you enjoy this book. It's a love letter to my favorite film (Mad Max: Fury Road) in the form of a fast-paced science fantasy adventure in a gritty wasteland. A few elements you can look forward to:
- F/F/M three-sided love triangle / burgeoning poly triad
- motorcycles that operate on magic and vibes
- bisexual MC & LI(s)
- dinosaur-coded megafauna
- second-world setting w/ climate anxiety
Content warnings for misogyny, homophobia, ableism, and murder.
Welcome to the first book of the Magebike Courier series. There are no seatbelts in this book, so hold on tight and don't forget your helmet.
Seriously, though, I hope you enjoy this book. It's a love letter to my favorite film (Mad Max: Fury Road) in the form of a fast-paced science fantasy adventure in a gritty wasteland. A few elements you can look forward to:
- F/F/M three-sided love triangle / burgeoning poly triad
- motorcycles that operate on magic and vibes
- bisexual MC & LI(s)
- dinosaur-coded megafauna
- second-world setting w/ climate anxiety
Content warnings for misogyny, homophobia, ableism, and murder.
Welcome to the first book of the Magebike Courier series. There are no seatbelts in this book, so hold on tight and don't forget your helmet.
Want to read
March 15, 2023Alright but this sounds so good I might combust if I have to wait until 2024. MAGEBIKES. M A G E B I K E S.
March 15, 2023
Hana is an outstanding writer, and every one of their books will be on my TBR list.
April 26, 2023
I READ THIS A YEAR AGO AND I'M STILL OBSESSED
March 10, 2024
Sapphic Mad Max fantasy! Fun! Angsty! Action packed!
June 30, 2024
2.5 stars, and the .5 is for the inclusion of a FFM triad, which I will always applaud. However, that relationship, the worldbuilding and plot, while all having some flashes of brilliance, felt underdone to me. Alas.
So, the story: Jin-Lu is a magebike courier in the desert wastelands between cities. Her most long-running and lucrative job is carrying love letters between prince Kadrin and princess Yi-Nereen in different cities. It's on a run between these two cities that she has some trouble with her magebike, rescues a pteropter (flying prey bird) and gets chased by a raider who seems to be leading a storm - which should be impossible. Jin manages to make it to Yi-Nereen, who pays her to help escape an impending marriage. On their way out of the city, they get waylaid and discover there's lots more going on out in the desert than either one of them have been led to believe. Can they make it back to Kadrin's city and safety? Will Yi-Nereen find a way to escape her marriage? Can the three of them possibly have a future together?
I know this book is heavily inspired by Mad Max, but I think it relies too much on folks knowing the world of that story and other fantasies. This fictional world relies on something called "mana" which is never really explained. It runs the magebikes...and gives people other talents...and has to be smoked or infused or otherwise brought into the body to...make all this work? I read the whole book and I'm still not sure. I get that the exact nature of this stuff is part of the intrigue of the story, but I still felt like basic rules were not well established before they started getting questioned.
The story begins YEARS into the relationship between Yi-Nereen, Kadrin and Jin. The development of the relationship between Yi-Nereen and Kadrin is shown in letters that precede each of the chapters. Which, okay, I guess - but we have NOTHING on how Jin's relationship with either one of them developed, only her internal monologue about her already well-developed feelings for them both. Maybe author Hana Lee should read a few more romances because uh, you skipped a bunch of the good parts. None of their feelings for each other has the weight that it should.
I do like Jin, Yi-Nereen and Kadrin as characters. I like that Kadrin is essentially the "sunshine" of the trio, leaving the two women to be the badasses. I like that Yi-Nereen has a broader political view and is more of an operator than the beginning of the book leads you to believe (though this could have been hinted at better). But ultimately they still felt like "types" to me, as well as the all the other supporting characters in the book.
Every time I thought I would give up on the book, Lee threw a plot twist in there that kept me interested - usually a new fact about the world. However, the resolution of each of these reveals was either something that could have been taken from a movie (predictable), or raised more unanswered questions until I couldn't keep track of them all.
I honestly don't know if I'll read onward. I did not realize this book was the start of a trilogy; that's on me. Although I weirdly kinda felt like this should have been book two instead of one in that case?
I hope other readers enjoy this a lot more than I do, because I would like to see more threesome relationship stories in SFF. But for me, neither the SF nor the romance parts of this book really landed.
