Book Review: Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1)

Release Date: July 7, 2015
Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: NAL
Length: 355 pages
Source: Purchased Book/Library Audiobook

In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time…

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly--but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.

When his friend inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life--and soon both heretics and books will burn…

    

Review:

Protagonist: Jess Brightwell lives in a world where the Great Library of Alexandria not only stands the test of time but has grown in power as they control the flow of knowledge to the masses. Jess doesn't really want to work for his father as a book smuggler, as owning physical books is illegal in this world, and he doesn't want to take over the family business. So when Jess's father asks him to be a spy for his family within the Library, his father doesn't exactly give him a choice. Now Jess has to pass the Library's tests while not getting found out, but training for service in the Library can be very dangerous as Jess and his class soon find out. I really like Jess, he's a bit headstrong, slightly short-tempered, but he's also loyal and fights for what he thinks is right. His character development over the course of the story feels authentic with the challenges he faces on his journey to become part of the Great Library.

Romance: I actually really liked the romance in this story but it definitely didn't go as I had expected. For a YA book, there is surprisingly little romance, it's very light and innocent. Jess and his love interest are sort of shoved together because of circumstance, and while there are times when I felt the romance was a little forced for sake of convenience to the story, I actually did end up really liking them together, though I hope to see something more from their relationship in future installments.

World Building: So, going into this story all I knew about this world was that it took place in a world where the Great Library of Alexandria survives, I was expecting it to be more of a fantasy, but in fact, it turns out to be more of a dystopian story instead. Still, I was fascinated by a world controlled by the Great Library where owning a physical book is illegal and if you declare war on the library, you’re wiped from existence. One of the fantastic ways this author introduces you to how power hungry the Library is, is through letters between chapters between Library personnel. I was drawn into this world from the beginning, the book smuggling, the Burners, and even some things that we don’t get very much information on in this book, but are more than intriguing enough for me to continue.

Predictability: I will say though that this story is pretty predictable, I felt like all of the twists, save a small few, were spoiled before they were actually revealed because the foreshadowing was so heavy just before the revelation. Also, it’s a good thing I didn’t read the synopsis before starting the book because I feel it gives just a little too much away.

Ending: This story does have a very tense ending. There are moments I experienced such pure emotions, both good and bad, towards and about some of the characters. The final climax isn't exactly an action-packed one, it's more about the tension of the moments without any physical confrontation. It's really great and leads to some amazing twists that will affect the future of this story. This book doesn't exactly leave you on a cliffhanger, but there's so much left unresolved here and I'm actually looking forward to seeing where this series goes.

Rating:

I really enjoyed this story, I wasn't expecting the dystopian element so that threw me off a little, but I am really intrigued by the world and the power-hungry Library, it can be a tad predictable and the story didn't suck me in as much as I'd like, but I'll be interested to see what happens next.

Book Review: Yellow Brick War (Dorothy Must Die #3)

Release Date: March 15, 2016
Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher: HarperCollins
Length: 270 pages
Source: Purchased Book

Once upon a time, there was a girl from Kansas named Dorothy.

You might know her as the Girl Who Rode the Cyclone. She ended up in Oz, where she became friends with the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion. But the temptation of magic was too much for her. She let it change her. Her friends became twisted versions of their former selves.

The magical land of Oz is now a dark and menacing place.

My name is Amy Gumm. Tornadoes must have a thing about girls from Kansas, because I got swept away on one too. I also landed in Oz, where Good is Wicked, Wicked is Good, and the Wicked Witches clued me in to my true calling:

Assassin.

The only way to stop Dorothy from destroying Oz—and Kansas—is to kill her. And I’m the only one who can do it.

But I failed. Others died for my mistakes. Because of me, the portal between the worlds has been opened and Kansas and Oz are both in danger. And if I don’t find a way to close it?

Dorothy will make sure I never get to go home again.

    

Review:

Protagonist: At the end of The Wicked Will Rise Amy Gumm finds herself and Dorothy transported back to Kansas and a group of witches welcoming her into the fold... or so it all seems. Amy is truly back in Kansas but it's not too long before things get hairy and Amy, Nox, and the witches are all stuck in Kansas and need a very special item to find their way back to Oz, but until then Amy needs to insert herself back into her old life and do her best to help with the search for the way back to Oz. This book gives readers a wonderful opportunity to see that while Dorothy and Amy are similar in where they come from and that they both wind up in Oz, they're very different deep down. Dorothy led a bit of an idyllic life while Amy was an outcast, upon arriving in Oz Dorothy wanted to go home, but Amy wants to stay, and best of all, upon returning home Dorothy saw her idyllic life as stale and wanted to return to the wonder of Oz while Amy sees what her time away from Kansas has changed in her life and she may not be too willing to head back to Oz and leave her new old life behind.

