Book Review: Oath of Deception (Reign of Secrets #4)

Release Date: June 5, 2018
Author: Jennifer Anne Davis
Publisher: Reign Publishing
Length: 300 pages
Source: Electronic Review Copy from Author

For Savenek, there is no greater honor than protecting Emperion. While other young men his age study a trade, he attends a secret, elite military academy where he has been honed into a lethal asset for his kingdom. He can gather information without detection and kill from the shadows. Savenek’s own father is the schoolmaster, and he forces Savenek to train harder than any other student. As graduation draws near, Savenek eagerly awaits the vows inducting him into the Brotherhood of the Crown.

When a messenger arrives with news of war brewing on the horizon, the Brotherhood is called into action. Eager to prove himself, Savenek goes on his first mission alone. He doesn’t expect to uncover a treacherous plot to destroy Emperion. He doesn’t expect to join forces with someone outside the Brotherhood, let alone a woman. He certainly doesn’t expect to fail.

But then again, his father taught him nothing ever goes as planned.

Political intrigue clashes with romance in this thrilling story that continues the Reign of Secrets saga.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Savenek, has trained since he was seven years old to join The Brotherhood of the Crown, a secret spy network that dedicates themselves to protecting Emperion, no matter what. Ven is set to take his vows and become a full-fledged brother, but first, he is sent on a dangerous mission alone to a neighboring kingdom, or at least alone in the sense that another member of the Brotherhood will not be with him, instead he finds himself in the company of Ari, a whip-smart girl who may just be too much for Ven to handle, and who may be harboring secrets of her own. Together they venture into the neighboring kingdom of Apethaga in order to secure a weapons deal and snoop around for any pertinent information. I love Ven so much, he's a bit of an incorrigible flirt, using his charm to get him out of a few sticky situations, he's confident and while he can slip up from time to time, he's a capable spy and assassin, his development is mostly internal as he needs to learn to work with somebody rather than alone, and he has a hard time getting close to people, which with his line of work makes a lot of sense.

Romance: The romance in this story starts off a bit combative, though nothing close to a hate to love relationship. While Ven has had some experience with women, in fact, he has a kind of, sort of, girlfriend back home, but from the moment he meets Ari, not only does she challenge him, but she's plenty capable at taking care of herself. I really loved the balance between these two characters, how even though they didn't get off on the best foot, they still find a way to work together without either being held back due to the other. I don't know if I can put it in any better terms than that they just fit together. I do wish that Savenek wasn't held back by his feelings for another girl towards the beginning, but I do understand and appreciate why it's there.

World Building: So, I didn't expect to go as far back in time as we do in this installment. I knew that we would skip back quite a bit to learn more about Savenek's life prior to Cage of Darkness, and to see another aspect of the war with Russek, an aspect that I have to say was absolutely fantastic, but I didn't quite account for how early in the timeline it would take place. In this story, we see more kingdoms on the mainland and learn about how some of these kingdoms approached the upcoming war between Russek and Emperion. This story is about our heroes going into a foreign kingdom, where they are almost completely at the mercy of their hosts, and finding the information they need before escaping, which is pretty much easier said than done. The author does a phenomenal job of expanding the story of this series to see the broader scope of this war and see how those on the sidelines reacted to what was brewing. It's almost impossible not to get sucked into this world as nearly every facet of this world is brilliantly detailed,

Predictability: Given that I've read the rest of the Reign of Secrets books, there wasn't all that much about this story that I found unpredictable, at least when it came to larger issues in the story. There were a few moments here and there where I would be surprised by what was going on, and even though I knew more or less how things would turn out, that didn't stop the tension from rising in certain scenes, especially certain scenes toward the end. In the end, I do have to say I was a bit bummed by the fact that there weren't any huge twists, though I'm hoping that with the biggest stuff out of the way things will get a lot more mysterious for the next installment.

Ending: As this story came crashing to a close there were so many intense scenes with barely a breather in between, once the ending starts it really doesn't stop. I freaking loved every minute of this story as it winds to a close and some pretty kick-ass scenes. After all of the excitement is over there is a pretty sizable cooldown period where lingering questions from this story were more or less tied up for now, all leading to yet another cliffhanger from this author, a cliffhanger by the way, that I know more or less how it pans out, yet I'm still chomping at the bit to see what happens next.

