Book Review: The Traitor's Game (The Traitor's Game #1)

Release Date: February 27, 2018
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Length: 400 pages
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

Nothing is as it seems in the kingdom of Antora. Kestra Dallisor has spent three years in exile in the Lava Fields, but that won't stop her from being drawn back into her father's palace politics. He's the right hand man of the cruel king, Lord Endrick, which makes Kestra a valuable bargaining chip. A group of rebels knows this all too well - and they snatch Kestra from her carriage as she reluctantly travels home.The kidnappers want her to retrieve the lost Olden Blade, the only object that can destroy the immortal king, but Kestra is not the obedient captive they expected. Simon, one of her kidnappers, will have his hands full as Kestra tries to foil their plot, by force, cunning, or any means necessary. As motives shift and secrets emerge, both will have to decide what - and who - it is they're fighting for.

    

Review:

Protagonists: Kestra Dallisor is the daughter of the king's right-hand man, Lord Endrick, a cruel tyrant and Kestra's father isn't too different. After years in exile, Kestra's return home is ruined when her carriage is attacked and she's forced to make an agreement to find a legendary blade that's supposed to end Endrick's evil rule. Accompanying her is Simon, a boy from her past who's now one of her kidnappers. I was really interested in these characters toward the beginning of this book, Kestra isn't the type of girl you'd usually root for at the beginning of an adventure, she's hot-headed, stuck up, and rude and acts every bit the Dallisor she is. Simon's feelings toward Kestra at the beginning of this book are muddled at best and the bonus of having to actually be her protector and watcher on this mission doesn't make him too happy. Simon's more or less blindly loyal to his cause, as is Kestra and seeing these two individuals embark on this mission and discover more about who and what it is they're fighting for is amazing and seeing them come into their own over the course of this book was phenomenal.

Romance: The romance in this story is rather interesting. I mean, for a book that takes place over five days at most the romance moves rather quickly. I mean, I understand they have a history and it's not like I didn't root for them, but I do feel for characters that are supposed to despise each other at the beginning of this book, despite their shared history, wouldn't change their feelings as much as they do in the time that they have. Again, it's not as if there's nothing to root for when it comes to this couple, in fact, there's something about them that just fits so well and I really do hope these two can find a happily ever after, I just felt that Simon and Kestra's feelings changed too quickly and I wish there had been a bit more resistance on both sides before giving into their feelings.

World Building: The lore and history of this world are really interesting. This story takes place in a kingdom that still feels the effects of a dramatic take over as it hasn't been so long since the shift in power and finds thee groups fighting for control of this kingdom and those that get caught up along the way. I have to say, for a world that talks about magic and a magical tyrant a lot, we don't really get to see much magic at all, which I understand as not only is this the first installment in the series and that showing and explaining the magic system would prove difficult given nearly no one actually has magic, but I just wish I understood it a bit better to know just how threatening our main antagonist is. Still, I was captivated by the history of this kingdom and how it is that our main characters do what they can to carve their name in it.

Predictability: This author is brilliant when it comes to telling a story, she knows just what secrets each character will keep and just who knows what in this world and then sort of sets the reader on this scavenger hunt to figure everything out. While there were a few twists that were obviously coming that I was practically begging for something on, because it's bad when a twist comes out of nowhere and you're shocked beyond belief, but to know it's coming and having no real idea what "it" is can be pretty torturous.

Ending: There were quite a few facets to the end of this story. While the true final climax of this book was one of revelations and change, there were quite a few scenes prior to the end of this book that were full of climactic tension. In fact, I was surprised how many times it felt like the final climax was delayed but was still treated to moments of tension and action. There is a short cooldown period to this book, more getting things in order for the next book than really setting it up, but there is a rather exciting cliffhanger that will leave me waiting for the next installment with bated breath.

Rating:

I loved this book, I thought the characters were fantastic and the world was really interesting, and while I there were a couple of things I would have wished to see different, I still cannot wait until I can read the sequel!

Book Review: Deadzone (Horizon #2)

Release Date: September 12, 2017
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Length: 208 pages
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

The survivors have made it out of the jungle, but they may be sorry they ever left when they stumble upon a whole new ecosystem, populated with entirely new threats.

And the greatest threat of all may come from within. Because one of the kids is changing...

The seven-book series begun by #1 New York Times bestseller Scott Westerfeld only gets bigger and bolder under the frenzied imagination of bestselling, critically acclaimed author Jennifer A. Nielsen!

    

Review:

Protagonists: As our heroes traverse a new ecosystem, more about their pasts come to light. After surviving the Rift's jungle the survivors of a downed Horizon flight have found that somehow they are right where they're supposed to be, just in some sort of Rift in the earth that houses multiple ecosystems and countless terrors. They journey to find the truth of where they are and hope to find a way home. There are still a lot of characters in this book, but by now I think I've gotten a good handle on who they are as characters and this book, while short, does a lot to flesh out these characters and show new sides of them. My favorite character is probably Yoshi, he's heroic and adventurous, but what really draws me to him is just how flawed he is. He's impulsive, selfish, stubborn, a lone wolf, and will lie to get his way, but that doesn't keep him from having some fantastic character development in this book. All of the characters, in some way or another, have similar character development, though it varies in substance.