Romance: While this story seems to be the most romantic of the books in this series so far, I have to say the romance never really appealed to me in this book. Honestly, though, I don't think it's because the romance is handled badly, I think it's more because it's been so long since I've read a main installment in this series and I've forgotten most of the romance that's happened between Nox and Amy. It's not that I don't want them together, the romance doesn't seem problematic in any way, but the author introduces a forbidden love aspect to the romance that was extremely unnecessary and just gave me an overall meh feeling in relation to the romance.

World Building: One of the things that always bothered me about the first installment in this series is that we never really got to see a good chunk of Amy's life before Oz, we saw enough to know what she was going through, but I still felt like the book jumped to Oz too quickly. In this book, we get to see more of Amy's world and her day to day life, though it's nowhere near the same as before she left, it's the touch of normalcy and the effect of her disappearance that lead to a very interesting adventure in Kansas before she has to go back to Oz and finish the job assigned to her. I do have to say one thing though, this story has too many villains. I mean, Glinda and Dorothy are one thing, we go into this story knowing that they are villains, but between the Wizard in the previous book and a new "mega" villain introduced in this book things have gone from complex to complicated in the villain department. This world is getting more and more complex in ways that I do enjoy, but there are spin-off feeling aspects that seem to be leaking into the flagship series.

Predictability: So after this book got off to a rip roaring start, I thought I knew exactly where things were going to go. I knew the formula for this type of a book and saw where the end point should have been. Boy, was I wrong though. Not too far into this book, there's a shift and things only get crazier from there. There were a few twists that I was quickly able to pick up on, things that felt way too predictable to be true, but were anyway. There's a lot that goes down in this short book, but much like the fact that there were things I could easily predict there were things that I could have never even dreamed about predicting. This book is a wild ride and crazy twists are to be expected.

Ending: With a few tweaks this could have easily been the final book in this series. I mean, this series doesn't NEED to be more than three books, but things were introduced in this book that extended it by one more book. That being said though the final climax of this book was pretty awesome, and while I do feel that the series is being stretched a bit thin, I am really excited to see where things will go from here and how everything will be tied up by the end of the series. The story does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but not as crazy a cliffhanger as the previous book did.

Rating:

This book was pretty amazing. Like I said, I do feel like things were stretched a bit thin and things are getting more complicated than complex, but this is still a very addicting and enjoyable series and I can't wait to see how it all wraps up.

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.

Book Review: Atlantia

Release Date: October 28, 2014
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Children's
Length: 298 pages
Source: Library Book

Can you hear Atlantia breathing?

For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden—she has nothing left to lose.

Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

    

Review:

Protagonist: For as long as Rio can remember she's wanted to go see the world Above. Trapped in an underwater city, she only gets the choice to go Above once and until recently she's planned on taking that chance. However, after making the decision to stay with her sister Bay, Bay chooses to go above, abandoning Rio to the world of Atlantia. What's worse is that Rio has a terrible power she's kept hidden her whole life, a power that should have been reported to the proper authorities as soon as possible, but now it's too late. Rio has nothing left to lose and do whatever it will take to defy Atlantian law and make her way Above to be with her sister and find out why Bay betrayed her. I really like Rio, she's a strong character who will do whatever it takes to see her family reunited and discover the truth. Her siren's voice power is something she's had to hide her whole life, to do that she's had to adjust her voice to be flat and emotionless, because of this she's seen as an outsider. Over the course of this book she grows to accept who she is, her purpose, and the secrets her family has kept from her.

Romance: There isn't too much of a romance in this book. At least not compared to other YA books. The romance in this book grows slowly over time. There's a small bit of romantic tension there from the beginning, but for a while it was more about a growing friendship between Rio and her love interest than romance. I have to say, it's a breath of fresh air every time I read a book where the main character isn't constantly trying to figure out their feelings about their love interest when more pressing matters are present. That's exactly how this book went. Rio wasn't agonizing over her feelings for her love interest, or whether she actually had any. Instead she focused on her objective of escape and the romance just came about naturally. Beyond the two actually admitting their romantic feelings, things seemed to unfold naturally and I really rooted for this couple with my whole being.