Rating:

It's not really much of a surprise that I gave this book 5 stars, I mean it did take a second to adjust to the shift in narrators and the fact that this doesn't start where Book 3 ends, but after that I just got sucked in and could hardly put the book down!

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

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

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

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

    

Review:

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

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

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

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

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

Rating:

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

Book Review: Cage of Destiny (Reign of Secrets #3)

Release Date: August 21, 2017
Author: Jennifer Anne Davis
Publisher: Reign Publishing
Length: 272 pages
Source: Review Copy from Author

Destined from birth to be the next empress of Emperion, Allyssa grew up at court weighed down by the expectations of the crown. Kingdom and duty always came first.

Until now.

Having survived the brutal kingdom of Russek, she is given the choice to walk away and live a peaceful, quiet life. But it also means giving up everything she knows and everyone she loves. Before she decides, word reaches her about an assassination attempt. Donning her secret persona—that of a vigilante—she sets out to eliminate her enemy once and for all.

As Allyssa fights the demons of her past to save her future, she realizes she never had a choice. She can either embrace her destiny or be caged by it.

    

Review:

Protagonist: I feel like I say this with all final installments, but Allyssa really has come a long way since the first book in this series. Once a girl caged by her responsibility, she now has the choice to live whatever life she chooses, and because of her character development throughout this series, she has everything she needs to make the choice that works best for her. Once a girl against marriage, especially one forced upon her, she wants to do what is best for her country, even if that's creating a political match. Allyssa still has a great amount of development in this book, she's haunted by the terrors she went through in Russek at the hands of Soma, she's still heartbroken after Odar severed their marriage contract, and she's not entirely sure what her future holds, but she can't rest until Jana is dealt with and the threat on her life no longer hangs over her head. Allyssa's development in this story is fantastic, some things she learns from other, some is learned through experience and growing up. Every step Allyssa takes feels natural and earned. She isn't perfect, but to be a realistic and believable character she shouldn't be.

Romance: I have to tread carefully here. At the end of the previous installment, Odar made the selfish decision to break off his relationship with Allyssa and Kerdan, the crown prince of Russek, had proposed a strategic marriage between the two. Even though I shipped Odar and Allyssa throughout (most) of Cage of Darkness, he definitely made a HUGE mistake and honestly, I wouldn't have minded Allyssa making a strategic match founded in friendship, especially with Kerdan. That's honestly all I can say with specifics, because how the author handles the romance in this story, and Allyssa's decision is phenomenal, but I'm afraid if I talk more specifics I'll ruin it. I'll just say that my heart swelled so many times throughout this book, and what Allyssa chooses in the end made me cry a little bit... a lot.

World Building: Davis is a master at world building, I swear. While we don't get to really see more kingdoms in this world, we do get to see another side to Russek. We get to learn more about their culture and who they are as people, not just the violent and brutal thugs we saw in the previous story. This book also felt like a bit of a love letter to the fans of the True Reign series, I won't quite say why, because of annoying spoilers, but there was something about this story that brought back a sort of nostalgic feeling for the previous series. Obviously, Nathenek's back and as badass and awesome as ever. His relationship with Allyssa is fantastic and how they bond and grow is very reminiscent of his relationship with Rema. Seriously, I'm trying to figure out more to say that won't be spoilery, but you just have to read this book, everything the author does to develop and flesh out this world, even more than it was, is incredible.

Predictability: So, after finishing the previous installment I thought I knew where the story would go next, I thought we'd get a more politically motivated story, but I was dead wrong. Even after reading the synopsis I thought I knew the outcome of mostly everything, and granted there are some things that I was able to predict, some things hinted at in the previous installment and some things that just felt inevitable. That being said though, there were things I was never 100% sure about with this book. In this book, the author seems to have had a lot of fun subverting tropes and kept me guessing. The way everything unfolds is incredible and the twists and turns in this book are mind blowingly amazing.

