Book Review: The Angel Trap (Dark World: The Angel Trials #3)

Release Date: July 31, 2018
Author: Michelle Madow
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Length: 195 pages
Source: Review Copy from Author

Be careful who you trust, or you might walk into a trap.

After putting her neck on the line to save Noah and Sage’s lives, Raven is on the brink of death. The only thing that might save her? Vampire blood.

The problem is, no one’s supposed to know that vampire blood can heal humans. Anyone who finds out will be silenced. Which means Sage and Noah need to take Raven to a vampire they can trust. But shifters don’t normally trust vampires, so they only know one vampire who fits that category.

Thomas Bettencourt is a vampire prince who rules an elite coven in Chicago. And thanks to his secret history with Sage, he might be willing to save Raven’s life. But only if they agree to his conditions.

Now they have two choices—accept Thomas’s demands, or let Raven die. And after imprinting on Raven, Noah will do anything to ensure she survives.

Even if that means making a deal with a vampire.

Get ready for more romance, adventure, and twists in The Angel Trap, the shocking third installment in The Angel Trials series!

  

Review:

Protagonists: YES!!!! I can finally call this section "Protagonists" again! Seriously though, as much as I love Raven and enjoyed seeing from her POV, her total domination of the books so far did bug me considering that The Vampire Wish series always felt more balanced when it came to other characters' POVs. Anyway, in this installment, a lot of the story is devoted to Sage, and I loved every minute of it. Sage has always been a character that I liked, but I never felt we knew all that well. We know she's a bit rebellious, okay a lot rebellious, and that she comes from the Montgomery pack, but in this story, we learn more about her past and her relationship with a certain vampire named Thomas. I loved getting to know more of Sage's backstory and the hardships she's had to endure in her life. We do finally get a few more chapters from my personal favorite character, Noah, and for those who haven't read The Vampire Wish series, we learn more about who he is and his backstory as well as what Raven may have been doing during the time her memory was most likely erased and replaced. The character development in this book, heck, this series, is fantastic, it's subtle and nothing feels like it's coming out of the blue or that it's out of character.

Romance: I've said before that the romance in this series is probably my favorite part, and that still remains true in this installment, and it's not just because there's twice the romance. While Raven and Noah are still dealing with their seemingly impossible imprint, an imprint that Raven doesn't even know about at the start of this book, Sage has some romantic drama of her own. See she has a romantic past with Thomas, it didn't end well. I wasn't sure if I would like a romance between Thomas and Sage, mainly because I didn't know much about Thomas before this book, and I have to say, even though there's one thing about him, okay maybe a couple of things, that seems sketchy about him, I actually grew to like him as a character and I really like his connection with Sage and learning more about their past together. Of course, there's more Raven/Noah romance and I lapped it up like a parched dog. I don't know why, but I really love the connection between Raven and Noah, probably because she calls him on all his crap and really, what's not to love there?

World Building: So, I've been pretty critical of the plot progression in this series, but that was before two revelations. One, that each installment in this series feels more like an episode of a series, or mini-series to be more precise (this revelation I came to on my own after reading the second installment), and two, that there will be anywhere from seven to nine installments in this series. Because of these revelations, I tempered my expectations going into this installment, and I have to say, not only was I not left disappointed, but I was actually surprised at how much plot progression there actually was in this installment. Like I've mentioned before, a lot of this installment focuses on the past, Sage's past with Thomas, Raven's missing time in "Europe," and even Noah's past. In fact, while we do get to see more of this world, and learn more of its secrets, this installment feels very character focused.

Predictability: Going into this book, as I've said before, my expectations were tempered and I thought I had a good grasp on how this would unfold, and until a certain point I was right. See, after the story moves beyond where I thought it would, I was completely caught off guard and the story just sort of went in a direction I wasn't planning on. I have to say, I love where the author is taking this story and I love how even though I knew something was going to happen, I wasn't prepared for the surprises that awaited in this book.

Ending: So, like I said, until a certain point I knew what would happen and then all hell broke loose. The final climax of this book pretty much makes up everything after where I thought the story would go. The final climax honestly just blew me away, it's not a big action scene, but I was sort of in shock from the twists and turns that were happening, the places that this story is going were shocking the heck out of me, and the tension built up never dissipated, even when the story reached the cliffhanger I'm sure many people know was coming. I mean, this might have been the most crippling cliffhanger I've read from this author yet.

Rating:

I wasn't sure I was going to give this book 5 stars until I wrote the review, because even though the author's writing isn't perfect, she tends to over explain things in the exposition a lot, the story was everything I was hoping for and more and now I'm kicking myself for reading this installment so soon, because even if she writes these books rather quickly, it's going to feel like agony waiting to see what's coming next.

Book Review: Simon Thorn and the Viper's Pit (Simon Thorn #2)

Release Date: February 7, 2017
Author: Aimée Carter
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Length: 304 pages
Source: eGalley via NetGalley

The excitement continues for the secret race of animal shape-shifters with a hero “worthy of a young Harry Potter” (Booklist Online).