World Building: For the longest time I had assumed this book was about merfolk. The cover and title made it seem so much like a merfolk story, and when I started it I was surprised to find that not only are the characters human, but that this reads more like a dystopian rather than a fantasy or paranormal tale. There is a paranormal element to it with the existence of Sirens or rather those referred to as Sirens. We don't get much of an explanation as to where and how the Sirens came to be, other than the religious belief of the Atlantians. For the most part I found the world-building not only really sound and relatively free of plot holes, but interesting as well. I found myself engrossed in this world and the secret histories that Atlantia held. If I had to have one criticism it would be that sometimes the motivations of certain individuals didn't really make that much sense.

Predictability: Looking back over the events of this book, I've found that I wasn't surprised by much. Don't get me wrong, this book has some crazy twists that I did not see coming. It's more that the smaller things, the twists that mattered but not as much, were easy to see. Somehow, getting those smaller twists right, made not getting the larger ones that much more awesome and interesting. Normally it's the other way around for me. Where I'd easily pick up on the larger, more impactful twists, and then the smaller things would catch me by surprise. Atlantia has a lot of secrets and it was so much fun uncovering each and every one.

Ending: This book is a standalone, and yet towards the end I could see this being a series, more specifically a trilogy. It's not as though things were left up in a the air, or that things were tied up too quickly and too easily, but more that I could see various ways the story could be drawn out. That being said, I really enjoyed the way this story ends. The final climax isn't a physical showdown, but more of an intellectual fight for survival. Pretty much everything in this story is wrapped up, and why I say pretty much is that while all the important things are wrapped up nice and neat, there's a little door left open. I don't know if this author plans on revisiting this world, and I'm not asking her to, I'm just saying that from where I'm standing I can see how it wouldn't be too hard to write a companion story.

Rating:

I really enjoyed this book, it's a fun and interesting standalone take on the dystopian genre, and while there are a few things that bothered me a bit, it's still pretty awesome!

Book Review: The White Rose (The Lone City #2)

Release Date: October 6, 2015
Author: Amy Ewing
Publisher: HarperTeen
Length: 308 pages
Source: ARC from BEA 2015

Violet is on the run. After the Duchess of the Lake catches Violet with Ash, the hired companion at the Palace of the Lake, Violet has no choice but to escape the Jewel or face certain death. So along with Ash and her best friend, Raven, Violet runs away from her unbearable life of servitude.

But no one said leaving the Jewel would be easy. As they make their way through the circles of the Lone City, Regimentals track their every move, and the trio barely manages to make it out unscathed and into the safe haven they were promised—a mysterious house in the Farm.

But there’s a rebellion brewing, and Violet has found herself in the middle of it. Alongside a new ally, Violet discovers her Auguries are much more powerful than she ever imagined. But is she strong enough to rise up against the Jewel and everything she has ever known?

The White Rose is a raw, captivating sequel to The Jewel that fans won’t be able to put down until the final shocking moments.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Picking up right where the last book left off, Violet has just been told by Garnet, her mistress's son, that he will help her escape the Jewel and find somewhere safe. Now she, her romantic interest Ash, and her broken best friend Raven, must escape to the Farm, but Regimentals are on high alert for one member of their party and getting out won't be as easy as Garnet and Lucien had planned. There is so much that Violet learns in this book, about herself and those around her and that only helps to shape and sturdy her resolve against the royals and their barbaric ways. I loved Violet so much, she has a sharp tongue when need be, and a calm and clear head when things get tough. She still has her flaws however, though those keep her grounded and whole, and keep her a realistic character at heart.

Romance: If I had to point out one element of this series that I didn't care for it'd be the romance. Since the romance was so rushed in the first book, by the time I got to the second I didn't really care about Ash. In fact, while I don't think I ever disliked Ash in the first book, in this book he got on my nerves a lot. There are many characters in this world that blame themselves for the actions of others, but no more so than Ash, who has a chip on his shoulder the size of the Lone City itself, however if we actually spent time in the first book getting to know his character more and learning more about him as his relationship with Violet grew over time instead of a whirlwind, I think I would have been able to accept his angst annoying rants about how things are all his fault or how if he didn't do that, than this wouldn't have happened. In fact, the most compelling romance in this book was the one given very little time to shine and was only really hinted at.