Ending: This is another section that I need to tread lightly on. The thing is, at the beginning of this book, before the story even starts there's a disclaimer that this is the third book in a series of an undisclosed number of books, which of course made me curious if the author changed her mind and this wasn't the end. As the final climax drew near, everything is fraught with tension, it's clear that something big is on the horizon, and the final climax of this book is everything I wanted and everything I didn't know I needed. The cooldown though, that's where things get tricky. There are definitely some things left unanswered and while I feel comfortable saying that this ends the arc started in Cage of Deceit, as for whether the author will return to this world, well we'll have to wait and see.

Rating:

It should come as no surprise that I think this book is exceptional. Seriously, though this book is EVERYTHING! I mean it, it's a little typical for people to love either the first or especially last, book in a series the most but here it just can't be beaten. I loved every second of it and I'm hoping it doesn't, but this book probably gave me the biggest book hangover ever.

Blog Tour Book Review: Cage of Darkness (Reign of Secrets #2)

Release Date: April 4, 2017
Author: Jennifer Anne Davis
Publisher: Reign Publishing
Length: 219 pages
Source: Review Copy Provided for Review

While traveling to Fren, Allyssa and Odar are hijacked by a ruthless assassin who divulges a stunning secret that changes everything.

Trying to come to terms with this newfound revelation, Allyssa is taken to Russek and delivered into the hands of a malicious and twisted royal family. She finds herself an unwilling pawn in a risky political game that will either end with her death or the annihilation of her beloved kingdom. Unsure of where the lies end and the truth begins, she must survive the brutal family and escape the fortified castle, all the while coming to grips with her feelings for Odar.

In a kingdom filled with darkness, Allyssa enters a game where one wrong move means death, secrets hide around each corner, and it will take every ounce of cunning she has to survive

    

Review:

Protagonist: When we last saw Allyssa she along with Jarvik, newly revealed to be none other than Prince Odar of Fren, had been captured by an assassin and are being taken to Russek. Once they arrive Allyssa needs to keep her wits about her if she hopes to survive and save her kingdom from a dire war with Russek. Allyssa has quite a bit of growth in this novel, the horrors of Russek change her and what she endures there and what she has to do to stay alive will no doubt leave lasting scars. Honestly, with how dark this book is, I don't want to say that I liked Allyssa's growth and development in this book, but it was understandable. It was easy to see how things affected her and how it shaped who she becomes in this book.

Romance: There wasn't as much romance in this book as I expected. Actually so far this series in general has less romance than I had thought it would. Nevertheless, the romance that we do get is complex and real. At the beginning of the book Allyssa has to deal with a great many things, besides hoping to find a way to escape from her captor, she has to resolve her feelings for Jarvik, who she learns from her captor is actually the crown prince of Fren. A lot of the romance is Allyssa getting to know Odar as a prince and the heir to his kingdom and learning more about who he truly is. I don't want to talk too much, but I will say that this romance did mess with my mind a bit and it is far more complex than just do these two people have feelings for each other and can they try not to mess that up.

World Building: Guys, this book is DARK. I mean it has darkness right in the title, but even with the author forewarning me about it, it went places I didn't expect. While there is one line that luckily this story didn't cross, for the most part I was shocked at the level of gore and violence this book held and the darker themes it explores. One of the main features of this story is getting to know the country of Russek and the family of sadists that rule over it. We learn exactly why they're going after Emperion so hard and the events that lead to this seemingly apathetic country deciding to wage all out war in such a vicious and brutal way. The world building in this story is fantastic, it's so easy to picture how terrible the circumstances are and the tension for most of the book is just palpable. Usually in a story like this where the main character is taken hostage, it's easy to see how they might, and probably will, get out of it, however I definitely doubted if Allyssa would find a way to be free again. This author is one of the few that really drives home the consequences of her characters' actions and while she may strive for a happy ending for her protagonists she doesn't shy away from having them suffer a bit beforehand.

