Blog Tour Book Review: The Lantern's Ember + GIVEAWAY!

Release Date: September 11, 2018
Author: Colleen Houck
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Length: 416 pages
Source: eGalley for Review

Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.

Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It’s difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So, he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern—one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal—or not-so-mortal—soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O’Dare.

Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack’s warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire—and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.

    

Review:

Protagonist: While this story is told from multiple points of view, after a while in this story it's plain to see that Ember O'Dare is the main protagonist of this story and since most of the other POVs are love interests I thought it made sense to only talk about her in this section. When we first properly meet Ember she's already quite a capable witch, I really appreciated that while she has character flaws such as being incredibly stubborn even in the face of mortal danger, she's still able to take a lot of agency in her own story and can hold her own against the threats that come up. While I think that things come too easily to her and she seems to have luck on her side more than once, she's still an interesting and compelling protagonist.

Romance: This is probably the biggest weakness of the entire story. At the start of this tale there's a lot of time spent establishing a connection between Jack and Ember, and during this time, while some of the things Jack does poke at the border between acceptable and sketchy, there is a really great chemistry there, then the love triangle is introduced. I'm calling it a love triangle since even though there's a third gentleman with romantic feelings for Ember it's made abundantly clear that those feelings are unrequited. So the thing is, I have no innate hate for love triangles, in fact, I love when love triangle tropes are subverted, but unfortunately not only is this love triangle very paint by numbers, but I just don't think love triangles can truly work in standalones and this book did nothing to dissuade me of that opinion. While Ember has some amount of chemistry with each of her suitors, they all just felt so stereotypical to me, Jack's the "Brooding Protector," Dev, yes his name is really Dev, is the "Bad Boy," and poor Finney is the "Best Friend" and they played those roles to a tee. Not only that but 90% they're either focused on or competing over Ember instead of focusing on the problems around them, though somehow they always seem to rally when an action scene starts.

World Building: The beginning of this tale is wonderful, there's a really autumnal Halloween vibe and the entire setting is extremely atmospheric. I thought that this story was going to take place in the modern day, but it seems like this story takes place not long after the Salem Witch Trials. The town Ember lives in is very quaint and I enjoyed the time we spend there, but most of the book takes place in another realm and that has a bit of a classic horror meets steampunk vibe to it. I have to admit at first it was very weird, especially since I was so comfortable in Ember's village, but as we spend more time in the Otherworld, the more I liked what I saw, while the story can go a bit slow at first, since the author spends a good amount of time setting up a wide variety of plotlines, the story does begin to pick up and the story really grew on me. While I do feel like things can resolve a bit too conveniently at times, the story, when not focusing on the romantic drama, was really interesting. I loved seeing more of this world and all the little Easter Eggs relating to classic horror, penny dreadfuls, and Halloween lore. I'm a huge sucker for folklore and I was so excited to see how this rendition of the Jack O' Lantern tale was done and was surprised and delighted to see a lot of other Halloween classic goodness in this story. I love the design for Jack in this story, but even though the author paints a pretty clear picture with her words, I could never stop imagining him as a scarecrow with a pumpkin head.

Predictability: One of the most interesting things about this story is how easy it was to pick up on all the information that will be important later, and yet even though I knew certain topics were going to come up again, every time they did it happened kind of out of the blue. It was really weird, it was almost as if the author set up these things and then never really continued foreshadowing before the big reveal. It wasn't bad necessarily, except for a few twists that felt more convenient than anything, all the other twists just felt randomly timed and while I do wish there was a tad more foreshadowing and that more time would be spent setting things up, but I still did enjoy the shock whenever an out of the blue twist would show up.

Ending: The final climax of this story was different than I expected, I was expecting more action and instead, the final climax is a lot more character driven which I really enjoyed. As for how everything wraps up, well this is a standalone and thanks to an epilogue every little plot thread is wrapped up rather neatly and while I enjoyed this world and would like to see more of it another time if the author decides to never visit this world again I wouldn't feel heartbroken.

Rating:

This was a really tough choice, but even though I hate the majority of the romance in this book, the main storyline and world are fascinating and while I'm not a fan of certain character(s) there are a lot of great side characters in this tale, and the magic system and how it mixes with the world is really cool.

About the Author:

New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she’s not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | YouTube | Instagram 

Giveaway:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE LANTERN'S EMBER, US Only.