World Building: One of the things that drew me into this world so much was it's interesting blend of dystopian and fantasy, with these surrogates holding dominion over some rather magical powers. However, the first book in this series focused much more on the dystopian aspect and really paid little mid the the magical and fantasy part, making the latter seem all the more mysterious. In this novel though, we finally get to see the magic shine. We learn about the Auguries, their origins, and their true purpose. This deep dive into the Auguries gives this book much more of a fantasy flair than a dystopian at times. However, the dystopian crisis is still at a large and plans are being made to put an end to it, plans that include Violet somehow, but she doesn't want to be just another tool anymore, this time she wants to fight on her own terms.

Predictability: While I did have some problems with the first book, in many areas, one of those areas was most definitely not predictability. I would expect a love triangle, only to be left with a straightforward romance, I'd expect a daring escape at the end fraught with dramatic tension, only to have it end with Violet imprisoned fearing for her and Ash's lives only to get a glimmer of new hope. Things never turned out the way I expected, and this book is no different. One of the things that struck me the most was how I thought the name of this book was going to relate to the story. I had one idea so firmly implanted in my mind only for it to be something completely different. There are many twists and turns this book takes and I was only able to guess a handful of them, and that was mostly sheer dumb luck.

Ending: Another thing this author knows how to do well, is end a book on a devastating, and unpredictable, cliffhanger. I'm trying to find the final climax and while there isn't one in any typical way, there is a lot of tension going into the finale of this book. There are things revealed that shake our group to it's core and set them back quite a bit. Then there are things that are only hinted at that I'm expecting to see in the final installment of this trilogy. It's easy to see where things are going and I'm kind of incredibly excited to know what'll happen next. Oh yeah, that cliffhanger was evil in more than one way!

Rating:

I really enjoyed this book, other than not really caring about the romance, there wasn't really anything that bothered me about it. It's an addictive and quick read, that just keeps building until the explosive finale. I can't wait to see how this story will come to a close!

Book Review: The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3)

Release Date: April 15, 2014
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Length: 393 pages
Source: eGalley via NetGalley

Vengeance will be hers.

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

Monster.

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions - her creator Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost - the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, her triumph will be short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

THE FINAL HUNT IS ON.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Allie believes she's just lost the love of her life to a crazy sadistic vampire hell bent on unleashing an incurable virus upon the world. In her grief she struggles with the monster inside her, the demon that wants to feed and see the world burn. While I love Allie and was really interested to see how she would handle Zeke's death and to see her struggle with her darker side. The thing is, while there was some struggle it doesn't last all that long. While the struggle will always be there, I felt like things were resolved rather quickly and without too much of a struggle. That being said though Allie still has some great character development in this book. There are still a lot of things both internally and externally that Allie needs to sort through before taking on Sarren and hopefully saving the world.

Romance: So... it's not a spoiler that Zeke's alive right? It's been a while since I read the Eternity cure but I don't remember believing for a second that he was dead, especially with how the book ended, and the recap I read seemed to coincide with what I remember, but the synopsis is playing it off like he's dead, so if I did spoil you I'm sorry. Anyway, Zeke and Allie encounter a few problems in their romance over the course of this book. Things have changed, Zeke's been tortured and he's come out the other side a bit different than he used to be. He's guarded and quiet, not sure what to make of his new reality and that puts a strain on his relationship with Allie. Even though it's been quite a while since I read the previous installments in this series, I still root for Zeke and Allie. While a lot of their struggles aren't realistic, vampires being fictional and all, there are still a lot of themes that are relateable to those like myself who have been in long term relationships.

World-Building: Surprisingly while our heroes have been through a lot, there is still so much more to go through before their journey can come to a close. What I love about this world is that while it does contain vampires and that sort of lore is explored, it comes second to the post-apocalyptic and dystopian theme to this story. There's a big vampiric storyline that I don't want to get into because of spoilers but it really sets the tone for the story as our heroes work towards getting to Eden to stop Sarren. The biggest thing though is that finally after nearly three books we finally get to see Eden, and well, don't get your hopes up. I won't say much more than that, but we do learn a bit more about how it works and about what the scientists inside have been working on in terms of a cure to Rabidism. There's so much that I want to say here so many great things we see that expand this world even more, but it's hard because there's a lot that goes on that's tied up in spoilers and I want to keep this review as spoiler free as possible.