Predictability: This story messed with mys head in so many ways I can't even begin to tell you. I'm the type of person that when I read a story I try to pick up on every single little detail to see what conclusions I might draw for where the story is going to go. While there were a few things, including one prediction I made nearly two years ago when the first book was released, that I was able to predict, most of the time I wasn't quite sure how things were going to pan out. With this story as dark as it is, I didn't know who to trust, I didn't know who would pick up on things or if the author would go even darker with a few things. After chapter twenty I had a crazy prediction that luckily didn't come true but it took a couple chapters to be proven wrong and that tortured me every step of the way.

Ending: Honestly, I was a bit disappointed in the ending. While the ending itself was great, I was expecting much more of a cliffhanger, I mean there's a lot that happens at the end which I'll try to talk about in a spoiler free way in just a second, but the actual ending of this story doesn't have that gut wrenching twist or revelation I was preparing myself for, and actually, in my opinion at least, it just sort of plateaus. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that I won't wait in agony for the next book, but even if the ending was good, great even, if you're expecting more and don't get it you're kind of disappointed. There is a lot that happens in the end though, the final climax was epic and has some of the darkest scenes, or really one scene specifically, in the entire story and afterwards there's a pretty substantial cooldown period that brings with it a lot of game-changing elements that will no doubt drive the final installment in this series.

Rating:

Even with an underwhelming ending this book broke me. Very rarely does a book put me in a near catatonic state like this one did, and while I won't wait in agony for the next book, it did take me HOURS to even begin to formulate this review let alone start writing it down. I love this world, I love these characters, and I'm excited to see how this author will end off this amazing series.

About the Author:

Jennifer Anne Davis is the award-winning author of the bestselling TRUE REIGN series. After graduating from the University of San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential, she married her high school sweetheart. Jennifer is currently a full-time writer and mother of three highly energetic children. Her days are spent living in imaginary worlds and fueling her own kids’ creativity.

Website † Facebook † Twitter † Instagram † GoodReads

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Top 10 Books of 2016!

It's time once again for the obligatory Top Books of the year. This year I decided to stick with a Top 10 since I felt like 16 best books of the year was too much. The rules are pretty much the same as last year. All of these books I read, reviewed and were released in the year 2016. All of these books I gave 5 stars, to be as fair as possible only one book per author, and since it was really hard to rate them in a particular order, THESE BOOKS ARE IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER. Now, without further ado on to my Top 10 Books of 2016! (As always you can click on the book covers to read my full reviews of these books!)

1. The Darkest Magic (Spirits and Thieves #2) by Morgan Rhodes

Starting off this list is a book that either I don't think a lot of people have heard of or were turned off by because of the first book in this series. I'll be the first to say that while I enjoyed A Book of Spirits and Thieves immensely, I was pretty annoyed with the fact that most of it takes place in modern day Toronto and not in Ancient Mytica, which was pretty much the stronger storyline anyway. That being said, this second book more than makes up for it. It brings together the two plot lines wonderfully as well as gives a much more expansive look into the Ancient Mytican storyline. While I'm saddened to hear that book 3 has been postponed so the author can finish writing the Falling Kingdoms series, I'm still waiting with bated breath to find out what happens next.

2. Ghostly Echoes (Jackaby #3) by William Ritter

When I first heard that the third Jackaby book would be delving into one of the more anticipated mysteries of the series, the death of Jenny Cavanaugh, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it, and this was before Beastly Bones was even released. So when I got my hands on a sneak peek of the first six chapters or so I thought I'd be taken with it right away, however, I became concerned when I wasn't swept away by the free preview I got. I shouldn't have worried though because once I got the full book in my hands it became my favorite Jackaby mystery yet, I'm both highly anticipated and secretly mourning the release of the final book in this series, however after this series is complete I can't wait to see what Ritter will come up with next.

3. The Head of Medusa (Elementals #3) by Michelle Madow

When I first began the Elementals series by Michelle Madow, I thought it was a fun, almost guilty pleasure-like series. However, as the story developed I really grew attached to the world and it's characters and by the time I got to this third book, The Head of Medusa, I was fully invested in what was going on. I was so excited to find that I genuinely loved this installment, the pacing is a bit weird, with almost two parts to the story, but that's really easy to get over and this makes for one of, if not the most, intense installments in this series.