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Book Review: Ever the Brave (Clash of Kingdoms #2)

Release Date: December 5, 2017
Author: Erin Summerill
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Length: 464 pages
Source: Purchased Book

Ever the Divided. Ever the Feared. Ever the Brave.

After saving King Aodren with her newfound Channeler powers, Britta only wants to live a peaceful life in her childhood home. Unfortunately, saving the King has created a tether between them she cannot sever, no matter how much she'd like to, and now he's insisting on making her a noble lady. And there are those who want to use Britta’s power for evil designs. If Britta cannot find a way to harness her new magical ability, her life—as well as her country—may be lost.

The stakes are higher than ever in the sequel to Ever the Hunted, as Britta struggles to protect her kingdom and her heart.

    

Review:

Protagonists: Unlike the first book in this series there are three narrators to this tale. Britta, after saving the king and her kingdom just wants to live on her father's land, her land, and live a simple life, but she still needs to hide her gifts and her tether to the king doesn't really make life easier for her. Cohen has been hot on the trail of the Spiriter who enthralled the king, but his trip into Shaerdan only leads to more questions as young Channeler girls have been disappearing from Shaerdan. Back in Malam, King Aodren is free from a nearly year-long thrall of the Spiriter and now hopes to be a king that his people would be proud of and respect, but with unrest still in his kingdom can he be the leader his people deserve? I love all three of these characters, even more so than in the previous book, and honestly, I wasn't expecting to like Aodren that much, but while I wasn't so keen on him toward the beginning he definitely wormed his way into my heart. Britta is such an amazing and strong character in this book and I loved seeing her grow and learn more about her gifts in this book as well as figure out her place in this world and where she belongs.

Romance: Going into this book I wasn't a huge fan of how it seemed that the author was going to introduce a love triangle, especially since, while there is a third book in this series, this was the end of Britta and Cohen's story, so adding in a love triangle at this point felt very unnecessary and wasn't something I was going to take seriously, especially knowing, who the focus of book three is. That all being said, I actually really enjoyed the romance in this book, it can get a bit angsty and Cohen's jealousy and overprotectiveness can be insufferable at times, but one of the things I love about this story is that we have a character like Cohen who has these glaring flaws, but his development in this book is remarkable and while I won't say too much, I'm actually glad that the author added this little wrinkle to the story and really liked how he used the love triangle in a very interesting way.

World Building: So... I'm a bit confused. As I looked back on both this and the first book in the series, something about the main villain's motivation doesn't make sense, in fact there are a few things that don't quite make sense, unfortunately since it all has to do with spoilers I can't exactly talk about it here, but I sort of feel like there was a disconnect somewhere in the villain's logic or I just missed something because I'm still not 100% certain of what they were trying to achieve. The world itself was fine, I mean, again there wasn't anything about this world to really make it pop, much like the first book, but I've sort of come to see that this series is much more about the characters than the world, which I'm not complaining about because the characters of this series are awesome. That being said though, the world does develop more and we come to understand the magic system more.

Predictability: So, near the end of the previous installment there was a little bit of foreshadowing that I picked up on and thought it was maybe going to be a big revelation pretty far into this book, except, it was revealed early on in this tale, and worst of all, I never felt like that twist reached its full potential for the story. Looking back on this book there wasn't much I was able to predict as long as there was even a small bit of foreshadowing. The only times I was genuinely shocked by something in this book is if it came out of nowhere or nearly out of nowhere.

Ending: The final climax of this book is spectacular. Where the final climax of the previous book was more subdued and full of revelations rather than action, this climax is chock full of magical action and combat. The cooldown period after all the excitement and tension does a fantastic job wrapping up this story and while there are still avenues to explore in this world, obviously, I was pleasantly surprised with how okay I was that Britta and Cohen's story ends here.

Rating:

While I feel this installment did a fantastic job when it came to the romance and really enjoyed what the author did there, the motivations of some characters, mixed with some seemingly obvious missed opportunities when it comes to one twist, disappointed me. This is still a fantastic adventure in this world and I'm excited to continue the story through another Point of View.

Book Review: Conquering Fate (The Order of the Krigers #3)

Release Date: February 1, 2018
Author: Jennifer Anne Davis
Publisher: Reign Publishing
Length: 340 pages
Source: Review Copy from Author

With no choice but to face her destiny straight on, Kaia is determined to end the curse—no matter the personal cost. Sacrificing her own wants and desires, she turns herself over to the evil king, Morlet. Together, they seek to discover the catalyst for the events that started it all over a hundred years ago.

