Novella Review: Sightwitch (The Witchlands #0.5)

Release Date: February 13, 2018
Author: Susan Dennard
Publisher: Tor Teen
Length: 224 pages
Source: Purchased Book/Library Audiobook

From New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard, Sightwitch is an illustrated novella set in the Witchlands and told through Ryber’s journal entries and sketches.

Before Safi and Iseult battled a Bloodwitch...

Before Merik returned from the dead…

Ryber Fortiza was a Sightwitch Sister at a secluded convent, waiting to be called by her goddess into the depths of the mountain. There she would receive the gift of foretelling. But when that call never comes, Ryber finds herself the only Sister without the Sight.

Years pass and Ryber’s misfit pain becomes a dull ache, until one day, Sisters who already possess the Sight are summoned into the mountain, never to return. Soon enough, Ryber is the only Sister left. Now, it is up to her to save her Sisters, though she does not have the Sight—and though she does not know what might await her inside the mountain.

On her journey underground, she encounters a young captain named Kullen Ikray, who has no memory of who he is or how he got there. Together, the two journey ever deeper in search of answers, their road filled with horrors, and what they find at the end of that road will alter the fate of the Witchlands forever.

Set a year before Truthwitch, Sightwitch is a companion novella that also serves as a set up to Bloodwitch, as well as an expansion of the Witchlands world.

    

Reviewer's Note: While this story is listed here and on Goodreads as "The Witchlands #0.5" I would heavily suggest reading this story after Windwitch. While I do feel you could read this story before Truthwitch, I believe it would be most effective as bridge book between Windwitch and Bloodwitch. You'll get more understanding of the characters and their predicament if you know about them from Truthwitch and Windwitch, and this story can be fully appreciated with that context. Also, I do feel this story is necessary to the overall series and should be read before Bloodwitch regardless of the reading order.

Review:

Protagonists: This story focuses on the journey Ryber takes before we see her in Truthwitch, in this story she's a Sightwitch sister who has yet to be chosen by her goddess, Sirmaya, to receive the powers of a Sightwitch. When something ominous starts to happen in the hidden Sightwitch Convent, Ryber has to venture into the Sightwitch Sisters' sacred mountain to save her sisters without the power of Sight. I loved getting to learn more about Ryber and her own personal goals for this story. She has an important role to play and I can't wait to see it come to fruition. However, Ryber's story is only half of this tale. The other half comes from the journal of Eridyci, another Sightwitch sister who lived long before Ryber, in the age of the Twelve Paladins and her story sheds much light on the past and how it may come into play in the present.

Romance: This story is also to the beginning of Ryber's relationship with her future Heartthread, Kullen. Much like other installments in this series, the romance is light. Burning brightly, but ever under the surface and never directly discussed amongst the characters. Still, the connection between Ryber and Kullen, as well as their chemistry and dynamic, is incredible. I loved getting to see them get to know each other and learn to work together to solve their problems. Unfortunately, their journey together is only part of an already short tale in this series, so we don't get a lot of quantity to their interactions, but the quality of their interaction more than makes up for everything.

World-Building: THIS! This is the book I've been waiting for, and it's only a novella. So, when I first read Truthwitch, shortly before the release of Windwitch, I loved the story, but I felt there was so much to the world building lurking beneath the surface and rarely expanded upon. Things like Eridyci and the Twelve Paladins, which are brought up in the main series but never really expanded upon, get shown off here in an incredible way. I loved learning more about the history of this world before witchery was more common. I feel like I came out of this story with such a deeper understanding of where the story is going and what's on the horizon, which is why I feel it's necessary to read before Bloodwitch.

Predictability: Other than things that are revealed in the previous installments, which aren't really presented as twists, there's almost nothing in this story that I predicted. There were a couple of things that I should have gotten before they were revealed, I just wasn't paying attention to the foreshadowing, but even then there are so many more twists that I wasn't able to predict which just made this story such a fun and exciting journey.

