Book Review: Immortal Reign (Falling Kingdoms #6)

Release Date: February 6, 2018
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Publisher: Razorbill
Length: 400 pages
Source: Audible Audiobook

As two lethal elemental gods set out to destroy Mytica, sworn enemies must become allies in the final fight to save the kingdoms.

Jonas continues to willfully defy his destiny, but the consequences of plotting his own course are drastic. As the fight for Mytica rages on, he must decide just how much more he's willing to sacrifice.

Lucia knows there's something special about her daughter and she'll do anything to protect her, even if that means facing Kyan alone.

Amara is called back home to Kraeshia. Grandma Cortas has her own plans for Mytica's future. She promises Amara power, revenge, and dominance if she agrees to be part of her scheme.

Magnus and Cleo's love will be put to the ultimate test. Dark magic is causing widespread destruction throughout the kingdom. Enemies across the sea are advancing. And unrest is stirring throughout the land. Is their love strong enough to withstand the outside forces tearing them apart?

    

Review:

Characters: So, I know I’ve said this, probably too many times, before, but these characters have come such a long way since the beginning of this series. It’s almost impossible not to see as you read this book. Magnus, while he still has his contemplative and brooding side, he isn’t the cruel prince who was torn between becoming his father and escaping him. Cleo is no longer the party girl princess whose only weapon was a sharp tongue. I could go on about Lucia no longer being the proper princess she once was and Jonas finding his voice and making the right choices. This book is a testament to how far these characters have come and how they’ve persevered and survived to face this final challenge.

Romance: With this being the sixth and final book in this series, it isn’t like there was a lot blossoming or budding romance in this book. There is a little bit of new romance, and I’m surprised with how okay I am with it and how easily I began to root for that couple. As for the already established romances, each had their trials and tribulations but more than anything they showed just how strong these couples are together and how much stronger they are with each other, rather than apart. I love the romances in this series, as melodramatic and heart wrenching it got at times, I have to say that I really like where each of these couples ends up and how their stories reach their conclusion.

World Building: This is one section I've tried rewriting over and over again. There is so much that's packed tight into this series, so much so that there's a spin-off series that strives to present even more of this world to explore. In this book, there isn't a whole lot of expansion. In fact, for the most part, as long as you're caught up on this world, in all forms, there isn't really anything new introduced and there are plenty of hints and implications toward the Spirits and Thieves series. This story takes everything we know about this world, for the most part, and puts everything to the final test and it's fantastic. I do wish there was more about the world that was explored, but that's most definitely just the part of me that has a voracious curiosity. 

Predictability: This series used to feel very unpredictable to me. I mean, I always felt like my expectations were being blown away with every installment in this series, and while I still love this series, and I love this installment, I've sort of caught on to the rhythm and rhyme of the story and it's not hard to see where things are going in this story. Even though I understood where things were headed, I never felt robbed of the experience to discover things as they happened, plus there was always a shadow of doubt as to whether my predictions would be wrong, not much of a doubt but enough to keep me on my toes.

Ending: How is it that even though I feel that this story is complete and reached a fantastic end, that I still have questions. I mean, I know we're going to get the final Spirits and Thieves book which I'm sure will alleviate some of my questions about this world, but there are definitely a few things that I'm not sure when we'll get answers to. That all being said I really enjoyed the end of this story and the end of this series. While I do believe that the final climax could have been more heart wrenching, how everything turns out, for better or worse, felt right and I can't wait to see what might come next.

Rating:

I did debate about this for quite a bit, but I love this story so much, from beginning to end this series has been everything I love about fantasy; magic, romance, and adventure and how the series wraps up and how it affects the world and the story was unbelievably amazing!

Blog Tour Book Review: Death Island + GIVEAWAY!

Release Date: December 31, 2017
Author: Kelsy Ketch
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 726 pages
Source: Review Copy Provided by Good Choice Reading Promotions

Her family name tainted by her great-grandfather’s crimes of piracy, Meriden Cummings is far from the typical 18th century woman. A social outcast, she works in a carpentry shop in a small village, where the people barely tolerate unconventional behavior.

However, her life takes a turn after a gang of pirates attack her village and her blood reveals an ancient map adorned with Mayan glyphs leading to Death Island. An island legends say is ruled by the Mayan god of the underworld, Ah Puch. Her great-grandfather had sought after the island before he vanished without a trace. Now, Meriden is about to journey across the sea to understand her family history.