4. Traveler (World of Warcraft: Traveler #1) by Greg Weisman

If you told me at the beginning of 2016 that I'd give a spot on my Top Books list to a branded book like World of Warcraft: Traveler, I would have said you were crazy. It's not that branded books can't be good, it's just that usually they aren't. However, earlier this year my cousin, who's a big WoW nerd, found out about this series and asked me to read it. It's written by a producer and writer of one of our favorite shows, Young Justice, and so I decided to give it a try. While I would say some remedial knowledge of Warcraft lore is preferable, this book does do a lot to make sure you understand what's going on without holding your hand through it. The story is completely engrossing and I'm bummed that more people aren't reading it because it's truly phenomenal. I can't wait until the next installment comes out.

5. The Inquisition (Summoner #2) by Taran Matharu

Even though the beginning of this book made me sick with disgust at how the villains of this series behaved as they ganged up on our hero, in a way that perfectly showed off what bigoted and spiteful demons they truly are, I can't fault this book for that. In fact, I commend this author for not holding back on the trials and tribulations that our "good" main characters have to go through. After the extreme trials Fletcher has to go through, in the beginning, we see this world open up so much more than we got to see in book one, and led to one of the best cliffhanger endings I've ever read.

6. Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Going into 2016 I wasn't as excited for Lady Midnight as most of my friends were. Granted I hadn't read City of Heavenly Fire yet and I barely remembered the plotline of City of Lost Souls, however after getting those two books read this year my curiosity was piqued for this first book in a new Shadowhunters series. I was not let down when I started this book and I ended up devouring it in just a couple of days. I can't wait to continue this series in Lord of Shadows, and while it's still a bit more than a year away, I'm greatly looking forward to the start of the Last Hours series. 

7. The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1) by Rick Riordan

After a slightly disappointing, although still thoroughly entertaining, start to the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series, I was pretty apprehensive thinking that if a new series was far too reminiscent of Percy Jackson for my liking that a new Camp Half-Blood series might just be too much. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved nearly every minute of this adventure. Apollo is a hysterical narrator and I was excited to find that Riordan didn't lean too much on old characters, but instead seem to be using them as cameos and guest appearances as necessary which leave the series still feeling new and fresh.

8. Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den (Simon Thorn #1)

I picked up a copy of Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den at BEA 2015 and because I'd read some of Carter's previous works I thought I'd try her first foray into the world of Middle-Grade lit. I was not fully prepared for what I read. This book has a remarkably similar feeling to a Percy Jackson adventure, but instead with shapeshifting animals instead of Greek demigods. The world building of the series is phenomenal and I didn't expect a Middle-Grade book to keep me on my toes as much as this one did, but there were twists that shocked me to my core in this adventure. I can't wait for the sequel and in fact, I'll be reading it here shortly but first I want to give this installment a quick reread!

9. Dawn of Ash (Imdalind #6) by Rebecca Ethington

There were two Imdalind books that came out in 2016, this one, Dawn of Ash, and the conclusion to the entire series, Crown of Cinders, why I chose to include this one, other than simply enjoying it more, is how much was packed into it and how much it impacted the entire series. There are things that go down in this installment that I would never have expected. This book definitely derails the series in a fantastic way and if you haven't begun the Imdalind series by now you really should it's inexplicably amazing.

10. Burning Shadows (The Order of the Krigers #2) by Jennifer Anne Davis

Much like the Imdalind series, there were two Order of the Krigers books published this year, though both met the criteria to be included on this list. In fact, if I wasn't able to finish Burning Shadows by the end of the year, or if I didn't like it as much, the first book, Rise, would have taken its place on this list. Without giving away the plot of Rise I have to say that this installment takes this series to a whole new level. There were a few things I was worried about going into this installment, and yet I shouldn't have feared, Davis does and expert job and manipulating her characters and their predicaments to feel relatable and entertaining. I'm chomping at the bit to find out what happens at the end of this trilogy.