Predictability: As I've said before it's been a while since I last perused this world, but a few things stuck with me a few things that I'd predicted way back then during The Eternity Cure, and I have to say I was not disappointed. There's a rather huge twist that I'd rather not spoil but I'm just going to say that I called it. Other than that rather large twist there were a few other things that I was able to predict before they happened. I couldn't always predict the exact circumstances, and under what conditions things happened, but it wasn't too hard to figure some of the big stuff out. However, there was a twist or two that really stumped me, certain things with just enough foreshadowing not to tip me off beforehand, but that upon reflection really make sense.

Ending: Recently I've been doing a lot of reflection on endings, specifically those that are meant to tie up a story whether it's in a standalone or the last chapter of a series, what I've found I hate most of all is an ending that it's completely idealistic. To come to the end of a series or story with no consequences and everyone getting off scot-free is just boring and unrealistic. Thankfully that's not the case here. That's not to say that these characters defintiely didn't get a HEA, but more to say that it wasn't without a shred of pain on the side of the good guys. I'm sad to see this series go, but I love how the author ended things, and I truly feel that there really isn't anything more that needs to be tied up in this world.

Rating:

So sure, there were a few things I would have liked to see happen differently with a bit more struggle between the light and dark sides of Allie being chief among them. However I really loved how this book went, how it finished off this series, and how this series in general has touched my heart. *queue sappy violin music*

Book Review: The Scorpion Rules (Prisoners of Peace #1)

Release Date: September 22, 2015
Author: Erin Bow
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Length: 384 pages
Source: eGalley via NetGalley

The children of world leaders are held hostage in an attempt to keep the peace in this “slyly humorous, starkly thought-provoking” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) novel.

Greta is a Duchess and a Crown Princess. She is also a Child of Peace, a hostage held by the de facto ruler of the world, the great Artificial Intelligence, Talis. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Start a war and your hostage dies.

The system has worked for centuries. Parents don’t want to see their children murdered.

Greta will be free if she can make it to her eighteenth birthday. Until then she is prepared to die with dignity, if necessary. But everything changes when Elian arrives at the Precepture. He’s a hostage from a new American alliance, and he defies the machines that control every part of their lives—and is severely punished for it. His rebellion opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the rules they live under, and to the subtle resistance of her companions. And Greta discovers her own quiet power.

Then Elian’s country declares war on Greta’s and invades the prefecture, taking the hostages hostage. Now the great Talis is furious, and coming himself to deliver punishment. Which surely means that Greta and Elian will be killed...unless Greta can think of a way to break all the rules.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Greta has always been the idealistic Child of Peace, the girl who follows the rules, and if her time ever came, would accept her death gracefully. However, when a new hostage is brought into her Precepture she begins to see just how terrifying her world really is. On the whole I really liked Greta and her character development. She goes from the ultimate good girl, who's totally drinking the Precepture Kool-Aid, to someone who challenges the views of this world. Her character development isn't too dramatic and doesn't contrast too much with who she is at the beginning of the book. She just sort of wakes up and looks at the world differently and wonders what she can do to change it.

Romance: The romance in this book is really weird. First off I want to say that there will be a minor spoiler in this section, but I feel like it's a bit of information that's needed to experience this world and the romance in this book more fully. There's a love triangle in this book, between Greta, Elian, and Greta's roommate Xie, with Greta being the magnet in this situation. Meaning there's not only a love triangle but a bisexual one at that which I found very interesting. The problem is though that the romance is sort of just pushed to the wayside for most of this book to make way for the plot and world-building, leading the romances to just sort of happen. I can't think of anyway else to explain it, there's no preamble, not romantic tension before the characters' feelings give way, and with Elian I was more on board with the romance since I was expecting it, but with Xie it took me a bit longer to get used to it since it sort of comes out of no where. However since the romance just sort happened and there wasn't a lot of time to dwell on everything it got really confusing. In most books with a love triangle, there's a lot of agonizing confusion with the main character about who they like and who they want to be with, there really isn't any of that here which made getting a grasp on Greta's feeling nearly impossible.