There are only a few problems: her growing feelings toward a mysterious stranger linked to her great-grandfather’s past; a greedy band of pirates after her great-grandfather’s legendary treasure; and a contract she has unwittingly signed in blood with Ah Puch himself.

    

Review:

Protagonists: This story is told from two points of view. The first being Meriden, the daughter of a carpenter, and a girl with fire in her veins. She isn't one to be told what to do, and she'll turn and give society the finger for trying to force her to someone she isn't. The second is Gregory, who upon meeting him is being held captive and tortured by pirates, which include his own brother. After said pirates attack Meriden's town, the two meet and go along on an epic seafaring adventure to find the lost and mythical Death Island. I really enjoyed both characters a lot, in fact, their backstories and characterization made them fascinating to read from. As the story progresses, despite some rather annoying events, their characters grow and develop even further. I appreciated how these two broken souls learned to not only lean on each other but, their friends and fellow crew members over the course of the story.

Romance: One of my biggest pet peeves is what I like to call the "True Love Rebound" trope, where you have one, or two individuals, who have been in serious relationships only to have those end horribly and for them to, almost immediately, or at least it feels that way to the reader, find their next romance to be their "actual" true love. It does give reason to why they wouldn't be chomping at the bit to find another romantic partner, but in the end, it just sort of feels like a rebound. This was the case for both our protagonists as they fight their growing feelings for one another. I say growing, but it's sort of handled like an insta-love held back by the previous hurt of their failed relationships and that was what made this romance hard to stomach at first. Over time it was easier to feel their bond and to really start to root for them as a couple, but it took some groaning on my part.

World Building: Now, I'm not expert on the linguistics of early eighteenth century England or Colonial America, but at least toward the beginning of this story, I found some of the phrases and idioms to be too modern for the era. Again, I could, and just might be, ignorant to when these phrases and idioms were first introduced, but they really pulled me out of the story whenever I came across them. As the story went on I noticed them less and less, but much like the romance, it felt like a bit of a slog to get through. The rest of the world building was amazing. I can't speak to how well the author incorporated Mayan mythology into the series, but as someone who doesn't know all that much about Mayan mythology, it was fun to see it incorporated into this series. What I was really excited about was the sailing and pirate aspects of this tale and it was glorious. There were so many great swashbuckling scenes and pirate-y action in this book and I loved every minute of it.

Predictability: On the whole, this story was pretty predictable. The foreshadowing was a tad heavy at times, it wasn't as though the author bashed me over the head with it like I've felt in other stories I've read, just that there a plenty of clues that if you pick up on them could tip readers off the twists well before they happen. There are a couple of twists to this story that I didn't predict that caught me off guard and really threw me for a loop, but those were the twists that didn't have any clues leading to them.

Ending: Going into this book I was expecting a standalone, and for as long as it is I wouldn't have minded this being the only book in a series, however, the epilogue of this tale seems to indicate a possible sequel, and while I'm not sure if I need a sequel, other than a few ends left loose at the end of this tale, I'm interested to see where this author goes next. The ending of this tale is fantastic. The final climax is fraught with tension and action and I savored every second I could get of it. As the story wound to a close, we didn't really get a cooldown period and there were a few things I would have liked to see wrapped up, even if this is the first book in a series.

Rating:

Despite loving the swashbuckling action and adventure this book contains, plus all of the magic and myth that are woven into the story, there were a few things I couldn't get past, the romance's rocky start, the possibly too modern text toward the beginning, and the fact that some of the time things felt a little too safe for even the secondary characters.

About the Author:

Kelsey Ketch is a young-adult/new-adult author, who works as a Wildlife Biologist in the state of North Carolina. During her free time, she can often be found working on her latest work in progress or organizing the New Adult Scavenger Hunt, a biannual blog hop. She also enjoys history, mythology, traveling, and reading.

Twitter: @kelseyketch

Facebook Page: Kelsey Ketch

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Book Review: Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet #1)

Release Date: March 27, 2018
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Length: 368 pages
Source: NetGalley Review Copy

Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she'll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur?

One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru's doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don't believe her claim that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again.
But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it's up to Aru to save them.
The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that? 