The path she embarks on tests her skills, her willpower, and her heart. Facing the darkest truth inside of her, she makes a choice that not only has unspeakable consequences, but also changes her life and the future of the kingdom forever.

    

Review:

Protagonist: The time is drawing near for Kaia to face off with Mortlet and decide the fate of her kingdom. I was genuinely surprised by how much character development Kaia has in this book, not that by the end of the previous installment she was a fully developed, self-actualized character, but when it comes to the final book in a series, I rarely find that much character development with our protagonist. In this installment, Kaia still has much to learn about herself and the world around her. There's definitely a focus on Kaia and her relationship with Mortlet in this book, though I'll talk about that in more detail in a little bit, it's how the two find themselves together that sets off Kaia's major development for this story. Kaia's whole characterization revolves around the theme of choice and those choices will be revealed as Kaia faces some of her toughest trials and tribulations yet.

Romance: So, as I said, there's a lot of this story that focuses on the romance between Kaia and Mortlet, and honestly I couldn't believe how much of the story focused on that. Now, don't get me wrong, Mortlet is a terrible person who deserves a slow and painful death for the misery he thrust onto his kingdom, but the part of him that's Espen, the part of him that's fighting the compulsion of the Skog Heks magic, I like. I felt that the author did a fantastic job in illustrating Kaia's conflict with Mortlet and how torn she is between falling for the part of him that is Espen, and detesting the person he is when the dark magic inside of him takes over. I was surprised that there wasn't a whole lot of focus on the romance between Anders and Kaia, though there still is a good amount of focus, considering this is the final installment, I expected a bit more evenly divided attention on the two main suitors in Kaia's life.

World Building: There's a bit more focus on the Heks in this story as the prologue of this book takes place long before the start of our story and introduces a rather large magical MacGuffin that becomes imperative to the main story and the curse that has plagued this kingdom for so long. While we learn more about the world outside Nelebek, we don't actually see it, which makes sense since the barrier around Nelebek is still in place, but I just wish we got to see a bit more of this world or at least what we learned about the world outside Nelebek wasn't so focused on one kingdom. Don't get me wrong, I love the world building in this book and I loved learning more about the Heks and how their race works, and I loved following this story to its conclusion, I just want more. Is that such a bad thing?

Predictability: Davis is the Queen of plot twists in my book. Not that I haven't been able to guess at a lot of her plot twists in the past, but when it comes to the Krigers series especially, I have next to no idea where the story will go and that was absolutely true for this installment. Going back over the story, there isn't much, if anything, that I was able to predict, in fact when it came to how this story would end, I had a lot of ideas as for how it might end and still I wasn't able to figure out how everything was going to go down. That's just the end, there are plenty more twists and turns in this book, twists that I didn't see coming, not even just before they were about to be revealed.

Ending: As I said, the ending of this tale is fairly unpredictable. The final confrontation with Mortlet was really interesting and it's in this final battle that even more is revealed and some very hard truths come to light. I really enjoyed the final climax with Mortlet, though after the dust has settled, for good or for bad, there is still a bit of book left that just helps to wrap everything up and shows off what happens after the final battle and how the world will continue after everything is said and done.

Rating:

I did have to debate on this a little bit, as this isn't as good as the other books in this series, but at the end of the day I still loved it and felt that this is a perfect ending to this series, though probably my biggest problem with this installment was that it's been so long since I read either of the other books that it felt a little removed from the other ones for me. I'm hoping to do a reread of the entire trilogy by the end of the year.

Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1)

Release Date: May 5, 2015
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Length: 421 pages
Source: Purchased Book

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

    

Review:

Protagonist: One thing I can always count on Sarah J Maas for it seems is a strong heroine. While Feyre isn't nearly the badass from the start that Celaena is in the Throne of Glass series, she definitely has a lot of promise. Feyre is just trying to keep her family together after her father loses all his money. One day while out hunting for food she kills a rather large wolf to keep it from killing her own prey. Soon though a beast comes by seeking retribution for the wolf, who's revealed to be one of the fae. Feyre leaves with him for Prythian, the faerie lands, and learns he is actually Tamlin, the High Lord of the Spring Court. Over the course of this story, Feyre's feelings and prejudices toward the fae slowly shift as she gets to know them. While she's not happy about being a captive and doesn't take it lying down, she begins to bond with the people of the Spring Court and with it's charming High Lord. While Feyre doesn't have the expert skill and battle prowess that Celaena has, she can definitely hold her own in a fight, and she's not easily swayed by pretty words and promises. I like Feyre's fire and am excited to see where the author takes her character.