Ending: So, the ending, not the climax, is sort of predictable, as I know where Ryber and Kullen end up since I've read Truthwitch, but the final climax and the reasons why Ryber is on this journey were not nearly as predictable. The final climax is amazing and I loved how it was used and what it played into what we already knew from previous books, and what the things revealed toward the end of the story reveal for the story going forward.

Rating:

This is a fantastic end to an amazing story in this world and I really hope we get more novellas like this that really delve deep into the world building and provide a great opportunity to get to know a character who hasn't been quite as important to the main plot yet.

Book Review: Windwitch (The Witchlands #2)

Release Date: January 10, 2017
Author: Susan Dennard
Publisher: Tor Teen
Length: 384 pages
Source: Purchased Book/Audio Book

Sometimes our enemies are also our only allies…

After an explosion destroys his ship, the world believes Prince Merik, Windwitch, is dead. Scarred yet alive, Merik is determined to prove his sister’s treachery. Upon reaching the royal capital, crowded with refugees, he haunts the streets, fighting for the weak—which leads to whispers of a disfigured demigod, the Fury, who brings justice to the oppressed.

When the Bloodwitch Aeduan discovers a bounty on Iseult, he makes sure to be the first to find her—yet in a surprise twist, Iseult offers him a deal. She will return money stolen from him, if he locates Safi. Now they must work together to cross the Witchlands, while constantly wondering, who will betray whom first?

After a surprise attack and shipwreck, Safi and the Empress of Marstok barely escape with their lives. Alone in a land of pirates, every moment balances on a knife’s edge—especially when the pirates’ next move could unleash war upon the Witchlands.

    

Review:

Protagonists: One of the first things I noticed in this story is how quickly the action starts. When it comes to Merik specifically, almost nothing in the previous installment built up to the start of his journey in this story. Safi's shift in the story felt less jarring and transitioned from where we left her, at the end of Truthwitch, a lot easier. Then there's Iseult, who's team up with the Bloodwitch Aeduan, also feels very natural. The thing I loved best about this story, though, wasn't the main characters that we knew from the first book; Merik, Safi, and Iseult, though they were fantastic as well, I loved getting to know some lesser seen characters better, Vivia and Aeduan, who are very complex characters and learning more bits and pieces about who they are and where their loyalties lie was such a fantastic experience.

Romance: Something I heard about this series recently was someone commenting on its "steamy romance," now don't get me wrong, I love the romance in this series, but I'd hardly call it "steamy." "Steamy" would be a word I'd use to describe books with a lot of physical and emotional romance, whereas this series seems to favor the emotional aspect of romance. There's a lot of romantic tension between characters, but nothing is super concrete. The only romance that has even a little bit of confirmation is the relationship between Safi and Merik, but the thing is, there's very little interaction between our three main protagonists, so there isn't really any more development between their romance in this book. Instead, this book seems to focus on the slowly growing connection between Iseult and Aeduan, while nothing is made concrete, I loved seeing the tension and relationship between these characters grow as the story went on. There are also a couple other small romances in this story, but again, there's only one relationship where I feel the feelings, at least on the part of one of the characters, feel confirmed.

World-Building: While the first installment in this series introduced us to the Witchlands, this installment does a fantastic job of building on what we know and showing us more of this world and the newly restarted war due to the broken Twenty-Year truce. With Merik and Vivia's aspect of the storyline, we get to see more of Nubrevna, specifically its capital and learn more about its history and the plights and hunger its people are going through. With Safi and Vaness, their trip back to Marstok gets interrupted and they have to finish their travels on foot, leading them through the Contested Lands, which are full of pirates and we get to see even more of the world and learn about Marstok and its empress before we actually arrive, plus their journey back to Marstok is far from easy. Aeduan and Iseult are hot on Safi's trail, also venturing through the Contested Lands, though their adventure seems more character driven as opposed to showing us new places, though there's definitely some great world-building in their part of the story as well.

Predictability: Honestly, there's not a whole lot in this story that's predictable. I mean, there's a fair bit of foreshadowing here and there, but I feel like most of the hints will start to feel more obvious a second time through. There are some great twists to this story and some of them really develop over time, as opposed to happening at once which really excited me. One twist, in particular, sent me spinning and I can't wait to see how that will affect future books.