    

Review:

Protagonist: Aru Shah is a liar. To fit in at school she will stretch and manipulate the truth, but when her lies catch up with her, in order to save face with a few of her classmates, she lights a cursed lamp in her mother's museum and unwittingly unleashes the Sleeper, a demon hell-bent on awakening Shiva, the God of Destruction. After the dust settles Aru learns that she is the reincarnation of one of the legendary Pandava brothers and in order to save the world from destruction she must team up with another newly awakened Pandava and travel through the Kindom of Death, super easy right? I loved Aru, she's snarky and the ways in which she stretches the truth are astonishing. While it took me a little while to get used to her as a protagonist, once I did she was fantastic, she adds a lot of great humor to this story without making feel like an outright comedy. Aru's journey through this story, at least internally, allows her to really grow into herself and blossom into a character to root for. Aru is a very sympathetic character, in fact, her feelings of inadequacy with her classmates were very relatable to me, as is her vivid imagination and her penchant for twisting the truth. I loved seeing how she would react to things because even if she surprised me her motives always felt like they had some sort of tie to who she is a where she came from. Aru is a fantastic character who, like anyone, has flaws and sometimes makes mistakes, but she'll take the consequences and hopefully grow as a person.

World Building: While I don't know too much about Hindu mythology or the Mahabharata after reading this story I want to learn as much as I can. It's no wonder Riordan picked this story for his new imprint as it fits with his brand so well. This most definitely feels like a Riordan mythological adventure, but Chokshi's writing is what set it apart. It's like if there was a "Build Your Own Rick Riordan Adventure" kit, but instead of making one of the pictures on the box, Chokshi took those building blocks and created something wholly new and unique with her own signature style. I loved learning about the various characters in Hindu mythology and the roles they played in both the story and their origins. Now, you're not going to come out on the other side of this story with a vast and unending knowledge of Hindu mythology, but I can almost guarantee you that you'll come out knowing some pretty cool stuff with a want to know more. I've also seen this story compared to Sailor Moon, a popular anime from my childhood, and honestly, the connections ARE there, but unfortunately, there are really only a few with the promise of more in the future, and I'm straight up holding the author to that promise. I liked the connections we did get and honestly the fact that they sort of quiet down for a while didn't bother me, I was sucked so far into this story by that point I wasn't getting out anytime soon.

Predictability: On the foreshadowing standpoint, I feel this author did a fantastic job of weaving foreshadowing into her narrative while holding back on some of the bigger reveals for later. Now, arguably the biggest twist in this story was easy to predict and I honestly felt the author was a bit heavy-handed when it came to foreshadowing that giant twist. Leading up to the reveal I even remember wishing that the author had been more subtle as the reveal would carry more weight, however, while my guess was correct, I love how the author subverted my expectations and added layers to the twist that I didn't see coming. That's just the biggest twist, while there is quite a lot of foreshadowing (this is a Middle-Grade book after all) I still found myself, more often than not, still being surprised at how the story unfolded and how the author layered her reveals so that I never quite knew what would happen next.

Ending: The final climax of this story is outstanding. I mean, what a way to use your characters to their full potential and really show off how far they've come since the beginning. Now I won't go into specifics, but this final climax was a grand slam if ever I saw one. I love how it set things up for future installments as well as providing a great visual for how far things have come. After the final climax though, well there's a rather extended cooldown period. Don't get me wrong, I love cooldown periods in books where we can learn how our characters adjust to their new reality while continuing to set things up for the sequel, but the last couple of chapters felt more like the first few chapters of Book Two instead of the last few chapters of Book One. By the very end of the story, however, I do feel that it makes up for that in some ways.

Rating:

So... when I got to the end of this book and saw the title and release date of Book Two I let out a devastated scream because well, frankly I don't want to wait a year and a half (quarter?) to continue this magnificent story. I love the characters, I love the world, and just when it starts ramping up again it's all torn away from me! I had high expectations for this book, with it being the first book from Rick Riordan's new imprint as well as Roshani Chokshi's Middle-Grade debut, this story not only met those insanely high expectations, it far exceeded them as well!

Book Review: CJ's Treasure Chase (Disney Descendants: School of Secrets #1)

Release Date: August 30, 2016
Author: Jessica Brody
Publisher: Disney Press
Length: 192 pages
Source: Library Book

CJ is the daughter of Captain James Hook. She's fierce. She's swashbuckling. And she has big dreams. . . like finding the treasure she's known about since she was a little girl stranded on the Isle of the Lost. When CJ sneaks out of Auradon Prep with her best friend, Freddie, they go on a wild chase to find it.

