Book Review: The Thief (The Queen's Thief #1)

Release Date: October 1, 1996
Author: Megan Whalen Turner
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Length: 279 pages
Source: Audible Audiobook

Nothing is overdone and not a word is out of place in this auspicious debut," wrote Kirkus in a starred review of Instead of Three Wishes, the first book by Megan Whalen Turner. Her second book more than fulfills that promise.

The king's scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king's prison. The magus is interested only in the thief's abilities. What Gen is interested in is anyone's guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses.

Megan Whalen Turner weaves Gen's stories and Gen's story together with style and verve in a novel that is filled with intrigue, adventure, and surprise.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Once claiming to be a thief who can steal anything Gen is now rotting in prison in Sounis when the King's magus comes to retrieve him for a mission where he could gain fame and fortune or a knife in the back. Joining Gen and the magus on their journey are the magus's apprentices Sophos and Ambiades, as well as a soldier and bodyguard named Pol. On this journey, Gen often butts heads with his companions, but along the adventure, he proves to be a capable and cunning thief. I love that Gen's flaws don't come from his profession, something that has been established he excels at, instead, his faults come in his pride and, like most fantasy heroes, his stubbornness. Over the course of the story, I loved seeing Gen come out of his shell as well as learn more about where his true motives lie.

World Building: My favorite thing about this story is that throughout their journey the magus and Gen trade stories about the gods of this world, gods that are very obviously inspired by the Greco-Roman pantheon of gods. The stories are a joy to behold in this tale, while I was a little anxious as I wasn't sure if the stories would be based on Greek and Roman myths or if the stories would be brand new, while most of the stories are original there are of course bits and pieces that are pulled from Greek myths. The stories in this book deal mostly with the creation of the world as well as tales relating to a specific god and the item that our group seeks. There isn't a whole lot of development of this world in the story beyond setting up the three kingdoms that we see, however, there are five more books in this series so there's a whole lot more to explore in the future. As for any romance in this story, well, there isn't any, however, I did think that Gen and one of his traveling companions had slow-burning romance, but by the time the story was over, I realized just how wrong I was.

Predictability: This story isn't particularly long and while there are a fair number of twists, I felt like the characters pointing said twists out in the book lessened some of that gut punch that a good twist will give you. For most of the story, I had a vague idea of where everything was headed but was stumped on how it would end, which we'll get to in a second, the end had the most twists and turns and it was during the cooldown period where I was the most blown away with how everything ended up.

Ending: The final climax of this story is excellent. As the story winds to close things get crazy as our group of adventurers and treasure seekers find themselves in a few sticky situations and they are forced to navigate their way out. I don't want to say too much but there is at least one action scene and there may have been a plethora of emotions unleashed on me as this story not only overcame the final climax but came to a close during the "cooldown" period, I put cooldown in quotes because there are plenty of twists during this point and they didn't exactly cool down the story. The story doesn't end with a cliffhanger, and in fact, you could probably read this as a standalone if you didn't enjoy it, but for me, I can't wait to explore more of this world and the mythology the pulled me in in the first place.

Rating:

I loved this story and the only thing I feel I can complain about is that it's too short, but again, there are more books and more to explore and when I can I'll be diving right back in!

Book Review: Immortal Reign (Falling Kingdoms #6)

Release Date: February 6, 2018
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Publisher: Razorbill
Length: 400 pages
Source: Audible Audiobook

As two lethal elemental gods set out to destroy Mytica, sworn enemies must become allies in the final fight to save the kingdoms.

Jonas continues to willfully defy his destiny, but the consequences of plotting his own course are drastic. As the fight for Mytica rages on, he must decide just how much more he's willing to sacrifice.

Lucia knows there's something special about her daughter and she'll do anything to protect her, even if that means facing Kyan alone.

Amara is called back home to Kraeshia. Grandma Cortas has her own plans for Mytica's future. She promises Amara power, revenge, and dominance if she agrees to be part of her scheme.

Magnus and Cleo's love will be put to the ultimate test. Dark magic is causing widespread destruction throughout the kingdom. Enemies across the sea are advancing. And unrest is stirring throughout the land. Is their love strong enough to withstand the outside forces tearing them apart?