Ending: There are some phenomenal climactic moments at the end of this story. I can't really say there's one final climax like Truthwitch has since we have characters sort of all over the map, their stories sort of have their own endings and their own climactic moments which were all extremely exciting and heart pounding. After the climactic moments were over though, there's quite a bit that sets up the next installment and gives a hint as to where the story will be going from here.

Rating:

I LOVE this story, while it's light on the overall story, the magical aspect to this adventure that seems tied in the past, we do learn a lot more about the world and these characters and while I've seen some people not like the fact that our main characters don't interact with each other in this installment, the new bonds they make, or the bonds they reform, were just as exciting to see!

Novella Review: The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air #1.5)

Release Date: October 2, 2018
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Length: 50 pages
Source: Purchased eBook/Audiobook

Sometimes the difference between a love story and a horror story is where the ending comes...

While Jude fought for power in the Court of Elfhame against the cruel Prince Cardan, her sister Taryn began to fall in love with the trickster, Locke.

Half-apology and half-explanation, it turns out that Taryn has some secrets of her own to reveal.

The Lost Sisters is a companion e-novella to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince, by master writer Holly Black.

    

Review:

Protagonist: So, I'm not the biggest fan of Taryn, but I was interested to hear her side of the story, at least as much as she gives, and after reading this novella I do feel I have a greater understanding of her character and why she made the choices that she did. This story is greatly focused on the origin of Taryn's relationship with Locke and how thing went so terribly wrong for Jude. One of the things I took away from this story is how much Taryn and Jude are alike, they both want to find their place in Elfhame and even though they make different choices, they both make difficult and sometimes regrettable choices to solidify their place in Court.

Romance: Taryn's romance with Locke wasn't nearly as romantic as Jude's sham romance with him in The Cruel Prince. Locke's courtship of Taryn felt a lot more forward than how he woos Jude, and while I understand why Taryn falls for him or even believes she falls for him, this story makes Locke look even worse than he was in TCP. Locke and Taryn both like stories, and Taryn very much wants to believe herself in a story or to be a part of someone else's story. Even though I don't "ship" these two together, as I feel even Taryn deserves someone better than Locke, I appreciated the chance to have a deeper understanding of their relationship.

World Building: This novella tells key events from The Cruel Prince from Taryn's perspective, as well as new scenes showing what Taryn was up to while Jude was swept away in her portion of the story. First off, I really love how this novella is told, from Taryn's perspective as an apology and explanation to Jude, who is referred to as "you" throughout the story. I actually enjoyed getting new scenes in this world and learning a tad more about it. Now, there's not too much world-building, but I will say that if you're thinking that this is going to be some story that redeems Taryn and/or Locke or make you sympathize with one or both of them, that isn't necessarily true. I understand why Taryn does what she but that doesn't mean that I like her as a character now, and honestly, I still don't fully understand why it is that Locke does what he does, and I actually came out of this hating Locke more than I did in TCP.

Predictability: There's not too much I can say here as this is a short novella and there are a great many things about this story you would already know from reading TCP. However, I will say there are a few small twists in this story and things didn't go the way I had expected them to even if the destination is more or less the same.

Ending: If I had one negative when it came to this story it's that it didn't go on long enough. This story ends before Dain's botched coronation and while I completely understand why it ends where it does, as Taryn does fully explain why she did what she did, I still found myself wanting more. There's a scene at the end of The Cruel Prince, where Taryn finds herself holding the crown of Elfhame and I really wanted to know her thoughts there, or her thoughts when Jude walked in with Cardan, and even her point of view during and after her duel with Jude. Still, I did appreciate that the author stuck to telling this story as an explanation and not just "Taryn's view of events" as it gives the story more meaning and tells the story it was meant to.

Rating:

While yes, I would have liked to see certain scenes from Taryn's perspective that we didn't get to see, I enjoyed this story immensely. I don't sympathize with Taryn, but I understand why she made the choices she made and I loved learning what she was willing to do to secure her place in Faerie.