The School of Secrets series of chapter books continues the story of Mal and her friends, plus new Villain kids and Auradon kids introduced in the popular Wicked World short form videos. Enjoy these all-new tales of mystery, magic and adventure from the world of the hit movie Descendants!

    

Review:

Protagonist: CJ Hook as found a way off the Isle of the Lost, she stows away on a spell cast by the genie Jordan and is hiding out in her best friend Freddie's dorm room. She doesn't plan on going to Auradon Prep, however, no, CJ has much more adventurous plans in mind. Ever since she was young CJ has dreamed of following a map she found in her the hold of her father's ship, a map that just may be magical, but until now she didn't have any access to magic. It was really interesting to read from a real VK's perspective in this series. I mean, in the novels written by Melissa De La Cruz, we see from the original Auradon VK's perspectives, but they're either not in Auradon yet, like with the first installment, or they had been reformed though still struggled with their dark sides a little. However, CJ is a roguish riot, sneaking around Auradon Prep as to not be discovered and sent back to the Isle, or threatening to kidnap people and force them to do what she wants on her treasure chase. She does have a good bit of character development in this story, though not exactly in the way I was assuming when I cracked this book open.

World Building: So if you read my review of Rise of the Isle of the Lost by Melissa De La Cruz, I mentioned how I was getting tired of constantly going back to the Isle without really getting to see the rest of Auradon, however, this story has very little Isle, but a good chunk of Auradon to explore. There's quite a bit of backtracking in this story as the author wrote in little callouts to the Descendants movie as well as the Wicked World shorts, but seeing it from a different perspective kept those moments from getting boring. However, once this story gets caught up with the end of the first season of the Wicked World shorts, things really spring into high gear and it sees our protagonist race across Auradon in hopes of laying her hands on this amazing treasure she's dreamed about since she was little. It was a lot of fun getting to see more of this world and while I had braced myself for this feeling like it was written for a Middle-Grade audience like the De La Cruz sometimes do, or even written for a younger audience than that, it never happened. I liked how reading this short adventure felt like it was written for fans of the series, no matter what age they might be.

Predictability: So, while I never felt talked down to in the writing and the world building of this story, the plot of the story was rather predictable. Well, sort of. See, this isn't a long story and so the author only has so many pages to get from point A to point B and so there's not a lot of time to set up big twists and turns. So the adventure, while very enjoyable was a tad predictable. That being said though, there were still a few times where, given CJ's wild card personality, I wasn't quite sure where the story would take me.

Ending: I don't know what to say about this ending. I mean it's a very short story, very quick to fly through in one sitting and while the final climax of the story was really fun and we got to see a lot of CJ's character development come to light, as she faced her final hurdle toward the treasure, there wasn't as big of an ending to this story as there is in something like the other novels, or even the movie. However, there is a pretty great cooldown period where we learn of CJ's fate going forward and a bit of a tease at what's to come next in the School of Secrets series. I was pretty surprised where things ended up and while I'm sad that CJ's not going to be the main protagonist for the whole series I'm excited to read more stories in this world.

Rating:

Like I said in my review, I was bracing myself and dragging my heels to read this story since I expected it to either be geared toward an MG or younger audience or for it to be unbelievably cheesy. It wasn't though, there's a little bit of cheesy-ness in the story but overall it was a fun and exciting adventure and I'm kind of stoked to read the other School of Secrets books and have more adventures in this world.

Book Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3)

Release Date: May 2, 2017
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Length: 705 pages
Source: Purchased Book

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Feyre, High Lady of the Night Court, entered the Spring Court with one purpose, to discover what Hybern is up to and what it will take to bring them down. Tearing apart Tamlin's Court in the process, well that's mostly for fun. As Hybern prepares to launch an attack and bring down the wall separating humans and Fae, Feyre will need every bit of power, cunning, and skill she's gained since killing a Fae wolf in the woods to even hope to come out of it alive. Feyre starts off this book as a wolf in sheep's clothing, playing her part in the Spring Court to gather as much information as she can on Hybern before escaping back to her home and her family waiting for her. I seriously love how far Feyre has come in this series and this installment is a testament to that. Her mind is keen and she'll do anything and everything to protect those she loves. I started off this series hoping that Feyre would be a badass warrior, but I think it was much more fun watching her transformation from Fae hating huntress to powerful Fae warrior.