Romance: So the romance in this story is a bit complicated, but I can't talk about the complicated stuff without talking about something that I would consider to be a spoiler, so let's just talk about the simple stuff. I really enjoyed Tamlin and Feyre's romance. It's nowhere near an insta-love, though it did move faster than I anticipated, but every milestone in their relationship feels earned. Feyre and Tamlin do have some great chemistry, Tamlin's cool elegance mixed with Feyre's fire makes for some intense and even comical, though in a good way, scenes between the two. One of the things I really enjoyed about this romance was how realistically it showed not only the romantic love between these two individuals but the lust as well. You rarely see lust explored in a YA novel, though there are some reasons to not consider this YA, however, it's refreshing to see as it adds another layer to the romance that makes it feel more realistic.

World Building: Beauty and the Best retelling! I mean those five words alone will probably convince me to read a book. This story does a great job at really driving that home while at the same time adding a fresh spin on the classic tale. I will admit that even though I was utterly entranced by the retelling aspects and the Fae world that we learn about over the course of many chapters while Feyre explores the Spring Court, the story itself does drag quite a bit. I mean, I'm not complaining too much because if the author had sped things up then the pacing of the book would have been off for a different reason. There is a bit of a speed up towards the end where a majority of the tension and action come to light. Even though I'm a huge fairy tale retelling nerd, I really did like the unique parts of this story as well. Even when we're past all the retelling elements there's plenty more story to tell and I can't wait to further explore this world.

Predictability: I swear nowadays when I read a retelling it gets too much into my head and I have a hard time separating what I think will happen because I know the fairy tale or myth or whatever it is and I can't focus on the foreshadowing that staring me right in the face. Don't get me wrong, there are a great many things in this story that I was able to predict, but the more creative ways to adapt this story I was completely blind on. There were a few things brought up that I'm not sure got fully revealed so I'm wondering if that might come up in future installments or if I just flat out missed something.

Ending: I was honestly surprised with how nicely wrapped up this ending was. I mean, I know it's a series and there are definitely some serious questions I want the answers to, but if this was it, if there were no sequels, I would be okay with that. That being said, luckily this isn't the end and we can explore this world and these characters further. The final climax of this story is seriously intense and I reveled in every minute of it. There's quite a bit that goes down and when the dust settles, well things happen. The cooldown period does feel very plateaued, and I wouldn't see a lot of people clamoring for the next book if they had to wait for some reason, but since I don't have to wait it's a nice time to take a breath before continuing on.

Rating:

While I did read this book slowly over a long period of time, while I was reading other books I might add, I did really enjoy this story and while it did slow down quite a bit in certain areas, I'm excited to learn more about this world and where our characters will go from here. Plus the retelling elements really didn't hurt my enjoyability AT ALL.

Blog Tour Book Review: The Sky Throne

Release Date: April 17, 2017
Author: Chris Ledbetter
Publisher: Month9Books
Length: 300 pages
Source: Ebook for Blog Tour Review

Duality dwells at every turn, and an adolescent Zeus will learn that all too well when Hyperion attacks his family on Crete.

When the dust settles, his mother is unconscious and his best friend left for dead.

Stacking epic insult upon fatal injury, Zeus discovers the woman who raised him is not his biological mother. But to ensure her safety while she recovers, a heavy-hearted Zeus leaves her behind to seek answers at Mount Olympus Preparatory Academia.

Zeus embarks on a quest to discover who ordered the attack on his home, avenge the death of his friend, and find his birth mother. When some of his new schoolmates vanish, Zeus's quest is turned upside down, and the only way to make things right is to access the power of The Sky Throne, confront a most dangerous enemy, and take his life back.