Book Review: Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #1)

Release Date: December 4, 2018
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Length: 912 pages
Source: Purchased Book/eBook

Dark secrets and forbidden love threaten the very survival of the Shadowhunters in Cassandra Clare’s Queen of Air and Darkness, the final novel in the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling The Dark Artifices trilogy.

What if damnation is the price of true love?

Innocent blood has been spilled on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war. One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the blight that is destroying the race of warlocks.

Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a perilous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined. Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.

    

Review:

Characters: This story begins right after the end of Lord of Shadows, meaning most of our protagonists are in mourning after the tragic murders of Robert Lightwood and Livia Blackthorn. Much of this story deals with loss and how our protagonists cope with their grief. In fact, a lot of the choices that these characters make going forward has the tragedy of Livvy's death in mind, whether consciously or not. Losing someone like that, and the fear of losing someone else can make people do crazy things. I loved seeing how all our protagonists faced their struggles, even if I didn't agree with how they chose to handle their grief, and the journey that they all take, whether alone or together, in this story is fantastic. Since this is an insanely long book, there's so much that these characters go through, so many trials and tribulations, yet every choice they make, every step they take, feels organic and authentic to who they are as characters and even when I don't agree with their choices, if they were to make "the right" choice, it wouldn't feel as realistic as them making "the wrong" choice.

Romances: This series focuses on two main romances, that of Julian and Emma, the parabatai that were never meant to fall in love, and Kieran/Cristina/Mark the "love triangle" of this series. When I first started this series I wasn't expecting to get as swept away by the romances in this series as I did, and this installment brings everything to an amazing head and the complications of these romances aren't small little things that are easily dealt with, there are real stakes in this story that extend to the romance as well, partially because in Emma and Julian's case their romance is one of the main plot points of this entire series. I love how everything comes together and even the smaller romances in this series, the ones featured in the past, or will be featured more heavily in the future, despite the heartaches, there's always hope, and that's always something I've loved about Cassie's works, there's always hope.

World-Building: Ohmigosh! Seriously this installment cranks everything up to 11 and doesn't exactly stop. This is a story where things are going to get worse before they get better, which is mainly why it took me so dang long to finish this story. In addition to all the assholery (yes, that's a word) that goes on from the members of the Cohort, there are quite a few scenes that brought back memories from the other final installments in The Shadowhunter Chronicles so far. I can't talk really talk about them in anything other than very vague terms as they're huge spoilers, but even though I wasn't a huge fan of one of the aspects to the story at first, as I felt it was TOO reminiscent of a previous finale, by the time that aspect was finished, it felt so immensely important that I didn't mind it anymore and in fact I'm hoping to see more in the future. This is also an installment where big changes come, and the Shadow World may never be the same after this installment.

Predictability: Holy Crap. I'll admit it's been a couple of weeks since I finished this book, but looking back I can't pick out a single moment that I saw coming in advance. On the contrary, there were so many moments that completely blew me away and the twists and turns this story takes will keep you gasping until the very end of the book.

Ending: What a phenomenal final climax. I mean, I wasn't expecting such a phenomenal action sequence full of heartache, heartbreak, and just heart. So much goes down in the final climax of the story, but that's not the end. Even though there are a few moments of high tension after the final climax, including something that left me stunned speechless, I think it's more than safe to refer to the "final battle" of this book as the final climax. After all, is said and done and all the crazy insane stuff goes down, there are a couple of chapters that show the characters that are left and what they're up to and there's one scene that had me bawling like a baby and I'm not even ashamed.

Rating:

It's no surprise to me that I love this final conclusion to The Dark Artifices. This series is so tense and exciting and overall amazing. There's so much more I could say about this story and how much I love it, but I feel if I go on too much longer I won't be able to censor myself from spoilers.

Book Review: The Slippery Slope (A Series of Unfortunate Events #10)

Release Date: September 23, 2003
Author: Lemony Snicket
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Length: 337 pages
Source: Purchased Book

Dear Reader,

Like handshakes, house pets, or raw carrots, many things are preferable when not slippery. Unfortunately, in this miserable volume, I am afraid that Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire run into more than their fair share of slipperiness during their harrowing journey up--and down--a range of strange and distressing mountains.