Romance: Honestly, there isn't all that much more that can happen with the romance between Feyre and Rhysand, their love is strong and it's been forged in even the hottest of fires, so going into this book there's not as much romantic development between the two, more moments that are a testament to their love. There are romances involving the friends and family around them, that while not taking center stage fill that void of needed development. I was surprised with how these romances unfolded over the course of the book and felt that where things ended up was very realistic and well written.

World Building: Ah, the world building for this book is fantastic. We see so much more from this world than I expected to see and as we follow Feyre's journey we venture back to places we've already seen with new information and context to show just how intricate and amazing this world is. We learn more about the history of this world, what went down in the last war, and how the past can help shape the future. Even with how much more we get to experience this world, there's still so much more to discover and I cannot wait for future installments in this series, no matter who they follow to discover even more about this rich and wonderous world.

Predictability: Dear lord, there are a lot of twists and turns this story takes. Many of the twists have some sort of foreshadowing to them, to help them feel more real and so we as readers don't interpret them as Deus Ex Machinas that undercut how amazing this story is. There are also plenty of twists that have no foreshadowing, twists that had there been any foreshadowing would have ruined it in some ways or another. Now I won't say that there aren't any moments that felt a bit too convenient or that I felt shouldn't have gone a different way, but looking at everything as a whole those moments are so small in comparison that I don't mind them at all.

Ending: The ending of this book played out in so many ways that I wasn't expecting. At its core, the ending is how I've always hoped it would be and yet how things transpired and how the war with Hybern turned out, in the end, I have to say I never quite saw it all coming. The final climaxes of this book were phenomenal, every moment of it fraught with tension and wondering. There are quite a few plot points that weren't wrapped up in a nice and neat little bow. Things that I could easily see becoming the focus of future installments and while I bask in how amazing this arc to the story ended, I also cannot wait to see what else has yet to come.

Rating:

As far as "final" books in series go, this book was spectacular. It hit all the right notes and while there are definitely things left hanging off a cliff, this arc of the story ended in an epic, non-idyllic way that spoke to me on so many different levels.

Book Review: Crystal Storm (Falling Kingdoms #5)

Release Date: December 13, 2016
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Publisher: Razorbill
Length: 379 pages
Source: Purchased Book

The ruthless Empress Amara of Kraeshia has taken the Mytican throne, and now uncertainty looms over the three kingdoms. Since Lucia unleashed the fire Kindred, wreaking havoc throughout the land, Myticans have been looking for someone—anyone—they can trust. They believe in Amara, not knowing her grand promises are built on lies.

In Paelsia, Magnus and Cleo reluctantly follow King Gaius to the home of his exiled mother, Selia. Selia is a powerful witch and claims she can help unlock the magic of the Kindred—if the visitors agree to her terms. When Jonas arrives from Kraeshia, he is shocked to find that his rebel army now includes his sworn enemies. Along with Nic, Felix, and the mysteriously resurrected Ashur, the contentious group agrees to cast aside old grudges—for now—and united against their common enemy: Amara.

Meanwhile, bearing the child of a Watcher and feared by all, Princess Lucia travels across Mytica to find her family. But time is running out. The impending storm signals the dark prophecy Timotheus warned her about. Her fate is written, and it includes none other than the rebel Jonas. When their paths collied, Jonas and Lucia must decide between blindly following their destiny or fighting for their own free will.

The battle for power culminates at the Paelsian palace, where Amara resides. Rain pours. Blood spills. And soon all will discover that the darkest magic comes at an even darker price.

    

Review:

Characters: With Kraeshia ruling over Mytica, all hope seems lost for those who wish for its freedom. Cleo and Magnus end up following a seemingly changed, and not as dead as he should be, Gaius in hopes of finding Lucia and freeing Mytica from the hold of Amara. However, the young couple's journey is not without its challenges. Gaius tries to break them up at every chance he can get, telling Magnus that romantic love is a weakness that will keep him from power. Cleo wants to believe that Magnus is not the same cold and calculating man that murdered her first love in cold blood, but when they are joined by Jonas and the rest of the Rebellion that's come back from Kraeshia, Magnus's cold self returns. Is it all an act, or is Magnus just showing his true colors? Jonas and a pregnant Lucia end up crossing paths and end up joining each other, much to their mutual aggravation. Along the way, both must confront their destinies and find out what their places in this world are. Okay, I know that last part was really short, but the section was getting long and I needed to start the wrap-up. Overall, I still love these characters. What I find most interesting though are how the core four characters feel about each other. When I first started reading this series, I expected them to all team up and at the very least hold mutual respect for each other, if not like them, but there are still characters that even after all their faults I consider "good" that aren't on good terms with other "good" characters which make for an incredibly tense and wonderful to read dynamic.