On his way to becoming king of the Greek gods, Zeus will learn to seize power, neutralize his enemies, and fall in love.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Zeus, supreme ruler of the gods, started out as a prankster mortal, or at least that's how this story goes. After an attack on his family, Zeus learns some harsh truths about his life, and the only way he can be safe is by going to Mount Olympus Prep. There he hopes to discover more about who he is and why his family was attacked. Gah, I feel that this author did a spectacular job at showing off a young Zeus. I mean, don't get me wrong, in mythology Zeus isn't a hero, in fact, most of Greek Mythology's problem could have been solved if Zeus just kept it in his pants, but for a book that shows off a heroic Zeus, this was a fantastic job. First off are his flaws, Zeus has a great many and while they are shown a bit softer here, I do like the little references to the Zeus I'm most familiar with. Then we have his strengths, this Zeus is much more compassionate than the one we normally see in Greek Myths, but I like it, it humanizes his character a bit more in ways other than flaws.

Romance: Another large characteristic is Zeus's lust for women. Granted, since this is a YA book, that lust is dampened quite a bit, but there are quite a few women that catch Zeus's eye. Now, honestly, I'm not quite sure where I stand on the romance in this book, because of how things ended up. Obviously, I won't give away spoilers, but for most of the book there seemed to be a love triangle blooming, and since I know my Greek Myths I knew more or less how it should end up, but how it did is another story. I guess all I'll say is that for the most part I really enjoyed the romance in this book. Zeus's bond with the women he romances is really strong and while I was a bit too distracted by how things end up in the myths, I can appreciate how they ended up in the story.

World Building: My biggest annoyance with this book was how it's presented. I mean, I should have known what I was getting into when the synopsis talked about Zeus going to a prep school, but I wasn't prepared for just how much mix between modern day and Ancient Greece there would be. The thing is, mixing modern day ideals and colloquial themes into an Ancient Greek or fantasy setting is something that shouldn't bleed into YA, at least in my opinion. I loved that sort of thing as a kid, but as I grew up it all felt very cheesy and kind of lazy. This story could have been one of two things, a modern day story about an underdog sports team facing up against their fierce rivals, in a loose retelling of the Titanomachy, or a high fantasy retelling of the Titanomachy. However, even though I wasn't a fan of the mixing, it did kind of get to me and the plot of this story, maybe because of the weird mixing or maybe in spite of that, was super addicting, I read nearly all of the book in one sitting, which I hadn't planned on doing, because I needed to know what happened next. This isn't a by the books retelling on any level and so getting to a much broader and interesting take on a classic myth was exciting.

Predictability: As I said this is by no means a by the numbers retelling. While I thought many times I would know where this story was going to go, with how this story is set up there were quite a few twists that I didn't see coming, mostly because I was clinging to what I know about Greek Mythology and didn't leave room in my brain to cover more creative ways this story could go. There was a fair bit of foreshadowing on a few things though and so while there was a great deal I couldn't predict, there were also some things that we very easy to predict.

Ending: Another concern I have with this story was how rushed the ending was. I mean, this is a standalone, but there were ways I could have easily seen it become a series or even just a duology. While the real final climax of this story was great and had a lot of great action and tension, I didn't think it was the actual final climax until what I thought would be the final battle was kind of just swept away at the end.

Rating:

This was probably the review I've debated about the most. I mean, I stand by my rating, but there's a lot to this book that bothered me, but at the end of the day despite all that I really did enjoy this story and I actually loved the changes from the myths.

About the Author:

Chris Ledbetter grew up in Durham, NC before moving to Charlottesville, VA in 11th grade. After high school, he attended Hampton University where he promptly “walked-on” to the best drum line in the conference without any prior percussion experience. He carried the bass drum for four years, something his back is not very happy about now.

After a change of heart and major, he enrolled in Old Dominion University and

earned his degree in Business Administration. He’s worked in various managerial and marketing capacities throughout his life. He taught high school for six years in Culpeper, VA, and also coached football.

He has walked the streets of Los Angeles and New York City, waded in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and climbed Diamond Head crater on Hawaii and rang in the New Year in Tokyo, Japan. But he dreams of one day visiting Greece and Italy.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | YouTube |  Goodreads

Giveaway!

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a 1-month subscription to Owl Crate, US Only.

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Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare (WOW #19)

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that everyone’s excited about!

Sunny Los Angeles can be a dark place indeed in Cassandra Clare’s Lord of Shadows, the sequel to the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Lady Midnight.

Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she’d be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai Julian and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?

And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late.