    

Review:

Characters: So, I know I’ve said this, probably too many times, before, but these characters have come such a long way since the beginning of this series. It’s almost impossible not to see as you read this book. Magnus, while he still has his contemplative and brooding side, he isn’t the cruel prince who was torn between becoming his father and escaping him. Cleo is no longer the party girl princess whose only weapon was a sharp tongue. I could go on about Lucia no longer being the proper princess she once was and Jonas finding his voice and making the right choices. This book is a testament to how far these characters have come and how they’ve persevered and survived to face this final challenge.

Romance: With this being the sixth and final book in this series, it isn’t like there was a lot blossoming or budding romance in this book. There is a little bit of new romance, and I’m surprised with how okay I am with it and how easily I began to root for that couple. As for the already established romances, each had their trials and tribulations but more than anything they showed just how strong these couples are together and how much stronger they are with each other, rather than apart. I love the romances in this series, as melodramatic and heart wrenching it got at times, I have to say that I really like where each of these couples ends up and how their stories reach their conclusion.

World Building: This is one section I've tried rewriting over and over again. There is so much that's packed tight into this series, so much so that there's a spin-off series that strives to present even more of this world to explore. In this book, there isn't a whole lot of expansion. In fact, for the most part, as long as you're caught up on this world, in all forms, there isn't really anything new introduced and there are plenty of hints and implications toward the Spirits and Thieves series. This story takes everything we know about this world, for the most part, and puts everything to the final test and it's fantastic. I do wish there was more about the world that was explored, but that's most definitely just the part of me that has a voracious curiosity. 

Predictability: This series used to feel very unpredictable to me. I mean, I always felt like my expectations were being blown away with every installment in this series, and while I still love this series, and I love this installment, I've sort of caught on to the rhythm and rhyme of the story and it's not hard to see where things are going in this story. Even though I understood where things were headed, I never felt robbed of the experience to discover things as they happened, plus there was always a shadow of doubt as to whether my predictions would be wrong, not much of a doubt but enough to keep me on my toes.

Ending: How is it that even though I feel that this story is complete and reached a fantastic end, that I still have questions. I mean, I know we're going to get the final Spirits and Thieves book which I'm sure will alleviate some of my questions about this world, but there are definitely a few things that I'm not sure when we'll get answers to. That all being said I really enjoyed the end of this story and the end of this series. While I do believe that the final climax could have been more heart wrenching, how everything turns out, for better or worse, felt right and I can't wait to see what might come next.

Rating:

I did debate about this for quite a bit, but I love this story so much, from beginning to end this series has been everything I love about fantasy; magic, romance, and adventure and how the series wraps up and how it affects the world and the story was unbelievably amazing!

Book Review: The Glass Spare (The Glass Spare #1)

Release Date: October 24, 2017
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Length: 402 pages
Source: OwlCrate Book

A banished princess.
A deadly curse.
A kingdom at war.

Wil Heidle, the only daughter of the king of the world’s wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father—whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war—Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom if only her father would give her the chance.

Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone. At first, Wil is horrified—but as she tests its limits, she’s drawn more and more to the strange and volatile ability. When it leads to tragedy, Wil is forced to face the destructive power within her and finally leave her home to seek the truth and a cure.

But finding the key to her redemption puts her in the path of a cursed prince who has his own ideas for what to do with her power.

With a world on the brink of war and a power of ultimate destruction, can Wil find a way to help the kingdom that’s turned its back on her, or will she betray her past and her family forever?

    

Review:

Protagonist: Wil, like all children of the king, has grown up without anyone (aside from her family and those in their employ) knowing what she looks like, thus she can be used to be a spy for her father the king, however she has yet to see the world she desperately wants to. When she discovers a curse where everything living she touches turning into gemstone, she fears she'll never get to see the world, however, once tragedy strikes she'll leave her home and all she holds dear to find a way to end this curse once and for all. I really liked the character of Wil, but honestly, as the story unfolded I never felt like she developed that much as a character, she has her trials and tribulations sure, but I never really saw any flaws to her character that weren't justifiable given her current situation. I didn't necessarily NEED her to be flawed, but having a character with realistic and developable flaws just make characters far more interesting.