So, the story: Jin-Lu is a magebike courier in the desert wastelands between cities. Her most long-running and lucrative job is carrying love letters between prince Kadrin and princess Yi-Nereen in different cities. It's on a run between these two cities that she has some trouble with her magebike, rescues a pteropter (flying prey bird) and gets chased by a raider who seems to be leading a storm - which should be impossible. Jin manages to make it to Yi-Nereen, who pays her to help escape an impending marriage. On their way out of the city, they get waylaid and discover there's lots more going on out in the desert than either one of them have been led to believe. Can they make it back to Kadrin's city and safety? Will Yi-Nereen find a way to escape her marriage? Can the three of them possibly have a future together?
I know this book is heavily inspired by Mad Max, but I think it relies too much on folks knowing the world of that story and other fantasies. This fictional world relies on something called "mana" which is never really explained. It runs the magebikes...and gives people other talents...and has to be smoked or infused or otherwise brought into the body to...make all this work? I read the whole book and I'm still not sure. I get that the exact nature of this stuff is part of the intrigue of the story, but I still felt like basic rules were not well established before they started getting questioned.
The story begins YEARS into the relationship between Yi-Nereen, Kadrin and Jin. The development of the relationship between Yi-Nereen and Kadrin is shown in letters that precede each of the chapters. Which, okay, I guess - but we have NOTHING on how Jin's relationship with either one of them developed, only her internal monologue about her already well-developed feelings for them both. Maybe author Hana Lee should read a few more romances because uh, you skipped a bunch of the good parts. None of their feelings for each other has the weight that it should.
I do like Jin, Yi-Nereen and Kadrin as characters. I like that Kadrin is essentially the "sunshine" of the trio, leaving the two women to be the badasses. I like that Yi-Nereen has a broader political view and is more of an operator than the beginning of the book leads you to believe (though this could have been hinted at better). But ultimately they still felt like "types" to me, as well as the all the other supporting characters in the book.
Every time I thought I would give up on the book, Lee threw a plot twist in there that kept me interested - usually a new fact about the world. However, the resolution of each of these reveals was either something that could have been taken from a movie (predictable), or raised more unanswered questions until I couldn't keep track of them all.
I honestly don't know if I'll read onward. I did not realize this book was the start of a trilogy; that's on me. Although I weirdly kinda felt like this should have been book two instead of one in that case?
I hope other readers enjoy this a lot more than I do, because I would like to see more threesome relationship stories in SFF. But for me, neither the SF nor the romance parts of this book really landed.
May 10, 2024
Five stars. Easy five stars. I feel like Road to Ruin came out of nowhere. I'd heard nothing about this book until this tour and I can't imagine why. A fast-paced, diverse, dystopian fantasy full of magic, monsters, complex relationships, and love, this book is brimming with everything I love about early 2010 dystopian fantasies.
This book was a setup for the bigger series but still had it's own full chaotic plot. We have Jin, the courier, and her sparktalent; Reena, a shieldcaster and a princess trying to escape a sexist and classist city; and Kadrin, the Talentless prince of what was viewed as a refuge for Talentless refugees. I loved all three of them as we get to know them through both the main plot and the letters Reena and Kadrin send each other. Full of action and betrayals, the main plot was a wild ride.
That being said, the setup was no less interesting. I enjoyed hearing about Reena's research into the Talented versus the Talentless, the mana pools, and the overall world building we were given. It all felt so organic and effortless, and there was a wonderful balance between that and the main plot. I loved Screech, too, and how there was a peek into the lore of the world's monsters, which I'm sure we'll explore in the future.
This book also tackles some bigger issues, including race purity, sexism, classism, and environmentalism. Similar to the world building, it's not in your face, but it's also a huge part of what triggers the plot and the exploration of it was really well done.
I will say, if you were a fan of the 2010s dystopian craze, this book will definitely be for you. This gave me that buzzy reader feeling I've been chasing for the last while and I love it! This book isn't even out yet and I'm now anticipating it's sequel!
TW: death, murder, blood, injury detail, blood, violence, alcohol consumption, kidnapping, sexism, classism; mentions death of a parent, incest
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
GoodReads Rating: 4.72/5
eARC and FC gifted via Colored Pages Book Tours by Saga Press via Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a setup for the bigger series but still had it's own full chaotic plot. We have Jin, the courier, and her sparktalent; Reena, a shieldcaster and a princess trying to escape a sexist and classist city; and Kadrin, the Talentless prince of what was viewed as a refuge for Talentless refugees. I loved all three of them as we get to know them through both the main plot and the letters Reena and Kadrin send each other. Full of action and betrayals, the main plot was a wild ride.