Lord of Shadows releases on May 23, 2017 from Margaret K. McElderry Books

Look at that cover! Seriously, it's kind of tripping me out here. I loved Lady Midnight so much, much more than I actually thought I would and I cannot wait to dive back into this fantastic series and see where our heroes will go next and what dangers they may face. On a less vague note, I'm particularly interested in the romantic entanglements that seem to center around Mark Blackthorn, he's fake dating Emma, but he had a thing with Cristina, and while he was trapped in Faerie had some sort of romantic relationship with the dark faerie prince Kieran. Plus, I'm interested to see how the reawakening of Lady Midnight will factor into the overall storyline since it's not mentioned here.

So, what are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Book Review: The Screaming Statue (The Curiosity House #2)

Release Date: May 3, 2016
Authors: Lauren Oliver & H.C. Chester
Publisher: HarperCollins
Length: 368 pages
Source: eARC from Edelweiss

In this second book in the exceptional Curiosity House series by bestselling author Lauren Oliver and shadowy recluse H. C. Chester, four extraordinary children must avenge their friend’s death, try to save their home, and unravel the secrets of their past . . . before their past unravels them.

Pippa, Sam, Thomas, and Max are happy to be out of harm’s way now that the notorious villain Nicholas Rattigan is halfway across the country in Chicago. But unfortunately their home, Dumfreys’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders, is in danger of closing its doors forever.

But their troubles only get worse. The four friends are shocked when their beloved friend, famous sculptor Siegfried Eckleberger, is murdered. As they investigate, they find clues that his death may be tied to the murder of a rich and powerful New York heiress, as well as to their own pasts.

This is the second book in the series and so boasts many wondrous and mysterious things inside, such as:

· Howie, the “Human Owl,” whose head turns just about all the way around
· A mean but important house cat
· Some perfectly ghastly wax sculptures
· A very thin boy named Chubby
· An awful mechanical leg

It continues not to have:

· A cautionary tale about running with scissors
· A list of time-consuming chores
· Nutritious and decidedly not delicious vegetables
· A perfectly sweet bedtime story about a wayward bunny
· Two wet kisses on the cheek from your aunt Mildred

Learn more about the series online at www.thecuriosityhouse.com.

    

Review:

Protagonists: After discovering their troubling roots Pippa, Max, Sam, and Thomas just want things to go back to normal at Dumfrey's Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders, but tickets aren't selling well and their only hope seems to be a new exhibit featuring the murder of a prominent New York socialite who seems by all accounts to have been killed by her husband in a jealous rage. However, before they know it their dear friend, Siegfried Eckleberger, is murdered and it seems to be connected in some way to their new exhibit. As they look deeper into this mystery everything is not quite what it appears. I have to say I really love these characters. It's very easy to get a grasp on these characters and see where they're going. Pippa's gifts are growing and yet it happens very gradually, there's no great surge of sudden power, but fleeting feelings and moments. Max becomes a bit distracted by a new member of the Dumfrey's Dime Museum family who isn't all well liked by the others. Sam, still unable to fully control his strength is full of angst, just wanting to be like everyone else, to have a pet or even open a door without risking pulling it off its hinges. Then there's Thomas, as curious as ever and in many ways the tie that binds this group. I loved seeing these characters grow and face challenges that while a bit different can still resonate with the reader.

Romance: As with the first book in this series, there isn't a lot of romance, in fact, I'm skeptical to even call some of the stuff in this book romance. That being said, though, there are some romantic feelings floating around this cast of characters. It's all very innocent stuff that wouldn't make me hesitant to use the word "crush." There's a bit of a Middle-Grade love triangle in this book as well, but it's done in such a way that makes it obvious where things may eventually go. I really enjoyed the small spatterings of romance through this story. It never detracts from the story and as I said before it's all very innocent blushes of new feelings for the kids involved and so I'm not sure where it'll go or if it will even come to anything before the series comes to a close, but either way it's so far been spectacularly done.

World Building: So I looked back at my review for the first installment in this series and I have no idea what I was thinking. In that review I said there wasn't a lot of world building, however, there's a whole lot of it in both that book and this one. I think where my mind was, was that the author wrote a fantastic 1950's-ish setting but there wasn't a lot of this unique part of this world expanded upon. The origin story of the children is a bit muddy (from what I can remember) and while the makeshift family in the Curiosity House is fantastic, it comes off a bit underwhelming. In this book a lot of those problems are still there, although the world is expanded upon, it feels very isolated to this one installment. It's been a while since I read the previous installment, so maybe there's some mention of the events and people that seem to be introduced in this installment, and if they are I take back what I am going to say, but there's a lot introduced in this book that feels like it deserves some sort of, at the very least casual, mention in the previous installment, otherwise the two stories have a weird unseen division between them. I found the further world building a bit underwhelming for the second book in a trilogy. I was expecting big surprises and twisted revelations but while there were some great twists, which I'll get to in a moment, there wasn't a whole lot of meat to this story. Don't get me wrong it's extremely entertaining, but it just feels lacking as a prominent fixture in this trilogy.