Romance: Another misconception I had when first starting this series was how the romance might go. I don't think I ever went into this series expecting romance, at least not to the point we've got, but once it became clear that there was a romantic aspect between quite a few characters I thought I knew where things were headed. First off I expected Jonas and Cleo to get together, and granted maybe even the author did too, but honestly, I'm glad they didn't. While I did enjoy their chemistry, the tension and romantic connection between the dark and brooding Magnus, and the formerly pompous but recently hardened Cleo, was an unexpected and completely obsession-worthy match. There are of course other romances in this book, including a certain annoying red-haired boy and a recently resurrected prince. One of the things I love best about this series is how the author doesn't put romance at the forefront of the story to drive it, nor does she hide it in the background. With this many characters of adolescent age, there's bound to be romance and it's handled very well. Sometimes romance needs to drive the plot to new places but it never takes over or overshadows the main plot. There is a bit of romantic drama in this book, some misunderstandings or characters blowing things out of proportion, but still it never distracts from the main plot.

World Building: First off, let me say that if you haven't read or kept up with the Spirits and Thieves spin-off series you really should. It's not needed to fully understand or appreciate the added world building of this installment, however, there are a few things that are casually mentioned and introduced in this book that may seem jarring to those haven't had the right context for those revelations. Though, like I said, on the whole, they shouldn't affect the series that much so it's more of an optional thing, though I still recommend doing it. Now on to the real juicy stuff. Most of this book takes place in Paelsia and so there isn't really all that much additional world to explore, at least not physically, but there is a great deal more to learn about the Kindred, about the King of Blood's past, and about the prophecies concerning key members of our core four characters. This book isn't exactly long, but there's still a great deal of information and adventure packed into here. One of the most interesting parts of this whole book to me was seeing how civilians thought of our core four heroes. I mean, logically if everything turns out okay in the end, Magnus and Cleo will probably end up ruling all of Mytica, however, their subjects or at least the Paelsian people since that's mostly who we see, hate them. They barely know who Jonas is, and most that do think he's dead or hate him too, and all anyone knows about Lucia is that she's a vengeful witch who's burnt down countless Paelsian villages. I'm very interested to see how public opinion is of them once the series has concluded.

Predictability: One of my favorite things about Rhodes's writing, especially with this series, is that you never quite know who or what to trust. This series has so far gone in so many unexpected places. I mean when this series started the main villain was King Gaius, but over the course of the series we've seen far worse enemies at play. Power hungry gods, disingenuous Watchers, and a princess who had a good idea, but because of the influence of others has taken it too far and now threatens all of Mytica, and probably the world as well. Since there's a lot that goes on in this story, there's a lot that can be twisted and happen in ways you wouldn't expect or even believe. I can't tell you how many theories I had for this book that turned out not quite as I had expected them too. There were, of course, things that I did guess that were fairly easy to, but while that never detracted from my enjoyment of the twists, it was obviously the things that caught me off guard that I enjoyed the most.

Ending: *Throws book at the wall* Yeah, I've seen a lot of that going around when it comes to the end of this book, and while I did not physically throw my book against the wall, I understand and agree with the sentiment. When I first saw that this book had an excruciating cliffhanger I began to expect the worst, I actually had three theories as to what might happen at the end of this book, none of which was even close to right. There is actually more than one cliffhanger for this book and while the first two might be rather intense, one even leading me to shed a few tears, it's what happens in the last chapter, on the last page that has me counting the days until the final installment in this series. (At least, I would count the days if we had a definitive release date.) The way this installment ended as a whole really set up that this next book will be the final battle. Things get really intense and I'm excited to see how our heroes manage to (hopefully) save the day.

Rating:

Once again I'm blown away by this world, these characters, and how this story unfolds. I swear, each time I start one of these books I'm afraid that this will be the time I'm disappointed or that this installment won't measure up, but every. single. time. the story exceeds my every expectation. I can't wait to find out how this series ends, and at the same time, I don't want it to end.

Book Review: Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas #1)

Release Date: September 6, 2016
Author: Zoraida Córdova
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Length: 336 pages
Source: eGalley from NetGalley

Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives.