In order to spare you any further repulsion, it would be best not to mention any of the unpleasant details of this story, particularly a secret message, a toboggan, a deceitful map, a swarm of snow gnats, a scheming villain, a troupe of organized youngsters, a covered casserole dish, and a surprising survivor of a terrible fire.

Unfortunately, I have dedicated my life to researching and recording the sad tale of the Baudelaire orphans. There is no reason for you to dedicate your-self to such things, and you might instead dedicate yourself to letting this slippery book slip from your hands into a nearby trash receptacle, or deep pit.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

    

Review:

Protagonists: As the last installment left off, 2/3rds of our heroes headed toward certain doom, I will ease your suffering now and tell you that they survive the start of this most unfortunate journey. However, this tale of the Mortmain Mountains and what the Baudelaire's discovered there, like so many installments before, isn't a happy tale. In this installment, our heroes are still struggling between right and wrong, or more accurately, between selfish deeds and selfless ones.  As with other installments this late into the series that attempt to provide some actual character development into the story, I have to say that I appreciate the attempt, but the struggle feels hollow when it's not fleshed out more and explored. It ends up feeling more like a large game of chicken rather than a struggle with a hard choice. I will admit that it was nice seeing them interact with someone around their own age as they haven't really had a chance to do that since the Quagmire triplets had to escape.

World Building: Taking place in a dark and dangerous mountain range and probably one of the most secluded locations the Baudelaire's have visited,  this installment starts to flesh out the world a lot more. While many questions still remain, this installment begins answering questions on the mind of readers since Duncan and Isadora were kidnapped by Count Olaf shouting three letters at the Baudelaires. This is actually sort of the beginning of the end, as this is the start of as much clarification on this world, and these mysteries that have been brewing for many books, that we will get in this series. I will bring up again though, that I wish there was more depth to the world that we get. I know this series is supposed to be absurdist and out there and a more concrete world could conflict with that style, yet the Netflix series adds depth to the stories while still keeping the absurdist and dark comedy that made this series so popular in the first place. Granted I shouldn't be comparing the two since this came out first and because so it has not exactly aged very well.

Predictability: I actually forgot a good deal about this installment. However, that didn't stop me from knowing most of the important information and twists that this story held, mainly because there aren't many. Due to the nature of these stories, it's not hard to predict what turmoil the story will take next and what small reprieves the children may be given. There is a pretty big twist in this tale for those who haven't read this book before and it's a really great twist too, but it's probably the only surprising thing in the entire story.

Ending: So, honestly, while there are a few insane things that happen at the end of this story, there's nothing to make the twists feel like they count. I guess when you have a series of unfortunate events, another unfortunate event, no matter how unpredictable, though this one is pretty predictable, doesn't hold as much weight when stacked up against other unfortunate events. The final climax was pretty good, and there are a few changes to the typical formula of this series, but at the end of the day, while the ending is pretty exciting, compared to the other ending in this series so far, it feels a tad underwhelming.

Rating:

So, while this is the beginning of the end, and answers are coming, at least a few answers are coming, and things are getting more intense, but still as with the other installments in this series it feels that the depth of the story is sacrificed for the absurdist comedy and "brand" of this series.

Blog Tour Spotlight: Willow Bloom and the Dream Keepers by E.V. Farrell

Release Date: October 9, 2018
Author: E.V. Farrell
Publisher: Hookline Books
Length: 334 pages

Willow Bloom’s biggest challenge is to organise her thirteenth birthday party. However, a walk in the woods near her home provides some big surprises – a mystical guardian from another world, a magical forest, and the discovery that her parents are part of a secret order that protects dreams. With the discovery comes a calling. A prophecy tells of a young one who can push back the dark forces that threaten to corrupt our hopes and dreams. Is Willow that young one? Can she take on the forces of evil, the Underlord Maliceius, and win?

About the Author:

Elizabeth Farrell was born and raised in rural Victoria, Australia. She worked for the Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne before moving to London to work for the Mail on Sunday newspaper there. After spending all of the 90's living and working in the UK, she returned home. Elizabeth currently resides in rural Gippsland, Victoria where she lives with her husband and two sons.