Romance: The romance kind of fell flat for me. Whenever there is a main character whose touch is deadly I'm always interested to see how the author writes the romance and unfortunately it always goes the same way, with a love interest who isn't affected by the touch. Now barring that I did like the slow burn of this romance. While you could see from, well honestly from the synopsis, who Wil's love interest would be, their relationship develops rather slowly and I really enjoyed that. I'm all for a will they/won't they relationship even if I'm sure they will, but it was at one point, where the romance took a huge leap forward that I was turned off by it, there's still enough to keep me rooting for these two characters, but honestly I sort of felt like the author jumped the gun for emotional impact rather than believability.

World Building: So, not much happens in this book. Well, that's not true, a lot happens, but it all felt like set up without any actual pay off. I'm completely fine with a first book in a series having a significant amount of set-up since well, it's the first book in a series, but I felt like the author spent so much time setting everything up just right that when she was done she didn't have time to actually do much of anything. Don't get me wrong I'm excited to see where this story is going, but I was hoping for some real development with the story instead of a lot of set up and the establishment of characters and Wil's relationship to them. I do really like the world, however, and the author's take on a bit more of an Industrial Age fantasy. I like that the two kings caught up in this war are both rather flawed with one being power hungry and the other too stubborn and prideful to make alliances beyond his own kingdom.

Predictability: Well, to be honest most of the twists that this book has are all spelled out in the synopsis, well, that's not completely true, though there are things in the synopsis that are "revealed" rather late in the story which confused me since I forgot that they were never fully established. Anyway, there are a good few twists to this story that really caught my interest and caught me off guard. However, those twists usually fed into the set up that I've already said my peace on.

Ending: The final climax of this story was really interesting but was sort of over before it truly began which led into an extended cooldown period before picking up just a bit before sending the reader off. It's where the story picks up for just a bit that's the most interesting part of the story. There's a lot that's revealed and a lot that sets up the next book in the series. This story doesn't really end of a cliffhanger, but it's not exactly plateaued either. the main idea for the next book is pretty clearly spelled out and while I'm intrigued to see what happens next I'm not chomping at the bit to re-enter this world just yet.p

Rating:

This one was really hard to rate as there was a lot to this story I liked but again, it felt like the author spent too much time setting everything up, and honestly setting too much up as there were definitely a few things that could have waited until future installments, at least from what I could tell, that there wasn't enough time to truly play within this world and develop the plot more. I'm still excited to continue this seriesand I'm hoping for a more exciting book 2.

Book Review: The Silver Mask (Magisterium #4)

Release Date: October 10, 2017
Authors: Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Length: 240 pages
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

A generation ago, Constantine Madden came close to achieving what no magician had ever achieved: the ability to bring back the dead. He didn't succeed . . . but he did find a way to keep himself alive, inside a young child named Callum Hunt.

Now Call is one of the most feared and reviled students in the history of the Magisterium, thought to be responsible for a devastating death and an ever-present threat of war. As a result, Call has been imprisoned and interrogated. Everyone wants to know what Constantine was up to-and how he lives on.

But Call has no idea.

It is only when he's broken out of prison that the full potential of Constantine's plan is suddenly in his hands . . . and he must decide what to do with his power.

In this spellbinding fourth book of Magisterium, bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare take us beyond the realm of the living and into the dangers of the dead.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Callum Hunt has been revealed to the entire mage world as the reincarnation of Constantine Madden, The Enemy of Death, and now he's in the Panopticon with seemingly no way out. That is until he's broken out and given the chance to achieve what many believe to be his destiny. I really enjoyed Call's character development in this book. A majority of this development is truly facing the fact that he has the soul of the Enemy of Death inside him and what that means for who he is as a person. It's a really fascinating journey and I loved seeing Call learn more about who he was and figuring out just who he is and can be.