Predictability: As I said above this book does a good job to throw twists in the way of the story. There are a lot of moving parts to this story and because of that, there's a lot of possibilities for where the story can go and what the possible twists could be. That being said there's one twist that while incredibly well concealed, was a tad underwhelming. I was hoping for something more elaborate and again, while the author did do a great job at covering her tracks so the surprise would be a good one, I just wish there was something a bit more complex going on. I know this is a middle-grade book, but even so, there could have been some other facet of the story, some greater plan that could have still been accessible to a younger reading group.

Ending: As seems to be the theme of this story there's a lot to the ending that feels underwhelming, that being said though as the story comes to a close there are some fantastic little surprises that genuinely caught me off guard and helped round out this book just a tad more. The final climax of the story was very well done and had a very cinematic feel to that defining climactic moment, and the cooldown period is where things start to come together again. With a lot of the moving parts to this story out of play, things become clearer and some really interesting red herrings come to light. I did truly like how this story ended in a way that settles things down for a while and there isn't some over the top crazy cliffhanger to make readers go crazy for nearly a year.

Rating:

I did really enjoy this story, it's a wonderfully written and nicely paced mystery, I just wish it wowed me more and felt a bit more cohesive. It's still a great addition to this trilogy and I'm excited to see where the story will go in the grand finale.

Book Review: Crewel (Crewel World #1)

Release Date: October 16, 2012
Author: Gennifer Albin
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Length: 367 pages
Source: NetGalley Review Copy

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.
That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her dad’s jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because tonight, they’ll come for her.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Adelice has spent nearly her entire life trying to pretend that she doesn't see the weave holding Arras together. Her parents made her practice to be bumbling and awkward so that no one would get suspicious and then when it was finally time to be tested she slips, and now she'll be taken away to train as a Spinster one of the women that hold Arras together and make it run smoothly. Overall I really enjoyed Adelice, she takes responsibility for what she does and her growth over the book is remarkably well done. This is a very tough independent main character who will make mistakes but will always have the best interests of everyone at heart.

Romance: If I had to say there was one downfall to this book it would be the romance. Seriously it was all over the place and there were too many stacking tropes, like the forbidden romance trope, since as a Spinster Adelice cannot have romantic relationships, the love triangle (maybe square) trope, the "one guy that likes me is probably evil trope," and there's a couple more that I won't get into because of spoilers, but it wasn't that there wasn't great romance writing in here it's just that with so many things all over the place, it was too complicated to really invest in.

World Building: I do have to say that this has one of the most interesting dystopian world buildings I've ever read. In this world, everything is held together by a tapestry or weave that is spun by women with a talent for seeing and working the weave. When I first got into this book it reminded me so wonderfully of the Fates in Greek mythology who spin, weave and cut your thread of life, only on a grander scale. In addition to this possible inspiration, there's a wonderfully corrupt government hell bent on controlling and manipulating everything in Arras. As Adelice delves deeper into the lives of Spinsters and the government of Arras the more we learn about what's really going on, and it's good too!

Predictability: I have been trying to write this section for a while now, and cannot think of how to properly articulate my feelings for this specific aspect of this book. While this story does have parts that aren't the most shocking this story does have some of the best twists I've read, or at least in terms of their shock value. While some twists were as enjoyable as they were shocking there were some twists that while they did surprise me I kind of wish the big revelation wasn't true, more for what it would mean to the story than whether or not it helped our main heroine.

Ending: Talk about your big endings. I thought for sure, especially with the title of the next book, that I thought I knew how this book was going to end. I mean everything leading up to it practically screamed where it was going, but then, at the height of the final climax something changed, the entire story changed and instead of going to the predictable place I thought, it goes somewhere even bolder and more unpredictable. I have to say, while I may not get to book two soon, it's not because this book didn't leave me wanting so much more!