Honorable Mentions:

      

            

Final Bits: Much like last year I've left decided to keep the Honorable Mentions category for books that I read this year that probably would have made the main list had they been published in 2016. Each of these books was special in their own way, and each of the had a rather large impact on my year. I loved the messages about the consequences of spreading rumors and the power of lies seen in The Truth About Alice. Hidden Huntress led to some of the most intense world building I've read all year. The Exiled Queen led to a tipping point and compelled me to binge read the rest of the Seven Realms series as soon as I could. Finally, All In was one of the most shocking and unpredictable books I've ever read. Anyway, those are my top books that I read and reviewed over the last year. What books made your list? Leave a comment or link to your list below! Happy New Year everyone!

Book Review: Burning Shadows (The Order of the Krigers #2)

Release Date: November 15, 2016
Author: Jennifer Anne Davis
Publisher: Reign Publishing
Length: 374 pages
Source: Review Copy from Author

The Order of the Krigers has risen.

Determined to destroy the Order, the vicious king, Morlet, scours the land searching for the twelve chosen ones. He burns entire villages hoping to crush the Krigers.

He has other plans for Kaia.

In order to end the curse, Kaia must conceive a child before the Krigers can kill Morlet. However, Kaia doesn’t know if the father is supposed to be her fiancé, Vidar, or his brother, the evil king. Determined to find the answer, she sets off to the other side of the mountains with Anders. Stifling her growing feelings for the assassin, Kaia unearths secrets that force her to reevaluate her cause. Can she sacrifice so much of herself to save the kingdom of Nelebek? Can she kill Morlet when she is starting to understand and even sympathize with him? And is there really any choice at all, especially when it comes to matters of the heart?

With newfound power, Kaia’s heart and mind are entwined with the realization that choices come with a price, passion can rival hatred, and an evil looms on the horizon, more sinister than she ever imagined.

    

Review:

Protagonist: After freeing the other Krigers from Mortlet's captivity, the country of Nelebek is closer than ever to being rid of the ruthless tyrant Mortlet. However, before Kaia and the other Krigers can end Mortlet's reign she needs to conceive a child of royal blood, meaning either she has a child with Vidar or, more terrifying yet, she has to have a child with Mortlet. Yet, she's able to see the good parts of Mortlet, the parts that have yet to be corrupted by the Skog Heks magic flowing through his system. Much of Kaia's development in this book is tied into her role in breaking the curse. The symbol on her weapon means "choice" and still she feels that if she wants to do right by her country and the people she's come to care for, she has no choice. I loved watching Kaia's struggles in this book because it made her feel all the more real of a character. She's by no means a perfect character, she's flawed, she thinks too much with her heart, and she has real fears that can interfere with her mission, that being said, she still does what she believes is right and faces her challenges head on. Sometimes she comes out victorious, but other times she needs to lick her wounds and regroup. All these things make her such a great character to root for and to watch develop over the course of this series.

Romance: One of my favorite aspects of this series so far has been the way the author has approached the romance. In a way, there's a love triangle, but it's presented in a very unique and unusual way. It's obvious, even in the first book, that there's really only one true contender for Kaia's heart, and yet she's drawn to Mortlet, or at least the human side of him, Espen, and finds herself engaged to Vidar in hopes that conceiving a child with him will help break the curse, all the while fighting her growing romantic feelings for the assassin Anders. This isn't your typical YA romance, and the way the author handles it is inexplicably amazing. While Kaia's feelings for the men in her life play a role in the overall story, she never lets that define who she is. She's not trying to find a husband or someone to spend her life with, she wants to break this curse, so if romantic entanglements get in the way she won't let it stop her from doing what she needs to do, which I greatly admire in a YA heroine. That all being said the romantic tension between Kaia and Anders is off the charts amazing. It does get a tiny bit too soapy at times, but it always finds a way to reign itself in before it gets too much. Then there's the complicated connection between Kaia and Mortlet which is extremely compelling, while I'm not rooting for Mortlet and Kaia to end up in any way together, I understand her struggle and understand the fight that Mortlet's humanity, Espen, must be fighting every day.