Romance: This is by far the weakest point of this book, and while it's not a big element to this story it was very disappointing. In this book, Call gets a new love interest, and it comes completely out of the blue and honestly feels very forced. I mean I think there might have been a touch of foreshadowing in previous books, but nowhere near enough for it to not feel forced and on top of that there is next to no chemistry with these characters, thus there was no reason for me to root for them. I mean, even Call and Celia had more chemistry.

World Building: The majority of this book's world building revolves around Constantine Madden and his goals. I don't want to give that much away, but I will say that we see more about the world outside of the Magisterium, and get a deeper look inside the minds of the villains of this story. Honestly, that's pretty much it. I mean, the story was immensely enjoyable at times, but most of the time it was just sort of a middle area in terms of enjoyment. This is a very short book and because of that not too much happens. There are a few big developments over the course of the book and again we do get a deeper look at this world, these characters, and where the story is headed, but I just couldn't help but feel that either the authors are saving the bulk of things for the last book, or they've sort of lost steam for this series.

Predictability: This book definitely had its moments. I mean, on the whole, I knew more or less what was going to happen, either the story didn't do such a great job at foreshadowing or the book just followed a fairly simple premise, but that being said there were some fantastic moments in this book. There are things that happen in this book that either shocked and thrilled me or chilled me to my core.

Ending: So much like the previous installment, this ending was the most twisted and topsy-turvey part of the whole book. The final climax was fantastic, while not quite the action sequence I was hoping for it was fraught with tension and was very moving. Everything after well let's just say that I'm left with a lot of questions and a cliffhanger that will make the next year not so happy.

Rating:

I heavily debated this rating, I mean, I gave the last book four stars only because of the messy romance that this series has, and honestly continues to have, but in the end I felt I had to knock off another star because I didn't feel that the authors put their all into this book and while I'm optimistic for the finale, it's a very cautious optimism.

Book Review: Cinderella, Necromancer

Release Date: September 5, 2017
Author: F. M. Boughan
Publisher: Month9Books
Length: 324 pages
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

Cinderella, Necromancer is Chime meets Anna Dressed in Blood and was inspired by a real medieval grimoire of necromancy from 15th-century Germany.

Ellison lost her mother at an early age. But since then, her father has found love again. He's happy and doesn't quite notice that Ellison does not get along with his new wife or her mean daughters. When Ellison discovers a necromantic tome while traveling the secret passages of her father's mansion, she wonders if it could be the key to her freedom. Until then, she must master her dark new power, even as her stepmother makes her a servant in her own home. And when her younger brother falls incurably ill, Ellison will do anything to ease his pain, including falling prey to her stepmother and stepsisters' every whim and fancy.

Stumbling into a chance meeting of Prince William during a secret visit to her mother's grave feels like a trick of fate when her stepmother refuses to allow Ellison to attend a palace festival. But what if Ellison could see the kind and handsome prince once more? What if she could attend the festival? What if she could have everything she ever wanted and deserved by conjuring spirits to take revenge on her cruel stepmother?

As Ellison's power grows, she loses control over the evil spirits meant to do her bidding. And as they begin to exert their own power over Ellison, she will have to decide whether it is she or her stepmother who is the true monster.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Ellison (sometimes referred to as Ella) has lived a charmed life, that is until her mother falls in and passes away, leaving her the lady of the house. Her father showed no interest in marrying again, but one day he brings home a new bride, much to Ella's dismay and aggravation. After he father leaves on a business trip Ella soon learns just how cruel and manipulative her new stepmother and stepsisters can be, and just how far they'll go to get what they want. It isn't too long before Ella discovers her houses secret passageways and a mysterious book of magic tucked within. A book that could lead to her freedom, or her undoing. I really loved the character of Ellison, well for the most part. There are times in this book where, even faced with nearly undeniable proof about what is happening, she doesn't quite comprehend it, which can be frustrating, but doesn't really detract from my enjoyment of her character or the story.