Fields of interest:  Philosophy, Spirituality, Archaeology, Environmental Sustainability, Health and Nutrition, Yoga, Swimming, Cooking.

The inspiration behind the book: I wanted to write a book that inspired and empowered our next generation of people. With so many dystopian views and stories out there, I felt it was important to portray a more hopeful future.

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Giveaway!

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive eBook copies of WILLOW BLOOM AND THE DREAM KEEPERS, International.

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Book Review: Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales #1)

Release Date: October 1, 2002
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Length: 310 pages
Source: Purchased Book

Welcome to the realm of very scary faeries!

Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces the sixteen-year-old back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms -- a struggle that could very well mean her death.

Newcomer Holly Black's enormously powerful voice weaves teen angst, riveting romance, and capriciously diabolical faerie folk into an enthralling, engaging, altogether original reading experience.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Kaye has lived most of her life moving from place to place with her less than stable mother. When she and her mother have to move back in with Kaye's grandmother, Kaye finds herself sucked (not literally) into the land of Faeries, when she saves a Faerie Knight one night. Soon she's in too deep, discovering secrets about herself that not even the rest of her family knows and putting her life on the line in a struggle between the Seelie and Unseelie fae. One of the things I love most about Kaye is that she's not your typical YA heroine. She smokes, she shoplifts, and she'll do something wrong even if she knows it's wrong. Granted, I don't want to "become" Kaye, but the flaws and complexities to her character really make her stand out, while not making her so unlikable that I don't want to root for her. In fact despite her flaws I wanted her to succeed every step of the way in this book, and regardless of where she ends up, she does not succeed at every step along the way.

Romance: Another thing that was pleasantly surprising to me is the romance in this story. It's not all consuming like the YA books published around this time always seemed to be. Instead it burns at a constant, but slow, rate that I ended up really enjoying. While Roiben isn't the perfect love interest, he comes pretty darn close and the chemistry that he and Kaye have is undeniable. These two characters start off fairly counterpointed as Roiben is much more formal and polite while Kaye... isn't. She's got a sharp tongue and she doesn't care who she stabs with it, while Roiben uses words like a fencer uses a saber, graceful and elegant. It wasn't hard to start rooting for them even before they actually started to truly tolerate each other.

World Building: FAERIES!!!! So, while I haven't been reading a lot of Faerie stories lately, I loved falling back into a world governed by dark tricksters and mischievous gremlins. While this story does begin in the modern world, and by all appearances, "our" world, it doesn't take too long for the magical mayhem to begin. This version of Faerie, as there are so many different kinds, i divided into the Seelie, Unseelie, and Solitary Fae. Considering this series is canonically part of the "Folk of the Air" trilogy, the first book of which is The Cruel Prince, I'll have to reread that book to remember how all the different parts of faerie connect. Anyway, the world Holly Black creates in this book is breathtaking, I mean, I couldn't stop wanting to see more and more of what this world held. This world is as wondrous as faerie fruit, sweet and addictive, but have too much and you may go mad!

Predictability: I was completely blown away at how unpredictable this story is. I mean, considering this book isn't exactly a spring chicken in the YA world, the fact that its story doesn't feel full of stale and thrown out tropes years later, and can still knock me off my feet at some of the twists and turns this story holds, is magnificent. Looking back I'm trying to see if there was any time when I knew for sure what would happen, and maybe it's because I haven't read very much in a while, but nothing felt obvious about this book, even when I tried to predict something, nothing felt certain.

Ending: This story has a more wrapped up ending that I expected for a trilogy. Though, that's because the next book in this series is a companion, while the "technical" sequel to this book is actually book 3. On the whole though, you could read this story as a standalone, there's enough closure to the story that I don't need to come back, though I will because I love this book and why not, but everything wraps up well for now, and I could see how waiting a while between installments could have really hurt if there wasn't as much closure as there is in this story. As for the final climax, well I'll just say that things didn't unfold how I expected them to. This isn't your typical YA final climax and the diversity in storytelling with it was a treat to behold.