World Building: With all the Krigers finally together you'd think that it wouldn't take that long to band together, link up their powers and destroy Mortlet, but there's much more to this story left to be told. Since much of Kaia's development involves her role in breaking the curse, that's also what most of the world building is based upon. In this book, we learn more about what transpired when the curse was first cast. Whatever did happen to the girl that Espen was so ready to give up anything to be with? Now that Skog Heks has been killed what does that mean for the rule of balance in Nelebek? Why is Kaia the only female Kriger? All of these questions and more are answered in this installment. I usually find that the second installment in a trilogy is the most world building heavy, and even though I haven't read the final book in this trilogy, this book is jam-packed with world building. While I'm sure there's still much to explore as this series comes to an end next year, I was blown away by the information we discover in this installment and I loved the way the author presented it. It never felt out of place or like a huge info-dump, but much more natural and realistic.

Predictability: Going over this story I was trying to pinpoint what twists there were and try and remember my reactions to them, however, I wasn't able to find that many. That's not to say that there weren't twists in this story, but more that they weren't presented like normal literary twists. There were definitely some twists that felt more "normal" that were either well foreshadowed or came out of nowhere, but there were other times that it was more how certain characters got out of tricky predicaments or how they reacted to trials and hardships that were in a way twists. Not because the characters were acting out of character, but because they handle it in a way that's both unexpected and yet completely something they would do that catches me off guard. Either way, there were only a small handful of times that there was something presented as a twist that I was under the impression the reader already knew or should have known, and even those moments didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.

Ending: As this installment was coming to a close I had so many expectations for where I thought the story was going to go, and yet nothing quite turned out in the way I expected. Things were postponed until the final installment that I thought would have happened in this installment, and there were things that I expected to happen that just didn't and the way the author wrote around it was incredible. I really wish I could go into specifics here because there's a moment near the end of the book that really spoke to me because Kaia does something that I've only seen a handful of other female protagonists do and it was something that just made me love her character all the more. Again, I wish I could go into specifics, but I don't want to risk spoiling people because not only am I against causing spoilers, but it's also a moment that I feel is best experienced without any prior knowledge that it's coming. The ending itself was both incredible and aggravating. Incredible because I loved the final climax of the story and where things leave off, and yet aggravating because I hate waiting for the next installment and while I know I don't have to wait as long as people who read this as soon as it came out, August can't come soon enough. (I bet the author feels the exact opposite though lol)

Rating:

If you couldn't tell by my glowing review, I loved this book, even more than the first one, and everything the world building, the magic system, the characters, and the romance are all phenomenal. If you read the first book and were hesitant to read the second, don't be, it only gets better! (Granted that's coming from someone who wasn't hesitant to continue this series.)

Cage of Darkness (Reign of Secrets #2) by Jennifer Anne Davis (WOW #21)

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

While traveling to Fren, Allyssa and Odar are hijacked by a ruthless assassin who divulges a stunning secret that changes everything.

Trying to come to terms with this newfound revelation, Allyssa is taken to Russek and delivered into the hands of a malicious and twisted royal family. She finds herself an unwilling pawn in a risky political game that will either end with her death or the annihilation of her beloved kingdom. Unsure of where the lies end and the truth begins, she must survive the brutal family and escape the fortified castle, all the while coming to grips with her feelings for Odar.

In a kingdom filled with darkness, Allyssa enters a game where one wrong move means death, secrets hide around each corner, and it will take every ounce of cunning she has to survive.

Cage of Darkness releases on April 4, 2017, from Reign Publishing

I discovered the Reign of Secrets series nearly a year and a half ago, and entering this world is one of best reading decisions I've made. If you're new to this series and haven't read the True Reign series by the same author I highly recommend starting there, because while I'm sure you'll enjoy the first tale in this series, you'll have a much deeper appreciation for the world and it's characters if you start at the beginning. I'm more than excited to return to this world and continue where we left off. The new covers for this series are unspeakably fantastic and they've only made me more enthusiastic to return. if you haven't read anything by Davis yet I implore you to remedy that immediately, her writing and world building are phenomenal and her characters are so vivid and realistic.

