Book Review: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding (The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding #1)

Release Date: September 5, 2017
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Length: 272 pages
Source: eGalley from NetGalley

"I would say it's a pleasure to meet thee, Prosperity Oceanus Redding, but truly, I only anticipate the delights of destroying thy happiness."

Prosper is the only unexceptional Redding in his old and storied family history — that is, until he discovers the demon living inside him. Turns out Prosper's great-great-great-great-great-something grandfather made — and then broke — a contract with a malefactor, a demon who exchanges fortune for eternal servitude. And, weirdly enough, four-thousand-year-old Alastor isn't exactly the forgiving type. 

The fiend has reawakened with one purpose — to destroy the family whose success he ensured and who then betrayed him. With only days to break the curse and banish Alastor back to the demon realm, Prosper is playing unwilling host to the fiend, who delights in tormenting him with nasty insults and constant attempts trick him into a contract. Yeah, Prosper will take his future without a side of eternal servitude, thanks.

Little does Prosper know, the malefactor's control over his body grows stronger with each passing night, and there's a lot Alastor isn't telling his dim-witted (but admittedly strong-willed) human host. 

From #1 New York Times best-selling author Alexandra Bracken comes a tale of betrayal and revenge, of old hurts passed down from generation to generation. Can you ever fully right a wrong, ever truly escape your history? Or will Prosper and Alastor be doomed to repeat it?

    

Review:

Protagonist(s): Prosper is the black sheep of the Redding family. For some reason, he doesn't seem to have the same luck and "charming" personality that the rest of his family does. His extended family treats him poorly, there's even a scene where Prosper goes over his cousins' names and after each one gives an example of how that particular cousin has been cruel to him, let's just say that there probably wasn't two sides to those stories. I wasn't even two full chapters into this book when I started tearing up with how sad Prosper's loneliness and isolation is. He literally has zero friends at the beginning of this book. However, that's all before Prosper learns that a demon, properly called a fiend, even more specifically a malefactor, is inside his body, waiting to get to full power and escape on Prosper's 13th birthday. There were so many times throughout this story that I wanted to hug Prosper and tell him he's worth something, which probably would have been weird for a nearly twenty-four-year-old man to do to a nearly thirteen-year-old boy he's not related to, but still, I empathize with Prosper so much and his journey and development over the course of this book is fantastic! Everything felt very natural and realistic, you know, minus the magical shenanigans. Alastor was also such a great bit of comic relief! His insults were astounding and I really liked him as a character, and since he's sort of part of Prosper I feel like I can talk a bit about him here. Alastor definitely has flaws, but his development is just as phenomenal, if not more, than Prosper's own.

World Building: This world is phenomenal. We learn so much about how the various worlds inside this universe work and how malefactors come into play and work within it. There's an interesting demonic (fiendish?) hierarchy within this story that serves as a bit of a subplot, or Alastor's plot, that begins to come more and more into play. The way the magic system works in this world is so captivating. I love how the author seems to be setting up a much larger story within this one. I know that's rather typical for series, but the way it's done here is particularly ambitious and exciting. There are elements brought in toward the end that I can't wait to see more of, things that sound grand and imperious. The whole tone of this story is perfect for the Fall season. Every moment I read this tale I wanted a nice hot cup of cider, maybe some candy corn until I realized it's 100° F and practically the middle of summer. It's a great Halloween read, while it's not scary there is definitely some nice spine chilling moments and moments of spectacular tension that make it perfect for an October read, plus the character Toad practically screams Halloween!

Predictability: I went into this book knowing what it's about, but I have to give the people over at Disney-Hyperion a round of applause for explaining the story without giving too much away. I mean, there were so many times in this story that I didn't know what would happen next. The author does a great job at leaving the breadcrumbs of foreshadowing throughout this novel. Sometimes I was able to pick the little things up and put the puzzle together, but other times I was completely floored only to look back and see all the signs I'd missed. There's one particularly, well actually two particularly, game changing twists towards the end, one that I had sort of guessed, but wasn't completely sure on, and another that I was sure of but still somehow rocked me to my core when proven right.