Rating:

Yeah, it's hard to deny that I love this book! It holds up incredibly well after sixteen years and I practically devoured every word of this brilliantly crafted tale. Honestly, I thought Holly Black grew into her writing over time, but no, she's always been this good!

Blog Tour Spotlight: OtherEarth (Last Reality #2) + GIVEAWAY!

Release Date: October 30, 2018
Authors: Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Length: 320 pages

Return to the series BuzzFeed compared to Ready Player One in the second book in a new fast-paced trilogy from New York Times bestselling authors Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller that's perfect for fans of HBO's Westworld.

Simon would have done anything to save his best friend after a mysterious accident almost killed her--including follow her into a virtual world. And what he and Kat discovered there was more terrifying than they could have ever imagined. Unwitting hospital patients are being forced to test a device that lets VR be experienced with all five senses. The technology is so advanced that it's deadly.

Now the world's biggest tech corporation is hunting Simon and Kat while war rages in Otherworld, the virtual world it created. Determined to destroy the Company, Simon and Kat must join forces with a hacker, a gangster, and a digital entity. But as they battle to save two worlds, they uncover an all-new threat to our world: the Company's latest creation, an augmented-reality game called OtherEarth. Not only does OtherEarth kill, it has the power to erase the line between what's real and what's fantasy.

    

About the Authors:

About Jason:

New York Times bestselling author Jason Segel used to have nightmares just like Charlie, and just like Charlie, he's learned that the things we're most afraid of are the things that can make us strong...if we're brave enough to face them. Jason likes acting, writing, making music, and hanging out with his friends. Sometimes he writes movies. Sometimes he writes songs for movies. Sometimes he stars in those movies and sings those songs. You might know him from The Muppets and Despicable Me. Your parents might know him from other stuff. Nightmares! is his first novel.

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About Kirsten:

I write books.

Some of my books are what librarians call middle grade. (Kiki Strike, Nightmares!)

Some should be kept away from small children and people with weak stomachs. (How to Lead a Life of Crime, The Eternal Ones, Otherworld)

I write some books with Jason Segel.

I've written quite a few books on my own.

I'm an Aquarius.

My favorite food is cauliflower. (No joke.)

I will eat almost anything. And I'm weirdly proud of it.

I believe New York City is the most magical place on earth.

I love Dolly Parton and David Attenborough. Equally.

I cannot sing or play any musical instruments.

I'm obsessed with sewers and sanitation systems.

I once broke into a Mayan temple with my brother, Spike.

Spike is an alias. It's not his real name.

I also have a sister. She prefers to remain anonymous.

We have the same birthday.

Yes, that sucks.

I think that's all you need to know.

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Book Review: The Angel Gift (Dark Word: The Angel Trials #4)

Release Date: September 30, 2018
Author: Michelle Madow
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Length: 270 pages
Source: Review Copy from the Author

Everyone is separated, and no one is safe.

Raven Danvers didn’t think her life could get any crazier since the night a demon attacked her in an alley and abducted her mom.

She was wrong.

Because now that same demon has abducted her too. He’s thrown her into a secret bunker with a group of humans who have unique abilities that make them “gifted.” They don’t know what the demons want with them, and the bunker is impossible to escape.

Her only hope is Noah—the wolf shifter she’s imprinted upon. She just needs to let him know where she is. But she can’t do it alone. Her only way to get a message to him is to team up with the other humans by making use of their unique gifts.

But they have to do it fast. Because their time in the bunker is temporary. The demons are prepping them to go somewhere else… somewhere far worse than where they are now.

They don’t know what this place is.

They just know they really, really don’t want to find out.

Get ready for a magical, twist-filled ride in the fourth installment of The Angel Trials series, a fast-paced urban fantasy adventure that will leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more!