So, what are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Blog Tour Book Review: Rise (The Order of the Krigers #1) + GIVEAWAY!

Release Date: May 17, 2016
Author: Jennifer Anne Davis
Publisher: Month9Books
Length: 300 pages
Source: eARC from Publisher

The people of Nelebek live in fear of persecution from the evil Morlet, who reigns with a dark and destructive magic. The kingdom’s only hope lies with the Order of the Krigers—twelve warriors with mysterious powers linked to magical weapons.

For over a century, Morlet has been annihilating the Order, picking them off one by one. Eleven Krigers have been hunted down, tortured, and imprisoned in his dungeon. Now, only one remains.

Sixteen-year-old Kaia survives by keeping her head down and minding her own business. But when she finds herself in the middle of a public execution where the mysterious Morlet is in attendance, an odd compulsion she can’t resist comes over her.

Kaia looks into Morlet’s eyes.

Soon, an ancient power awakens and Kaia can no more blend into the scenery. Will she heed the call of the Krigers or will Morlet’s dark magic destroy the last of the Order?

    

Review:

Protagonist: Kaia has always known to keep her head down and out of trouble. However when she finds herself in running an errand to save her sick father she comes face to face with the evil tyrant who runs the kingdom she lives in she can no longer fade into obscurity. Now she's on the run from a terrifying enemy and learns of her destiny to help eleven others band together to fight and ultimately bring down the fearsome Mortlet. I really like Kaia, she's stubborn and fierce with a caring side to her. It's really hard to describe because she's more than just those things, she's a very well written and developed character.

Romance: So the romance in this book isn't a large plot point, and I was completely okay with that as it let this incredible plot shine all the more. So, I'm trying to figure out how to describe the romance without giving some rather large spoilers away, so I'll say this, while there isn't really a love triangle in this book, at least not one that I can take seriously, there is more than one person that comes into Kaia's life that will contribute in one way or another to the romance. The romance between Kaia and her main love interest is great though, it's slow moving, and has a lot of great tension in it. It didn't take too long for me to really start to root for them.

World-Building: Wow, this world is incredible. I said on twitter, not too long after starting this book, that the prologue to this story is incredible, it hooked me so easily and never let go. In this world there is magic, though humans don't have it unless it's given to them. Which is how the Krigers were born. They each have a weapon that links them to their magic which I found to be an incredible idea. I was eager to see how Davis would handle a magic system, since her True Reign and Reign of Secrets series don't have a magic aspect, and I have to say she did a phenomenal job. Then there's the world itself and while we don't learn too much about it, what we do learn is very well presented and there's some hints at things that I think we'll discover more in the future.

Predictability: So I'm going over in my head all of the twists in this book and there aren't all that many. There are some sudden turns in the story that I didn't quite see coming that were incredible, and even the twists that I did see coming I still really enjoyed. The sort of big twist to this story was actually pretty easy to guess, though not until after learning a key piece of information, but even then with the twist so obvious, the author didn't really try to continue to hint at it beating it over our heads, in fact even the main character starts to catch on to a few things. In the end I was probably more excited with how things fit together than whether or not I was surprised when they were finally revealed.

Ending: This ending did not take the turn I thought it would have. While I knew in my mind where the logical end point for this installment was, there were things in it that just seem to happen almost too soon. There are two more installments in this series and now I'm extremely curious as to what the next installment is going to bring. The final climax of this book had quite a few twists and turns in it, some I saw coming and a few I never quite expected. This all leads up to a rather killer cliffhanger.

Rating:

Wow, going in to this book I expected to like it, but I seriously can't wait to see what's going to happen next. The world is so richly developed and I feel such a connection to so many of the characters. If you're a fan of fantasy, this book is a must read!

About the Author:

Jennifer Anne Davis is the award-winning author of the bestselling TRUE REIGN series. After graduating from the University of San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential, she married her high school sweetheart. Jennifer is currently a full-time writer and mother of three highly energetic children. Her days are spent living in imaginary worlds and fueling her own kids’ creativity.

Author Links:

Website † Twitter † Facebook † Instagram † Goodreads

Giveaway:

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