World-Building: What I found so interesting about this dystopian world is how truly terrifying it sounds just on the surface. Most dystopian worlds try and sound good on the surface, hiding the truly terrifying things about it in it's seedy underbelly, but this one, right away, just sounds insane. That's not even the half of it though. There are far more terrifying things going on in this world than just what you see on the surface, how these children are essentially indoctrinated into being willing hostages to this regime, and how they sort of lose all their fire and defiance so quickly. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about this world and how everything works. In this world there are new countries, monarchies found new life under Talis's rule, though not all countries and alliances use monarchical systems. Each character in this world is so multi-layered and while there are characters that I wish we could learn more about, their struggles and hardships, I only hope that there'll be time in future books to see that.

Predictability: On the whole this book is fairly unpredictable. There is a lot that I could see coming, just from the genre of the book as well as from analyzing the synopsis, but there was still so much that I did not see coming. There wasn't too much foreshadowing, which was a bit of a blessing as well as a curse. Whole sometimes it worked to make a twist have a lot of punch and shock, sometimes it just made things more confusing and vague. Even towards the end there were things about this book, things that I doubt will be touched on in later books, that I'm still a bit confused about, but for the most part I really enjoyed the direction this story took, shocking as it turned out to be.

Ending: The ending of this book was also weird now that I think about it. I mean, what I would typically call the final climax, what fits the archetype of a final climax in this book, comes quite a ways before the actual ending. There are more climactic moments afterwards, but the real final climax of this book, which was much more of an internal struggle, doesn't really fit the typical YA dystopian formula, which upon reflection I actually really like. Going into this ending I wondered if the next book would be a companion novel, more something that continued the story from another point of view than a new story entirely though, but from the looks of things, and the cliffhanger ending, it seems that the next book will in fact be a direct sequel,

Rating:

So I really struggled with this rating, I almost wanted to give it 3.5 stars, but I enjoyed the plot of the book too immensely for that. My biggest problem was that the romance didn't get the care and attention it needed, and also there were metaphors that I felt were used too liberally throughout the story.

Book Review: Captive (The Blackcoat Rebellion #2)

Release Date: November 25, 2014
Author: Aimee Carter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Length: 299 pages
Source: eGalley from NetGalley

For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister's niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats keep her in the dark more than ever.

But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.

As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?

    

Review:

Protagonist: Kitty Doe has taken it upon herself to keep posing as Lila Hart and to support the Blackcoat Rebellion against a tyrannical meritocracy and it's corrupt leader. Things are beginning to change though, Knox won't let her in on his plans and she discovers that there's more to who she is than she thinks. However it's not long before she's accused of treason and shipped off to Elsewhere, where there is no escape. Kitty's characterization in this book and her development come from a place of pain and depression, for a variety of reasons, she's lost all hope and it takes a while and a few new faces to get her back on her feet and give her a reason to survive and thrive again. I really loved Kitty in this book again, she's such a strong character, she has a vulnerable side which she's not afraid to show, and at the end of the day she'll do whatever she feels is right, for better or worse.

Romance: Before I delved into this new adventure I read my review of the first installment to get a good idea at where my head was at after reading the first book. Now, in my review it said that I liked the romance between Kitty and Benjey, I'm sure I wasn't lying, but after waiting so long, when I came back I just didn't care. I couldn't root for them and I never felt any real chemistry between them. Luckily the romance is only a small part of the story and while it is in some ways a driving force, especially in this installment, it's dwarfed in comparison to the political intrigue and the world building. I wanted to like these two together, partly because I know I had at one point and also because it would make the reading experience easier, I really tried, but in the end I just couldn't care less.

World-Building: The big hook of this book is discovering what Elsewhere truly is, and even in the part we saw of it in the first book was just a small part of the whole. Elsewhere is just this whole other place and added cancerous tumor of corruption to this world. It functions in a lot of ways like a jail mixed with a summer camp, except the inmates... I mean citizens of Elsewhere are treated even less like human beings than those in prison. I'm not going to say too much more since I don't want to spoil it, but Elsewhere wasn't quite what I expected. Then there's all the interpersonal and just plain personal stuff. We learn so much more about this world, about these characters in this book that I just couldn't believe it half the time. There are deeper mysteries to be discovered on Kitty's journey as a Captive.