I fall to my knees. Shattered glass, melted candles and the outline of scorched feathers are all that surround me. Every single person who was in my house – my entire family — is gone.

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can’t trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange markings on his skin.

The only way to get her family back is to travel with Nova to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland…

Beautiful Creatures meets Daughter of Smoke and Bone with an infusion of Latin American tradition in this highly original fantasy adventure.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Alex fears her magic. She fears what her magic might mold her into becoming. When her Deathday party arrives, the day she receives a special blessing from her ancestors, she decides to eliminate her magic instead, but instead of losing her magic, her entire family is pulled into Los Lagos, a mysterious land in between, and it's up to Alex and a dark and possibly dangerous brujo named Nova to rescue them. Alex is a very strong character, but she's ruled by her fear. She fears her magic and what it might lead to, but as she journey's through Los Lagos and it's many terrifying and wondrous attractions she needs to learn to accept herself and flip her perspective on her powers and start looking at them as a gift instead of a curse. I felt that Alex's character development and progression was executed very realistically, and combining that with such a dynamic and passionate character it makes for one heck of a journey.

Romance: This is probably going to be the hardest portion of this review to write. I honestly wasn't a huge fan of the romance in this book. The good news is that romance doesn't play a particularly large role in the story, the bad news is that even though it doesn't represent a large portion of the story, I just wish it was developed better. There is a love triangle in this book, now I'm not opposed to love triangles in general, it's all about how they play out, but this one just felt all over the place. At first, it's made pretty clear who one of the love interests is, that would be Nova, but the second love interest isn't even hinted at being a romantic candidate, let alone confirmed as one until nearly three-quarters of the way through the book and without any prior romantic tension or chemistry I just couldn't really care, and then the love triangle just sort of sorts itself out without any real deliberation which just doesn't really work for me. I wish I could have cared more for this romance but for something that's not even a large part of the story it really started to bug me.

World Building: My absolute favorite part about this story is the world building. After the story is done there's an Author's Notes section that goes into detail about some of the things that are actually part of latinx culture and folklore and what is of the author's own creation, and I have to say I'm in awe of just how much of the lore in this tale was created by the author because it just seems to fit in so well with everything else. One of the things I enjoyed the most were the parallels to other famous mythologies such as Greek, Egyptian, and Norse. There were many parts that seemed nearly plucked out of, specifically Greek, mythology and adapted to fit in with the story and this culture. The adventure that Alex and Nova embark on in this story is so richly described, it has all the classic hallmarks of an otherworldly adventure without coming off cliche.  The world of Los Lagos comes alive and it's not hard at all to nearly see what's around these characters at any given point. I'd best equate it to wonderland or the Grecian underworld, there are many sections to it that form a whole and rarely any section is safe for outsiders.

Predictability: Another small problem with this story is how things are foreshadowed. Sometimes the author does a slam dunk job foreshadowing a big event or twist in this story, it either shocks me like it should or I called it yet was still extremely pumped about it. Then there were times that things were so constantly brought up and foreshadowed that it lost all enjoyment when the time finally came for things to happen. Worst of all though there were times when there was very little or no foreshadowing for events and twists that desperately need the reader to feel a build up for or be clued into before they're blindsided and can't recover to truly enjoy what happened. Now I'm happy to say that most of the time the story went off without a hitch and the author definitely caught me off guard in a good way a few times in this story, but some of the subpar foreshadowed moments really took me out of the story, sometimes literally, after one twist I stopped reading for a while until I could get my head on straight.

Ending: I'm trying to articulate my pure wonder and awe at how this story ended, specifically the final climax of the story and the epilogue but I can't quite figure out how to explain how epic everything was. The final climax was not only action packed but really brought the themes of this story and Alex's journey both internally and externally to the forefront as she faced down the thing that stole her family. Then there was the epilogue. Now going into this I had assumed that this series would be more a series of standalone companion novels and while I may be partially right that didn't stop the author from writing in one hell of a cliffhanger. I honestly wasn't expecting what happens to happen and if I wasn't already excited about the next book in this series I would be now!

Rating:

There is so much I love about this story, from the main character to the wondrously strange world she traverses to the mythos and tales told in this novel, there's so much to enjoy. I can't wait for the next book in this series and I'm excited to see where these characters go next.