Ending: The ending of this story is magnificent! As things start to escalate things become more and more clear, which all leads into this amazing scene full of revelations and twists and I physically couldn't stop reading the story. Everything rises into this amazing crescendo that seems to set up the wider story of this world, and just when I'm waiting for the cooldown period to start, the book is over. This ending is amazing, I loved every second of it, but I need the next book. I've felt a need this strong before and I'm afraid I'll wake up tomorrow with the biggest book hangover I've ever known and you know what, it'd be worth it.

Rating:

I loved this book, no scratch that I LOVE THIS BOOK! Everything just sucked me in and didn't let go. I can't wait to see what happens next and I can't wait for more of this world, and the series over arching plot to be uncovered as our hero(es) make their next move.

Book Review: The Inquisition (Summoner #2)

Release Date: May 10, 2016
Author: Taran Matharu
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Length: 368 pages
Source: Library Book

A year has passed since the Tournament.

Fletcher and Ignatius have been locked away in Pelt’s dungeons, but now they must face a trial at the hands of the Inquisition, a powerful institution controlled by those who would delight in Fletcher’s downfall.

The trial is haunted by ghosts from the past with shocking revelations about Fletcher’s origins, but he has little time to dwell on them; the graduating students of Vocans are to be sent deep into the orc jungles to complete a dangerous mission for the king and his council. If they fail, the orcish armies will rise to power beyond anything the Empire has ever seen.

With loyal friends Othello and Sylva by his side, Fletcher must battle his way to the heart of Orcdom and save Hominum from destruction…or die trying.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Fletcher is in a crap ton of trouble when this book starts off. First off he's been in jail for a year and still has yet to receive word of a trial for a crime he *technically* didn't commit. Like I said, Fletcher is in quite a bind when this book begins. It seems as if all his enemies have teamed up to see him suffer. However, if they hadn't Fletcher might never find out where he truly comes from. After the trial of his life Fletcher and other students from Vocans are sent deep into the orc jungles on not only a rescue mission, but the trim the orcs' growing armies before they can rise up. You know it's pretty much impossible to hate Fletcher when his enemies are such bigoted, racist, and classist assholes. Granted if they weren't I don't think I'd even come to disliking Fletcher. He's a great character, he has a fair sense of judgement and he strives to do what is best for his country. In this book he discovers who he is, but doesn't let that discovery change who he is.

World Building: So, if you've read my review of The Novice, the first book in this series, you know that I absolutely hated the people I dubbed the "Entitled Assholes," well they're back and stronger than ever. Luckily their hatred and bigotry is mostly grouped and concentrated toward the beginning of this book. The bad thing is though, while reading it I literally got sick with rage and disgust. That's not even anywhere close to an exaggeration, and I'm usually fairly apathetic when reading racist and bigoted characters because well, they're the bad guys, but this was a whole new level of it, but again once you get through the trial it's practically smooth sailing from there. Now this book opens up an entirely new world as we get a better look at the Orcs and Gremlins, the perceived enemy races to our heroes. There are a few new things introduced that add dimension and almost breathe new life into this story (not that it needed it) and as the story winds down there are hints at where this story looks to be going, and new questions to replace those that were answered in this book.

Predictability: "I CALLED IT!" I said that at least two or three times in this book with extreme vigor. Granted there were more than two or three twists in this book that I was able to predict, and more than a few that I was not, but arguably the bigger twists I called from early on. Now, that doesn't mean this book is super predictable. In fact for the final and arguably largest twist, there was a lot of evidence to crush my theory but I held fast and was VINDICATED! In all serious though this book has some fantastic and unpredictable moments, and even the ones I could figure out and solve were still fantastic wrinkles to this amazing story.