Predictability:Let's talk secrets and twists and the like. There actually aren't all that many in this book. Well, not that many huge and impactful ones. There were a few twists that I easily saw coming, some of the larger ones, and there were twists that I should have seen coming, there was plenty of foreshadowing for it, but didn't. I never really felt like I was being hit over the head with anything though, I never had that feeling of, "Yes, I get it *insert spoiler here* get on with the story already"

Ending: Dear God there's a lot that goes down in this ending. There aren't too many huge twists in this book, there are things that I didn't expect to happen and things that had me jumping for joy, but pretty much all the huge twists are out of the way before the final climax. As the story winds down there's one other trump card up the author's sleeve, something there's no foreshadowing for, and something that confused me to all hell ending in a pretty large cliffhanger.

Rating:

I want to give this book 5 stars, I really do, me not caring about the Kitty/Benjey romance isn't really even a huge problem, but I don't feel like it's fair to give this book 5 stars when there was a plot element that pretty much bores me to death.

Book Review: Day 21 (The 100 #2)

Release Date: September 16, 2014
Author: Kass Morgan
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Length: 320 pages
Source: eGalley via NetGalley

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries -- until now.

It's been 21 days since the hundred landed on Earth. They're the only humans to set foot on the planet in centuries...or so they thought. Facing an unknown enemy, Wells attempts to keep the group together. Clarke strikes out for Mount Weather, in search of other Colonists, while Bellamy is determined to rescue his sister, no matter the cost. And back on the ship, Glass faces an unthinkable choice between the love of her life and life itself.

In this pulse-pounding sequel to Kass Morgan's The 100, secrets are revealed, beliefs are challenged, and relationships are tested. And the hundred will struggle to survive the only way they can -- together.

    

Review:

Characters: Much like the first installment in this series, this book is told from the points of view of four characters, Bellamy, Clark, Wells, and Glass. While Clarke and Bellamy race to find Octavia, Wells is trying to keep everyone calm in the camp after they learn that they aren't the only ones on earth. Back at the Colony Glass has a tough decision to make as she can either stay in Walden with Luke as quite possibly die, or head back to Phoenix and have a chance at life. In the previous book in this series I wasn't a huge fan of all the characters, mainly Wells as I felt he crossed too many lines and put too many lives at risk. However, as this book progressed I really began to like all of the characters equally. It's really hard to get a book right with so many points of view, but I think that Morgan did an incredible job at weaving these various storylines into the narrative.

Romance: While there's a lot of romance going on in this book, I was happy to see that it doesn't overshadow the plot of the book. There was a love triangle established in the previous book that sort of just felt unnecessary, or really that I couldn't take seriously. However the love triangle does get, for the most part, resolved in this book with very interesting end, There are other romances in this book, besides the love triangle, including Glass and Luke and their dramatic mess, and a new romance involving one of Clarke's suitors. The only problem I had with the romance was when there was drama and friction with the couples, it sort of resolved itself without the requisite character development needed to feel as though that forgiveness was earned.

World Building: In the first book of this series, there wasn't all that much that went on. I mean, there was enough for a story, but it was all internal political stuff in the 100 campground and Colony drama, and we didn't see all that much of the world outside. This book does a much better job of getting these characters out of their bottle and showing them how vast and intense this new world is. There's some friction with the Earthborns, though not nearly as much as there is in the TV show, though here I don't mind not having tons of action and fast paced storytelling. Once again we have flashbacks that add much more to the story and provide some much needed exposition on these characters. There's a lot still left to discover and I'm actually really looking forward to it.

Predictability: So it's actually been a couple of days since I finished this book, and looking back, I know that there were some moments when I had no idea what was coming, some things that totally blew my mind and opened up so many cans of worms. However, on the whole this book sort of just smoothly went along, nothing super predictable, and only a few things that really knocked me on my ass with their shock value, one of which I should have seen coming but misremembered a vital piece of information.

Ending: This ending was very intense. There wasn't really a confrontation that went on, and in actuality things got more resolved than complicated, but there was a little bit of action that went down as this book came to a close. The end of the book reveals some pretty crazy stuff, and sets up the story for the next arc, and leaves readers wondering what will happen next.

Rating:

I actually loved this book much more than the previous installment. I think I still had a lot of the television show on my mind when I read the first book, but here it was a lot easier to separate the books from the show as two separate but related things.