  

Review:

Protagonists: In this installment, the POV characters are switched up a bit. There’s a greater focus on Noah and Thomas, specifically Noah as I think he has the most chapters out of anyone, even Raven, in this book. We do get to see quite a bit of Raven though, as she learns more about both her captivity and her “gifted” human status. Interestingly, Sage does not narrate any chapters in this book, which makes sense due to her being forced into the blood bond at the end of the previous installment and this story does go into why her having a POV chapter wouldn’t be so interesting without actually addressing it head-on. Finally there is a new POV, or at least I think her POV is new, and that’s Mara, Azazel’s daughter, I was extremely surprised at how much I liked her chapters, sure her character arc does feel a bit tropey, but it’s a trope that I like so I’m completely on board. I really loved reading from all these characters POVs, each one (apart from the last chapter POV) had something to learn and experience over the course of this tale, except maybe Noah, which is a little disappointing, I mean there are plenty of other characters that had phenomenal development in this story, but since he has the majority of POV chapters, not to mention that he’s my favorite character, I would have liked to see some more development from him in this story and more of a purpose in this installment than just the guy who wants to get Raven back.

Romance: There was actually very little romance in this story, I mean it’s not surprising as our two main romantic couples have been separated, not to mention the fact that an individual in one of those couples, Sage, has been so fundamentally changed that she’s pretty much not the same person anymore. There is some romance in this story, though there isn’t much romantic development, and certainly no romantic development with our two main couples as they need to overcome a few obstacles before those relationships can continue to develop. The romantic development that is in this story is more laying the groundwork for another couple, Flint and Mara, finally showing Mara’s side of things and her feelings about her imprinting bond with Flint after the blood bonding ritual.

World Building: How the world Building unfolds in this installment feels a bit different than the previous installments in the series, I mean, there is expansion to the world, we start to get a better idea about what the demons are planning, in fact, I’m pretty sure I know what their endgame is, but I did leave this story with more questions than answers as to HOW they will accomplish this feat. Still, in many ways this story feels like filler, pretty open and shut in terms of the amount of story progress this installment will have, and while we have some new information and we’ve met some new people, this felt like more of an unplanned pit stop (or kidnapping, whichever you prefer) on their way to Avalon and while I didn’t expect they’d reach Avalon in this story, which they didn’t, and even though I told myself to view this story as an episode of a TV drama which helped immensely in the previous installment, this story just felt like it was missing something, maybe more about the “gifted” humans, though I suspect we’ll get more on that later, maybe another Mara chapter, maybe even an Azazel chapter, I’m not sure all I know is it feels like it’s missing SOMETHING. (Edit: About a day after writing this review I realized what that SOMETHING was, I talk about it in the conclusion.)

Predictability: Overall this installment did feel very by the numbers, there were, of course, a few moments over the course of the book that caught me off guard, such as what I think Azazel’s, and by extension many if not all of the demons’, plans are, but even then, when I’m caught off guard like that, I’m not surprised, in fact, I was only surprised two times and they were both towards the end. Also, I will say that there are a couple moments in this tale that seem a bit too easy and a bit too constructed which pulled me out of the story a few times, so I do wish things were a bit harder on our protagonists, that way they feel like they’ve really earned their victory, should they have one.

Ending: Again, as it seems the theme of this review is, the ending was pretty predictable, and while this was the only time in the entire story that I was truly surprised, that only applies to two moments in the last few chapters. The final climax is great and included one of the shocking and surprising moments, but it did play out mostly how I expected. There was also only one point during this story that I was at all confused, and that was the final chapter. In Madow’s typical Dark World form we have a final chapter from the POV of someone new, but unlike past, let’s just call them epilogues, unlike past epilogues this one didn’t have the same cliffhanger gut punch for me that it usually does, I feel like I missed some subtext or just plain text because while I felt I understood what was going on, I just didn’t feel that signature Madow stomach dropping cliffhanger, but then again, I’d rather have a calmer ending than that torture-fest and the end of the last installment.

Rating:

While I did utterly devour this installment, as I said numerous times in this review, it’s missing something, everything that’s in the book is fantastic, except for maybe the epilogue, but it's been about a day since I wrote this review and upon reflection I realized what it was missing, it was missing all of the great character interactions from the previous installments, while I love seeing our main characters interacting with newer and returning characters, because everyone's split up, there's sort of a hole left in the story that not even a fantastic story like this could fill in.