World Building: A new book means a new environment, and a new environment means new challenges. One of the things that really hooked me about this world was that there's just this random rift in the middle of a tundra and that these kids have to traverse it uncovering secrets along the way. Honestly, other than showing off a completely new environment there isn't all that much in terms of world-building that I can talk about without spoiling things. Honestly, there isn't all that much, don't get me wrong the things learned in this book make up for that, it's just that I felt like I came out with more questions than answers and I'm interested to see how many are answered in the next installment.

Predictability: This book is by far more unpredictable than the previous one. In the first installment we were getting to know these characters and this world while crazy stuff happened, but now that it's easier to understand what's going on and just what might happen, well, it gets intense. I won't say that there are a whole lot of twists and turns in this story because a lot of this story is still about these characters and their interpersonal relationships as they try and escape, and also because this book is so short, but the twists that are in here are the gut-punching, I can't believe that just happened, kind. In terms of things I could predict, there wasn't all that much in fact I never had one of those, "Oh because of this, this, and this, that will happen" kind of moments.

Ending: As this book begins to head toward the final climax, I wasn't sure what would happen. Before I could really ponder it all that long, things... went... down... Now the final climax wasn't the intense action scene I was hoping for, but honestly, I was sort of intense action-ed out and liked that it became more of a game of intense strategy, with just a bit of action. The cooldown period was a bit plateaued, but the last line, that was a bit of a cliffhanger and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Rating:

Despite being a rather short book without all that much world building I really enjoyed this story and a lot of questions were raised and are still up in the air and I can't wait to see and learn more about this world!

Book Review: The Scourge

Release Date: August 30, 2016
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Length: 368 pages
Source: Gifted ARC

As a lethal plague sweeps through the land, Ani Mells is shocked when she is unexpectedly captured by the governor's wardens and forced to submit to a test for the deadly Scourge. She is even more surprised when the test results come back positive, and she is sent to Attic Island, a former prison turned refuge -- and quarantine colony -- for the ill.

The Scourge's victims, Ani now among them, can only expect to live out short, painful lives there. However, Ani quickly discovers that she doesn't know the whole truth about the Scourge or the Colony. She's been caught in a devious plot, and, with the help of her best friend, Weevil, Ani means to uncover just what is actually going on.

But will she and Weevil survive long enough to do so?

    

Review:

Protagonist: Ani lives in river country with her family and a whole host of others. With no real motivation other than cultural differences she and the other River People are ostracized by the townsfolk and treated as second class citizens. So it's no surprise when Ani finds herself harassed by the governor's wardens, but being captured and tested for the newly resurfaced plague known as the Scourge is a shock she doesn't quite understand. Once she finds out she has it and she and her best friend are shipped off the the quarantined Attic Island the discover more than an island of sick folks. I really like Ani, she has a hard time staying out of trouble and stands up for what she believes regardless of the consequences. She's not perfect, like everyone she has her flaws but works overcome them over the course of this book. She's a strong character and for the amount of injustice flung upon her she's going to need all the strength she can get.

World-Building: Jennifer Nielsen always does a great job with world building, especially for a Middle Grade title it's hard to find the line between too much and not enough. Everything in this book is so well described and even though the majority takes place on an island that used to be a prison, we still learn more about the world outside. There are flashbacks and key pieces of exposition from other characters that let us know more about other countries, small influences of political intrigue, and the country of Keldan itself. Before I get into my oncoming rant/explanation I do want to address that for those who enjoy them, there is a bit of a romance in this book. It's not really a real subplot but it is there. I've seen a growing trend with some books where it seems authors will pick on their main characters in the form of one or multiple seemingly completely evil individuals who take it as their God given responsibility to make the life of our protagonist the worst it can be. This usually results in a game so rigged against our hero that it seems nigh impossible to win. While I don't have a problem with adversity for our hero, I do have to admit, sometimes as is with the case of this book it can seem a bit too cruel at first, but as aggravating as it is watching the deck get stacked against our hero, if they come through to the other side in a realistic way, the rush is totally worth the torture.

Predictability: I don't know how many times I've said it before, but I'll say it again; Jennifer A. Nielsen is the queen of twists. That's not to say that there aren't predictable twists, but for the most part this author always does a fantastic job of having just enough foreshadowing here, a good re herring here, and viola! A twist that's not only hard to see coming, but that looking back makes total sense. As I said before there are fairly big things that were predictable, but never in the way I expected. Most of the time the most expected thing would occur in the most unexpected way.

Ending: As this book headed into it's final chapters I could see that while this book would wrap up all in one book, that if the author wanted there could be more books in this world. This isn't unusual for me to think in a standalone, but in this one I could almost taste a second installment, but at the same time, I knew that not only wouldn't it happen, if things went the way I saw them it wouldn't quite fit with the characters. That being said the end to this book was pretty unbelievably awesome. The final climax was a mix of tension and hilarity, all leading up to a great, if not a tad too idealistic, ending chapter. The final chapter acts as an epilogue and wraps up the story even more, in that way that almost literally puts a final period on the end of this story.