Romance: I wasn't quite sure what I'd think of the romance in this book, particularly when in the original Cinderella tale there isn't much more than insta-love between Cinderella and her prince, but like most retellings of Cinderella nowadays there's more than love at first sight between Ella and Prince William. In fact, they have a fun and witty rapport the fuels the annoyed but endearing quality to their romance. They are as open and honest as they can be with each other while still keeping their own secrets and while I wouldn't call this romance in any way "swoon-worthy" it's still a light and solidly defined romance that I couldn't help but root for.

World Building: It's really hard to write about the world building in this book, because most of the time Ella's in her house, the church graveyard, or the Palace, on top of that this story seems to be at least in some part historical fiction, but I'm not completely sure where this story takes place. That being said, the author's writing still breathes life into these pages and it's almost impossible not to understand how everything in this story looks and feels. The descriptions are rich and beautiful and the world comes to life on the page. This book is dark and captivating with moments that truly sent chills down my spine as Ella practices her necromancy and brings forth horrifying spirits to do her bidding. The way the author mixes aspects and elements from a real 15th-century grimoire into this novel is incredible and only serves to more fully bring this book to life... pardon the pun.

Predictability: The foreshadowing in this book is pretty strong. There are many twists in this book that I either predicted or at the very least guessed at. That being said this story isn't without it's captivating and intense twists that I wasn't able to predict. There's far more to this story than a simple Cinderella retelling and it's those aspects that hold a great many twists and turns as this story unfolds.

Ending: This story has one of those false beginnings that tells a bit about the ending without a lot of detail and a lot of vague intrigue, and I couldn't wait to get to that part of the book, but I would say the ending begins a little before that scene and while there were a couple of climaxes toward the end, I was far more entraced with the first one, the one that led up to that false beginning and it was so fantastic, the imagery in my head during that part was just indescribable. Then there's the true final climax which was awesome but in a very different way. There wasn't a huge cooldown in this book, in fact, this book ends almost right after the final climax which was a tad disappointing as I had hoped for a much more neatly tied up ending, but honestly after the amazingness of this book, I didn't mind too much.

Rating:

If you couldn't tell, I LOVED this book. It's haunting and spellbinding and if you're looking for a dark and atmospheric novel to read around Halloween time, pick this up! I urge you!

Book Review: The Crowns of Croswald (The Croswald Series #1)

Release Date: July 21, 2017
Author: D.E. Night
Publisher: Stories Untold
Length: 320 pages
Source: Review Copy from Author

In Croswald, the only thing more powerful than dark magic is one secret…

For sixteen years Ivy Lovely has been hidden behind an enchanted boundary that separates the mundane from the magical. When Ivy crosses the border, her powers awaken. Curiosity leads her crashing through a series of adventures at the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to master their magical blood and the power of Croswald’s mysterious gems.

When Ivy’s magic––and her life––is threatened by the Dark Queen, she scrambles to unearth her history and save Croswald before the truth is swept away forever

    

Review:

Protagonist: Ivy Lovely has lived a rather ordinary life as a servant in Castle Plum, due to the magic repelling plants around the property. However, she can't stay cooped up inside the castle grounds forever and when she steps beyond them her magic, and her past, come crashing in and the only place to find the information she seeks is in the Halls of Ivy, a school where children learn to master their magical talents. On the whole, I really liked Ivy as a character, she's spunky, impulsive, and adventurous, but she also has a few concerning Mary Sue traits. There are quite a few moments where Ivy is just able to do what she wants without any real consequences. Sure she makes mistakes, but nothing too terrible happens and she gets at least a small bit of what she wants. Don't get me wrong, she doesn't just float through this book having people practically falling at her feet with nearly no conflict, it's just that sometimes it feels like she's a walking Deus Ex Machina.

World Building: So, going into this book I was completely wrong about the world building. I thought this book would be kind of like Stardust by Neil Gaiman, and in a small way it is, I guess, with Castle Plum acting more like the town of Wall where nothing magical can exist on one side, while the other side is extremely magical. Instead, this story reads more like Harry Potter. In fact, there are moments in this book that are scarily close to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, however, the overall world building and the magic system are so different that it's extremely difficult to even entertain the notion that this could be a Harry Potter rip-off, it's just that some moments are a bit too reminiscent of classic HP scenes.