Book Review: World of Warcraft: Traveler (Traveler #1)

Release Date: October 25, 2016
Author: Greg Weisman
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Length: 336 pages
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

An epic action-adventure series set in Blizzard's popular World of Warcraft® game franchise. Features a young cast of characters discovering the mysteries and majesty of the world around them.

It's been years since twelve-year-old Aramar Thorne, a clever boy who is never without his precious sketch book, has seen his father. So when Captain Greydon Thorne comes ashore and asks his son to join him at sea, it feels as if someone has redrawn Aram's entire world. At sea, Aram struggles to get along with the Wavestider's crew--especially second mate Makasa, a tough teenaged girl who has been reluctantly placed in charge of him. Just as Aram starts to get his head above water, a band of vicious pirates attack the Wavestrider, turning his world upside down once again. As Aram and Makasa try to find their way home, they encounter creatures both terrible and wondrous, and Aram will seek to understand Azeroth's denizens as he draws them in his sketchbook, forming unlikely friendships along the way. But the journey is hindered by Greydon's compass, which never points north. If the compass isn't leading Aram and Makasa home--to safety--to what destiny is it leading?

    

Review:

Characters: Even though Aramar Thorne is the main character of this tale, the point-of-view for this story is more of the omniscient third person narrator that can move from the inner thoughts of one character to another seamlessly. So while Aram is the main character we do get to see and learn about a whole cast of characters. Of course, we have our protagonist Aram, a boy who is practically forced to join the crew of his long-absent father for a year, Aram has a very complicated relationship with his father, for half or Aram's life Greydon Thorne was a loving and attentive father, but for the other half Greydon wasn't even there having just vanished with no word. Then there's Makasa Flintwill, the second mate of Greydon Thorne's ship and the bane of Aram's existence. Makasa is begrudgingly put in charge of her captain's son, a sulky boy who doesn't take his role on the ship seriously and disrespects her captain every chance he gets. Makasa has a deep sense of loyalty and will use whatever skills she has to follow her captain's orders. On their journey, Aram and Makasa not only meet fascinating denizens of Azeroth who help them along the way, but they are pursued by dangerous foes who will stop at nothing to uncover the secrets that Aram protects.

World-Building: I've tried to write this section many times. Let's be honest, the author didn't come up with this world, but that's not the point. In fact, one of the things that drew me to this book was the fact that one of its main goals is to introduce the World of Warcraft to a younger generation is a fun and exciting way. The lore associated with Warcraft games is extensive and can be at times very confusing due to (arguable) retconning. That being said, I believe the author did a fantastic job at not only bring the World of Warcraft to life on the page but introducing a number of fundamental races and creatures of this world in an easy to follow yet comprehensive way. This is by no means a full guide to this world, in fact, if you go in with next to no knowledge of this world there will be things that either confuse you or pique your interest but I urge you to persevere and after you finish this rich story to either do some more research on things like wikis, or to journey into the world yourself. I was a bit worried at the beginning of this story when it was hard for me to remember that this is a WoW branded novel, but not too far into it, due to the immaculately described world, beautifully illustrated pictures, and colorful characters our heroes meet, it became hard to forget.

Predictability: My biggest warning to you is that you do not flip through the illustrations before getting to them in the story. On the whole, they don't really spoil anything too huge, but it's those small bits that can the catalyst to spoiling something huge. Now that being said, there were still many times that I was caught off guard by where this story was going. In truth, it wasn't until towards the end that most of the really juicy twists came out, but I'll get to that in a bit. On the whole, this book did a fantastic job of not only foreshadowing things to come but keeping large secrets in the dark until the right time for a very surprising reveal.

Ending: The end of this book was nearly cinematic. Since the author employed an omniscient narrator to tell the story he was able to easily move between various parts of a scene and show the reader this very comprehensive view of just what is going on. The final climax of this story is rather incredible. It happens a bit earlier in the story than I anticipated but it's totally worth it. After all the fuss goes down here comes the twists. Obviously, I'll keep tight-lipped on just what exactly happens, but I will say that if you didn't know this was a series, you'll know it way before the end of this book. This story is just beginning there's still so much left to explore and so many mysteries to still unlock on the way.

Rating:

I LOVED this book, I cannot fully articulate to you just how much. If you're a fan of action, adventure, mystery, and/or fantasy I cannot recommend this book more. If Middle Grade isn't your thing I urge you to recommend this book to someone who you think would enjoy it. This book is too underhyped and that seriously needs to change.