That being said, the setup was no less interesting. I enjoyed hearing about Reena's research into the Talented versus the Talentless, the mana pools, and the overall world building we were given. It all felt so organic and effortless, and there was a wonderful balance between that and the main plot. I loved Screech, too, and how there was a peek into the lore of the world's monsters, which I'm sure we'll explore in the future.
This book also tackles some bigger issues, including race purity, sexism, classism, and environmentalism. Similar to the world building, it's not in your face, but it's also a huge part of what triggers the plot and the exploration of it was really well done.
I will say, if you were a fan of the 2010s dystopian craze, this book will definitely be for you. This gave me that buzzy reader feeling I've been chasing for the last while and I love it! This book isn't even out yet and I'm now anticipating it's sequel!
TW: death, murder, blood, injury detail, blood, violence, alcohol consumption, kidnapping, sexism, classism; mentions death of a parent, incest
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
GoodReads Rating: 4.72/5
eARC and FC gifted via Colored Pages Book Tours by Saga Press via Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review.
June 2, 2024
2.5 stars rounded up because of Screech
This is such a bummer because this one gripped me in the start. I found the characters compelling at first and I really liked how the letters were interspersed between chapters- it gave us insight into why Yi-Nereen and Kadrin love each other and their initial sparks and flirting. So often I’ve said that when it comes to romance formed before the book starts I want flashbacks to see some of that development and finally I got it! Plus I adored all the moments with the raptor (Screech).
But eventually I found myself losing interest as we got deeper in. Even the letters became less fun since we found out that Yi-Nereen was faking or at least exaggerating her feelings for Kadrin to get him to fall for her so she could manipulate/ use him. Sure, I bet later on in this book and in the series things will work out and they'll end up a happy polycule family because she prob does have some real feelings for him, but why would I want to read letters that we know are full of manufactured feelings? Totally lost my investment in the letters at that point.
I've seen this book touted as sapphic/ wlw/ and lesbian and I don't think that's accurate. Our mc had a sapphic relationship in the past that we only hear about after the fact and don’t get to experience. Otherwise it’s poly (w/w/m) where everyone is into everyone else in the group. The current relationship we see building to in this book is a polyamorous one so it's a little annoying to see it be misclassified. This is actually the fourth new release I've read that is fantasy and poly so I think 2024 is poly era haha.
But speaking of the relationships, I unfortunately didn't feel either of their chemistries with Jin. If anything I felt more chemistry between Jin and Sou-zell. Maybe it's because we got relationship building between Yi-Nereen and Kadrin through the letters but the feelings for Jin and her feelings for them happened off page before the book starts.
Honestly at this point, I'm just really bored and don't feel like forcing myself to continue when I know the highest this will get is a 3 star. So I won't.
DNF @ 73%
This is such a bummer because this one gripped me in the start. I found the characters compelling at first and I really liked how the letters were interspersed between chapters- it gave us insight into why Yi-Nereen and Kadrin love each other and their initial sparks and flirting. So often I’ve said that when it comes to romance formed before the book starts I want flashbacks to see some of that development and finally I got it! Plus I adored all the moments with the raptor (Screech).
But eventually I found myself losing interest as we got deeper in. Even the letters became less fun since we found out that Yi-Nereen was faking or at least exaggerating her feelings for Kadrin to get him to fall for her so she could manipulate/ use him. Sure, I bet later on in this book and in the series things will work out and they'll end up a happy polycule family because she prob does have some real feelings for him, but why would I want to read letters that we know are full of manufactured feelings? Totally lost my investment in the letters at that point.
I've seen this book touted as sapphic/ wlw/ and lesbian and I don't think that's accurate. Our mc had a sapphic relationship in the past that we only hear about after the fact and don’t get to experience. Otherwise it’s poly (w/w/m) where everyone is into everyone else in the group. The current relationship we see building to in this book is a polyamorous one so it's a little annoying to see it be misclassified. This is actually the fourth new release I've read that is fantasy and poly so I think 2024 is poly era haha.
But speaking of the relationships, I unfortunately didn't feel either of their chemistries with Jin. If anything I felt more chemistry between Jin and Sou-zell. Maybe it's because we got relationship building between Yi-Nereen and Kadrin through the letters but the feelings for Jin and her feelings for them happened off page before the book starts.
Honestly at this point, I'm just really bored and don't feel like forcing myself to continue when I know the highest this will get is a 3 star. So I won't.
DNF @ 73%
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