Predictability: While I do love the world building I have to say that some times it could get a bit confusing, or shall I say it's easy to misunderstand how certain bits of world building fit together. This was most present when I was trying to decipher the truth about Ivy's past before it was revealed in the book and due to a misunderstanding with some of the foreshadowing, I was hopelessly confused until everything came together. I do have to say that even with the misunderstanding I don't think I would have completely figured it all out anyway, and it's a rather complex answer at that.

Ending: The ending to this book is very interesting. On the one hand, the final climax is anything but anticlimactic, although in all honesty, in the final climactic battle of this installment I never felt like Ivy used what she learned at the Halls of Ivy to tackle the battle with her foe, instead, she just sort of does what she needs to do, adding to that Mary Sue feeling I talked about earlier. The cooldown period is great because it makes sure the reader fully understands all of the twists and turns and acts a really great debrief before launching into a really interesting cliffhanger.

Rating:

I thought long and hard about this rating and while this story is fairly slow paced it does pick up and begin to snowball but with a protagonist with Mary Sue aspects and some easily misinterpreted world building/foreshadowing I didn't feel a higher (or lower) rating would fit. I'm still extremely pumped about the sequel though!

Novella Review: Non-Heir (The Black Mage #0.5)

Release Date: January 24, 2017
Author: Rachel E. Carter
Publisher: Self Published
Length: 138 pages
Source: Purchased e-Book/Audio Book

Prince. Prodigy. Mage.

Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass, Falling Kingdoms, and Tamora Pierce.

This prequel novella is set before the events of The Black Mage series. Novella follows Prince Darren as a child through adolescence and his first run-in with Ryiah at the Academy of Magic. Readers discover the dark backstory between the two princes and their father, as well as the ensuing events that shaped Darren into the Academy’s most prodigal mage.

    

Review:

Protagonist: This story is about a young boy named Darren, he's second in line to his country's throne and his father is a sick monster of a man. Honestly, while I like Darren more or less, it's more that I feel sorry for what he has to deal with, his father's an abusive dick, his brother shows some psychotic tendencies, on top of all that he has to be the best at whatever he does or he'll face his father's wrath. I just want to give him a hug and tell him everything is gonna be alright. As the story progresses his personality starts to harden and it kind of comes on pretty fast. It's not that his character is uneven or develops super quickly, there's a few time jumps in this book as well as key moments in his life to explain why he's changed, but it still felt a bit rushed to me.

World Building: So, going into this novella, I thought I could read it before First Year, and still get something out of it, but really, this is something to better read after you've read the first book. This story acts mainly as a character study for Darren and explains, presumably, why he's such a douche in the first book. (Again, that's just guess work, I haven't read Book 1 yet.) In the end, while I did really enjoy this story, and I do feel like it did introduce me to this world and pique my interest for the rest of the series, I just think I would have appreciated it more had I read Book 1 first.

Predictability: So, since this story is really mostly a group of short stories to act as a character study there isn't all that much in this book to act as twists or turns. I do have to say though that the beginning was a bit confusing since it was almost told in a non-omniscient third person and it took a little while to get into the names. Overall, there were some very interesting points to the story, but nothing that really shocked me, unless you consider being baffled at how big of a pile of human garbage the king is a shocker.

Ending: Again, since this serves as more of a character study than anything else, the ending wasn't a huge final climax that builds everything to a head and spells what's to come next in this series. Instead, the reader is treated to what I can only guess are scenes from the first book told from Darren's point of view, and the story just sort of ends after a certain scene. I wasn't necessarily disappointed by this, but since I don't have as much emotional investment in these characters that I would have if I read the first book, it was just sort of meh.

Rating:

Okay, so this story was very entertaining and emotionally scarring, but my biggest take away from this book is that for me to fully appreciate this story I should read the first full book, so after the BookTube-A-Thon, I'll pencil in time to start this series, because honestly, it looks pretty interesting.

Book Review: The Battlemage (Summoner #3)

Release Date: May 2, 2017
Author: Taran Matharu
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Length: 352 pages
Source: eGalley from NetGalley

One boy's ability to summon demons will change the fate of an empire ... The epic conclusion to the fantasy trilogy described as 'Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings meets Pokemon'.