Ending: Gah! This ending, where do I begin. In all honesty I don't quite know. As I said before the ending of this book seems to set up some new mysteries for our heroes and looks to promise new adventure and things to discover. I'm pretty sure this is a trilogy, as the cliffhanger ending wasn't shocking, though where things are led was. The final climax of this book was epic and amazing. It left me breathless and then to top everything off the way that the author did was incredible. I'm kind of kicking myself for reading this book so soon, I'm not even chomping at the bit for the next book, I've chomped through the bit and am looking for something else to sink my teeth into..

Rating:

So the concentrated dose of Entitled Assholes at the beginning did make me seethe with fury and sick with disgust, but hopefully they'll all get their comeuppance in the end, I'm serious if this author redeems even one of them I'm going to lose it! Anyway this book is fantastic, and following the trial I everything was even better!

Book Review: The Novice (Summoner #1)

Release Date: May 5, 2015
Author: Taran Matharu
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Length: 368 pages
Source: eGalley from NetGalley/Library Book

When blacksmith apprentice Fletcher discovers that he has the ability to summon demons from another world, he travels to Adept Military Academy. There the gifted are trained in the art of summoning. Fletcher is put through grueling training as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire’s war against orcs. He must tread carefully while training alongside children of powerful nobles. The power hungry, those seeking alliances, and the fear of betrayal surround him. Fletcher finds himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with only his demon Ignatius for help.

As the pieces on the board maneuver for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands. The Novice is the first in a trilogy about Fletcher, his demon Ignatius, and the war against the Orcs.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Fletcher grew up as an orphan in a small town, becoming the ward and eventual apprentice of the town's blacksmith. When he learns that he possesses the rare power to summon demons that ends disastrously he flees his home and finds his way to an academy that trains young summoners to fight in the war. The tagline on the inside of the dust jacket for this book reads: He can summon demons. But can he win a war. which led me to believe that Fletcher might be a chosen one of some kind, but surprisingly that theory turns out to be false. Fletcher is just an ordinary boy with an extraordinary talent and do to some fortunes of chance he is set slightly apart from the other novices at the academy. I really liked Fletcher, he's a believable character with a good heart. He's clever and brave and those traits will take him far in this world of deceit and betrayal.

World-Building: There is so much about this world to love. The political intrigue alone sets this book apart from other YA fantasies. There is so much going on in this world and it only gets more and more complex as the story continues, though luckily it never gets confusing or convoluted. There is some definite Harry Potter inspiration to this world, although it stays well away from getting uncomfortable, mainly sticking with character tropes and minor themes. I did have one problem with this world, one which is totally based on my opinion, and that's that there are too many entitled asshole characters, one of which is a very unprofessional teacher. Now, I don't mind an entitled asshole character here and there, but the amount that's in this book makes my blood boil. I understand why the author put in so many and it does add depth to the world, it's just hard for me to deal with at times.

Predictability: I have to say that the foreshadowing in this book is done really well. While there were many times that it was easy to pick up on the foreshadowing and know what to expect out of this story, it was always done in the best way possible, a casual reference or two, maybe brought up again if the need dictated, but it was never beaten over the reader's head as if they were too stupid to pick up on the subtle nudges here and there. There were also times in which the foreshadowing was so subtle or non-existent that when the twist or surprise was revealed it made for a very exciting shock and sizzle of excitement. There never seemed like there was a time when I knew before hand something I really wasn't supposed to know, which as you'd expect made for a very enjoyable reading experience over all.

Ending: So, I have a confession to make. For some reason I thought that this series might be a companion novel one, so I wanted to vaguely skim the synopsis of book two for Fletcher's name to be sure, in doing so I had a vague idea of how this book ended. Nothing was concrete but I had a very strong idea of what to expect. That being said, the ending was still the sucker punch in the gut I'm sure it was intended to be. After a spectacular final climax full of action and deception, the reader is treated to a very short cooldown period before the uncharacteristic (at least for the first book in a series) cliffhanger was presented. I have to just say, this ending id pure evil genius.

Rating:

So, going into this book I head some mixed opinions on it, nothing specific, but I ended up loving this book. My only qualm is the abundance of the aforementioned "entitled asshole characters" which is totally based on my opinion on that character trope in general. If you're a fan of fantasy this book is a must read!