Rating:

As with most of my five star reviews recently, this wasn't really a surprise, though there was a moment in the book where I almost knocked it down half a star, my aggravation was eventually made up for by a thrilling plot, a deep mystery, and the constancy of friendship.

The Scourge by Jennifer A. Nielsen (WOW #12)

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

As a lethal plague sweeps through the land, Ani Mells is shocked when she is unexpectedly captured by the governor's wardens and forced to submit to a test for the deadly Scourge. She is even more surprised when the test results come back positive, and she is sent to Attic Island, a former prison turned refuge -- and quarantine colony -- for the ill. The Scourge's victims, Ani now among them, can only expect to live out short, painful lives there. However, Ani quickly discovers that she doesn't know the whole truth about the Scourge or the Colony. She's been caught in a devious plot, and, with the help of her best friend, Weevil, Ani means to uncover just what is actually going on. 

But will she and Weevil survive long enough to do so?

The Scourge releases on August 30, 2016 from Scholastic Press

I will read pretty much ANYTHING from Jennifer A. Nielsen, and this book sounds ominous and AWESOME! The way this author writes is utterly captivating and I'm so excited that there will be a new book before the final Mark of the Thief book, because the wait for that would have been just too long!

So, what are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Book Review: Rise of the Wolf (Mark of the Thief #2)

Release Date: January 26, 2016
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Length: 352 pages
Source: Gifted ARC

Nic may have escaped enslavement in the mines outside of Rome, but his troubles are far from over. The Praetor War--the battle to destroy Rome from within--is in full force, and Nic is caught in the crossfire. The secretive Praetors are determined to unlock a powerful amulet--one sure to bring the empire to its knees. Worse, the Praetors believe Nic holds the key to finding this amulet, and they will stop at nothing to steal it, even if that means harming the people Nic holds most dear.

When the Praetors capture Nic's mother, Nic knows he must do anything to save her. He challenges the Praetors to a chariot race. If he wins, they will release his mother. But if he loses, he must hand over a magic that will certainly destroy Rome and end his own life. Can Nic once again harness his magic and gather the strength to defeat his enemies? Or will he lose his mother and bear witness to Rome's destruction?

    

Review:

Protagonist: Nic is once again a prisoner, a well fed and pampered one, but a prisoner nonetheless. He now lives in his newly discovered grandfather's house and is training his chariot riding skills as he tries to think of a way for his sister Livia and him to escape and leave the Roman Empire behind, and with any luck take some friends along. Nic is still the cunning and defiant boy we met in the first installment, but he's grown and changed since then, his instincts are sharper, his judgement, while still not the best, is better. He's still cares very deeply for his friends and family, almost to a fault. Over the course of this book he learns some hard lessons, and grows and matures even more. I love the character of Nic so much, he's relateable and real, he has flaws, makes mistakes, but learns from them to better himself for the future.

Romance: Unlike the previous installment, the romance in this book is much more prevalent. I was actually shocked by how much romance is in this book, and it's done so well. I really root for Nic and Aurelia to be together and I understand completely why they don't just get together right away. It's amazing how this author writes romance, it's not the "can't eat, can't sleep," near obsessive love of some YA books, it's realistic, wholesome, and it's paced perfectly in this series.

World-Building: So, if you thought Radulf was a bad guy, you ain't seen nothing yet. There are far fiercer enemies in this world and some have more power than you can imagine. The world-building really grows exponentially in this book. The consequences of Nic's actions in the first book are really clearly drawn out here and it's not hard at all to see where this series will probably end. The divine power of the gods isn't just something talked about and seen through the bulla or divine star in this book, no, in this book the power of the gods is a real threat. I can't believe how much this world gets expanded in this book, it's amazing and I loved every second of it.

Predictability: The most surprising thing about this book was how predictable it was, maybe I'm just wising up to Nielsen's foreshadowing but even so I loved every twist and turn even if I saw it from a mile away. There are plans once again that Nic tries to keep from the reader, until that moment where he can reveal it for the maximum effect. However, there was a lot of foreshadowing so even though there were times when I was genuinely surprised by what happens, there were probably just as many times, if not more, where I knew exactly what he was going to do, but I didn't care, everything was just as entertaining and I never felt a groan even begin to form in my throat as this book twisted and turned.

Ending: For those hoping for a happy or plateaued ending that lead into an easy to foresee happy future for all our main characters, well I have some bad news. This book ends with an epic final battle that's half combat and magic and half strategy and debate. There are bits of foreshadowing of things to come that all lead to an epic and heart-wrenching cliffhanger that only went to prove my prediction that the wait for the third and final book in this epic trilogy will be agony!

Rating:

Was this really a surprise? Probably not. I loved this book for so many reasons, it was near impossible to put down and I was excited to see that even if Nielsen isn't all that unpredictable I still love her stories and I seriously cannot wait until I have book 3 in my hands!