After the thrilling cliffhanger at the end of book two, we rejoin Fletcher and his friends in the ether, where they must undertake a mortally dangerous quest, all the while avoiding capture by enemies and facing foes more terrifying than anything they have yet encountered.

But this is nothing compared to what truly lies ahead for Fletcher, as his nemesis, albino orc Khan, is on a mission to destroy Hominum and everything and everyone that Fletcher loves.

Epic battles, dramatic revelations, and breathtaking drama await in the third and final book in the New York Times bestselling Summoner series.

    

Review:

Protagonist: At the end of The Inquisition, Fletcher's world got rocked when the prisoner he and his team were sent to recover wasn't Lady Cavendish as they thought, but Fletcher's own mother, long thought to be dead. However, before he could even let that twist faze him, they all had to jump straight into the ether, a place believed to be poisonous to humans. Fletcher's journey in this story is a pretty interesting one. His team looks to him as a leader and even when all seems hopeless he needs to think of something to get them through their ordeals in the ether. This isn't a role that Fletcher particularly likes as he hates the fate of others being in his hands. Over the course of this journey though that's not a feeling he can afford to have and he'll need to take action and lead his team if they're going to see their way out of the ether and protect the people of Hominum.

World Building: We finally get to see the ether! I mean, we technically saw a bit of it in the previous books, but not to this extent. This story definitely deals heavily with the world of the ether and the demons that dwell within it. Of course, there is the matter of the albino orc, Khan, and his plans for the world, that's a story that is woven throughout Fletcher's journey, both in the ether and after they've escaped. (If you think the fact that they eventually escape the ether is a spoiler than I'm sorry but it really shouldn't be.) Anyway, I did really enjoy what we get to see from this story. There is another major element to this world building that takes up a rather large chunk of the story, but I feel if I talk about it I really WOULD spoil something pretty awesome. There isn't a whole lot of new stuff that we get to see of this world, at least not in quantity, but the quality and in-depth look at what more we get to learn and see are pretty exciting and incredible.

Predictability: I'm looking back at the story and there wasn't all that much that I was able to predict. I mean, larger, more vague moments of the story such as the basic outcome for the main characters, sure, though even then there were a few things I couldn't predict. However, there was one thing, one thing that I was able to predict before ever even cracking open this story, and while I wish the author had taken this particular twist a bit further, it was still a pretty spectacular twist. As for the twists I was unable to call, there were some pretty intense things that go down in this story. This is an author that wants to show harsh realities over idyllic dreams and that means that things aren't always going to go the main characters' way, and well, that makes for some tension filled twists and revelations.

Ending: So I'm reading this story and noticing that I'm getting conspicuously close to the end. I mean, extremely close and while I can definitely see the potential for a final climax coming, it wouldn't be THE final climax of the series. As the end gets nearer and nearer I feel as though I've been lied to. I had heard about a "fourth" book in this series but was assured by the author that it was a prequel and that there would be a conclusion to the main arc in this book. As the end gets ever closer I begin to wonder if I wasn't given the full story and instead, like, ten chapters or so were missing from the final version. No, instead the ending is very rushed. There is closure, and THE final climax to this series does happen, but it all felt too rushed. There were so many things left to solve that are more or less addressed by the end, but honestly, as much as I hate this author's cliffhangers I kind of wish the "fourth" book would have been an extension of this story and given this story the ending that it deserved to fully flesh things out.

Rating:

I seriously debated whether or not to give this book 4 or 4.5 stars. In the end, as much as I loved the bulk of this story, I needed a more fleshed out and epic ending instead of the rushed one that we get. Either way, it's a thoroughly enjoyable read and I can't wait to see what the prequel will cover in this world.

Audiobook Review: The Sparks (Feud #1)

Release Date: January 31, 2017/February 24, 2017
Author: Kyle Prue
Narrator: Jon Eric Preston
Publisher: Cartwright Publishing
Length: 300 pages/9 hrs. 14 mins.
Source: Audiobook Received for Review

HONOR DOES NOT BEND. A WILL OF IRON DOES NOT BREAK
VICTORY LIES WITHIN THE ASHES.

