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: 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.

Book Review: The Sin Eater's Daughter (The Sin Eater’s Daughter #1)

Release Date: February 24, 2015
Author: Melinda Salisbury
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Length: 320 pages
Source: Purchased Book/Library Audio Book

A startling, seductive, deliciously dark debut that will shatter your definition of YA fantasy.

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she's engaged to the prince, no one speaks to her. No one even looks at her. Because Twylla isn't a member of the court.

She's the executioner.

As the goddess-embodied, Twylla kills with a single touch. So each week, she's taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love her. Who could care for a girl with murder in her veins? Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to her touch, avoids her.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose playful smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he's able to look past Twylla's executioner robes and see the girl, not the goddess.

Yet a treasonous romance is the least of Twylla's problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies-a plan that requires an unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

    

Review:

Protagonist: Ever since Twylla was young she's known that she is Daunen Embodied. Her destiny is to take a poison monthly that will seep through her skin and kill anyone she touches, and use that gift to kill traitors to her kingdom. However, being capable of killing with a single touch has made Twylla lonely, she's ostracized and seen as a monster for her gift. That is until a new guard sees past her monstrous gift, to the beauty underneath. Honestly, while I liked Twylla at the start of the book, and her character development isn't all that bad, some of the choices she makes in the end honestly rubbed me the wrong way. She's not a bad character on the whole and honestly, I do like a majority of her characterization, it's just that I felt she made some less than wise decisions near the end of the book.

Romance: So, much like Twylla, I really enjoyed the romance at the beginning of this book. It's a romance that stems from friendship and at first, it starts off rather slow and I was sort of getting into it. Heck, even when the dreaded "L" word pops up I almost believe that the two characters deserve to use that word to describe their romance. However, there's a shift when their romance is portrayed as this end all be all, soulmate type of romance, though the word soulmate was never brought up. I have a problem with "soulmate" types of romance, not really because I don't believe in soulmates, but more because it just feels like a lazy way to say that two people are meant to be together, and while the author didn't officially go into soulmate territory, with the way she was describing the love between these two characters, she might as well have.

World Building: So, I have a problem with the world building. The worst part of this problem is that I cannot describe it to you without spoiling a fairly large twist in the story, so I'll say this and hope that you won't be able to understand specifically what I'm talking about. So the world building for a fair bit of the story is really interesting, but then there's this game changing shift in the story that honestly kind of pissed me off. Don't get me wrong, had the author set it up a different way this would have been an amazing twist, but for some reason, it just rubbed me the wrong way and dragged down my feelings of this book's world building.

Predictability: So, for the most part, this story was really unpredictable, I mean, I had assumptions, going into this book, that were shattered, things happened with a bit of randomness, but there were still a few things I was able to grasp before they were revealed. One thing, in particular, was foreshadowed so much that I understood what was going to happen like a hundred pages before it was revealed. Okay, so maybe not that much, I'm not sure I mostly listened on audiobook at x1.25 speed, but it was quite a while before the reveal, and honestly there was another twist, that wasn't foreshadowed to death, that I figured out around the same time, but I digress, it's that first twist that I took issue with since there was just so much foreshadowing and it wasn't really that well-disguised foreshadowing which is probably what hurt the most.

Ending: There's a great deal of this ending that made me uncomfortable, but unfortunately, I cannot describe quite why just know that I felt as though I was supposed to have more emotional attachment to certain things and I just didn't care. As for the final climax though, that had me very excited. I won't spoil it, but it's really good and made me not really care that much about the uncomfortableness I felt earlier and was nearly worth it for the final climax alone. The story ends with an epilogue, but honestly, as much as I love epilogues I just felt like this one was tacked on in case this was never a series.

Rating:

So, I did really enjoy this story, but the romance, and the shift in the world building, put a huge damper on my overall enjoyment for the book. I'm still excited to read the next book in the series, though that may have more to do with it being more of a companion novel than a direct sequel.

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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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.