Rating:

So I really enjoyed this story, it was exciting, compelling, and other than a romance that I couldn't really find a way to throw myself into, I kept wanting to come back for more. P.S. Please forgive the subpar review, it's my first one in two weeks and I may even be a bit sleep deprived right now.

Novella Review: Before the Snow (Stealing Snow #0.1)

Release Date: July 26, 2016
Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's
Length: 81 pages
Source: Library eBook

Enter a world of elemental magic, forbidden romance, and betrayal in this prequel to New York Times bestselling author Danielle Paige's upcoming Stealing Snow.

Young Nepenthe is half-princess, half-mermaid. Though she longs for the sea, her father wants her to stay on land. But only love can make a mermaid give up the water, and Nepenthe doesn't love anyone the way her mother loves her human father. She wants to live as a mermaid and become the River Witch, like her mother.

Then Nepenthe meets Prince Lazar, the son of the all-powerful Snow King of Algid, and she can't help but fall for him. After a horrible tragedy strikes, Nepenthe joins forces with a young fire witch named Ora to save Lazar and protect the kingdom. But it soon becomes clear that Ora loves Lazar just as much as Nepenthe does... And now Nepenthe must decide: inherit the power of the River Witch, or betray her friend to be with the boy she loves.

And Nepenthe's role in the prophecy is only just beginning. . . In the future, she is destined to cross paths with a girl named Snow, who will have the power to change Algid forever - for better, or for worse.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Nepenthe has lived her whole life with a choice hanging over her head. Born of two different worlds Nepenthe can choose to either succeed her father as the ruler of her kingdom on land or live in the water and succeed her mother as The River Witch. Nepenthe lived on the line between land and river, but after tragedy strikes her choice seems to be made for her. That is until years later she meets Prince Lazar and develops feeling for him, feelings that her best friend Ora seems to share. Now her choices are confused and she's not sure where she'll belong. I really liked Nepenthe, she's not a character who has everything worked out, and she feels such strong pulls toward land and water, and yet doesn't know quite what to do. Even though her life spirals into a bit of a mess, she's still a strong character who won't compromise her morals to get what she wants.

Romance: To say this romance is complicated is a bit of an understatement. Since this is such a short story, at least compared to most novels, there isn't all that much time to properly develop a one on one romance, let alone a love triangle, but I have to say that Paige does a pretty good job. This is mostly due to the fact that Paige doesn't pretend that any of these feelings are pure, there's always something underneath that almost corrupts these romances, something that either one or the other values above the love they claim to have. It's really interesting to read it because even though things are going fast, it still, in some small way, makes sense.

World Building: This story takes place before the official first installment in this series. In it, we're introduced to a few really interesting plot points. First is a prophecy that I'm sure we'll see a lot more of in the main series, but it does give a taste of what's to come. Also, we're introduced to a character who will, supposedly, have a role to play in the main series and will come into contact and (maybe) give some guidance to our main heroine. I have to say it was interesting getting to know this world. I was pleased to see that The Snow Queen isn't the only fairy tale that exists and is referenced in this world. Nepenthe's mother is none other than "The Little Mermaid" who apparently got a much happier ending than the one in the original Hans Christian Anderson version. I loved the magic system and the role that magic plays, not only in this story but in this fantasy world at large.

Predictability: I have to say that this story isn't really predictable. I was expecting something that fit in much more with the fairy tale retellings and other YA stories that are out there today, and while I'm sure there are quite a few that would have similar parallels to this story, it's not something that's the norm. Since I didn't quite know where the story was going, there were a variety of different twists ranging from the surprising to the utterly shocking. I'm trying to figure out if there was anything that I was correctly able to guess ahead of time, but in all honesty there probably wasn't.

Ending: I love how self-aware this story is. The author writes it in such a way that it's no secret that this isn't your classic fairy tale and the ending shows that as well. There are steep prices these characters have to pay for the choices they make as this story comes to a close and sets in motion an ancient prophecy. The final climax of this story isn't so much an epic battle as it is something where we get answers to some burning questions. Then the story flows into an ending. there isn't really a cliffhanger and yet things aren't really tied up since this story is just a precursor to the main series.

Rating:

If you've been reading my reviews for a while now and couldn't tell, I'm a huge fan of fairy tale retellings and if the main novel is half as good as this novella seems to indicate it is I'm sure I'll love this fresh take on The Snow Queen.