The Vapros, the Taurlum, and the Celerius: three dynasties bound by an ancient promise, and given superhuman abilities to protect the city of Altryon from the dangerous world beyond its walls. The Vapros have the ability to teleport and turn their enemies to ash, the Celerius have super speed and the ability to heal from any wound, the Taurlum have skin like steel and godlike strength. Centuries of petty infighting, have turned the families against each other, resulting in a secret war. A powerful emperor now rules over all as the families have been weakened by massive casualties.

16-year-old, Neil Vapros, desperately wants to become an assassin in order to please his overbearing father. After failing his first mission, Neil learns that a new sinister threat has awakened. This mysterious new power threatens to shatter the established order and the lives of everyone in Altryon – regardless of their family name or allegiance.

    

Review:

Protagonists: While a majority of this story is told from the point of view of Neil Vapros, a boy who wants nothing more than the respect of his family, this story has many points of view and while not all of them are the protagonists of this story, a great deal of them are. What I love about all of the protagonists is that they aren't these paragons of goodness that you can easily take the side of, they are flawed and their logic of this ridiculous feud between their families is warped beyond comprehension. Each of the protagonists grows in some way or another over the course of this story, it's a growth that's easily seen but not in your face and obvious. I really liked each character who has a POV in this story, while not all the POV characters are good, they are still well layered and it's easy to see their logic, even if it's not something I personally agree with.

World Building: One of my biggest problems with this story, I almost feel too embarrassed to share. This book takes a long time to get fully set up, and while, once it's done, it's a really fantastic world that I'm totally sucked into now and I can't wait to see what happens in it, it was hard to get into at first because there was still a lot of set up. However, once a certain event occurs things speed up and kick into high gear. There's a lot to this world, and while it takes a while to set up it's quite a sight to behold. I mean the synopsis for the story sets it up a bit, but as you dive into this story the backstory for not only the characters but the families as well are incredible. Even after all this story has to offer in terms of set up there are still mysteries it hides and I just want to know more and to follow these characters as they hopefully discover more about the world they live in and the feud between their families that has consumed their entire lives.

Predictability: Other than one very large twist that I was able to figure out from the synopsis alone, this book does a spectacular job at keeping the twists of this book under wraps. If you're worried about reading the synopsis and getting spoiled on something big, don't worry there's enough foreshadowing for that twist that even without the synopsis you'd still see it coming a long time before it's actually revealed. As for the other twists in this story, I'm sure there might have been some foreshadowing for the larger twists, but I can't seem to remember all that much. For the smaller stuff, there wasn't all that much that felt like and intentional twist, but more like a part of the plot to move things along.

Ending: If I didn't know this book was part of a series going in, I would have known it by that ending. While this story doesn't end with a heart stopping cliffhanger or game changing twist, there is a lot that happens towards the end of this story. There are still a great many mysteries in this world and I just loved that the author used what I like to refer to as the "cooldown" period of this book, after the final climax, to remind readers that there's still more that won't be revealed until at least the sequel. The actual final climax of this story was incredible. Since there are multiple perspectives we got to see what was going down from multiple angles and through the lenses of different characters.

Audiobook Notes: As I've said in past Audiobook Reviews, I don't really have a great talent for articulating my thoughts about an audiobook unless it's something special and the creators and producers go above and beyond or the narration was so monotonously boring that I couldn't help but shut it off. While there wasn't anything in the production of the audiobook, such as ambient sounds, music, etc. that heightened the experience, the narrator does a spectacular job at bringing the characters in this story to life. His narration is anything but boring as he does good voices, and really adds a lot of great depth and emotion into his performance. When characters cry it really sounds like the narrator is crying, or when characters have to cover their mouths while talking in a certain scene, that comes through in the narration. Overall, this was a spectacular book to listen to.

Rating:

While this story does take quite a while to get fully set up, and the story can seem to drag in certain parts until then, once things start going they don't stop and I can't wait to find out what happens next in this intricately designed fantasy world.