Simon Thorn's life is almost unrecognizable from a few months ago. Along with a surprise twin brother and an uncle he never knew, Simon has also found his first real friends to hang out, train, and study with at the secret Animalgam Academy. The only piece missing is his mother, held captive by his evil grandfather, Orion, who's bent on taking over the five kingdoms.

To rescue his mother, Simon sets off cross-country with his friends to the reptile kingdom, battling rogue Animalgams and their own doubts and torn loyalties along the way. But if he’s going to stop Orion, Simon will need to keep him from gathering together the fragments of a terrible weapon, or the lives of everyone Simon loves will be at risk.

With action and adventure, this story is perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and Brandon Mull. 

    

Review:

Protagonist: After losing his Uncle Darryl, the man who raised him, and his mom's kidnapping, Simon doesn't quite feel at home in the L.A.I.R. Sure he has his newly discovered brother, Nolan, who he still has a touchy relationship with, and his Uncle Malcolm, the mammal kingdom's new Alpha, but he misses his mother more than anything, even though she lied to him and was rarely around. So, when evidence of where she may be held shows up he needs to act quickly. Escaping the L.A.I.R. with his friends won't be easy, but they need to travel to Arizona and straight to the heart of the Reptile Kingdom. In this installment, Simon's character development is heavily focused on belonging and family. He has two grandparents who would kill him if he got in the way of their plans, and who would definitely kill his brother, he isn't sure if Malcolm is caring for him because he wants to or because Darryl made him promise to, and he tries to keep his distance from Nolan because if Nolan ever found out that he isn't the only heir to the Beast King and that Simon inherited those abilities as well, he would never forgive Simon. I really liked Simon in this installment, even though I couldn't personally relate to him, as I sometimes feel smothered by family and feel very comfortable where I live, I could still sympathize with his plight and every choice he made because of the pain he feels and the longing he has felt very genuine. I loved his development over the course of this book and can't wait to see what new developments await in future installments.

World Building: With the first book in this series setting up not only the Animalgam world for readers and the overarching plot of the series, the hunt for the pieces of The Predator and protecting the Beast King's heir(s), there wasn't all that much time to get to see outside of the L.A.I.R. let alone outside of New York. In this installment, our heroes travel across the country to visit the reptile kingdom. Their mission is two-fold, rescue Simon's mom and obtain the reptiles' piece of The Predator. Along the way they run into other Animalgams who's lives are very different than those at the L.A.I.R. Since most of the mammals at the L.A.I.R. are predators we never really get to see what life is like for those whose animal forms don't seem to be able to defend themselves. Also, with Malcolm's title as Alpha so new, Celeste isn't down for the count. This is a woman who's made it her life's work to gain the powers of the Beast King and a simple exile isn't going to stop her plans. Ironically, Simon's other grandparent has similar aspirations and as Orion has Isabel, Simon's mother and the only one outside the kingdoms who knows where the pieces of the predator are hidden, as his captive it's only a matter of time before he puts his plan into motion and tracks down someone to force Isabel to talk. I really enjoyed getting to see a larger version of the Animalgam world. While we really have a large focus on the Reptile Kingdom, it's a fascinating look into the politics of this world. It's a very democratic system, though others seem to exert pressure on those who are supposed to have the same amount of power. I loved getting to see a little piece of their world and am ready for the next kingdom.

Predictability: Going into this book I had pretty high expectations for the story. I thought I had it all figured out. Well, not all, but I thought I had a general idea of where the story was going to go and both how the plot, as well as the character development, was headed. Soon enough, however, I realized that I may have jumped the gun a bit. As the story unfolded my ideas of what was going to happen changed and even then the author was able to throw in some killer twists. A point of pride for me is my ability to catch on to small bits of foreshadowing and figure out where the story is headed, and when I guess something huge, something that I feel the author would have though impossible to guess, I surge with pride. However, I still find myself more entertained and more delighted to see when an author pulls the rug out from under me and creates a major wrinkle in the story that alters how the series will proceed from here on out. While there wasn't anything that cataclysmic that went on in this book there are things that will be small game changers and hopefully add to an exciting third installment.

Ending: As we get to the end of the book, and honestly I would consider this book as having a substantial ending as, after a certain point, there's an air of tension that doesn't go away until after the final climax. There's a lot that revealed in this ending so I won't spend too much time talking about it and I won't spoil anything, but this story does create a turning point in the narrative. Soon enough it becomes clear where this series is going next, both in the literal sense, as in which kingdom we're visiting next, and more in the metaphoric with the main goals of our characters. The final climax winds things down and brings in some new wrinkles to the story that if they pan out like I hope and expect it will make for a very exciting next installment.

Rating:

This book is incredible. I love how the story of this world evokes the same feelings as a Rick Riordan book, and yet still has something about it that makes it incredibly unique. While there were a few things I was hoping to see in this book, it looks like that may be saved for book 3, so I'm appeased for now, but still chomping at the bit for what comes next!

Book Review: Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den (Simon Thorn #1)

Release Date: February 2, 2016
Author: Aimee Carter
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Length: 320 pages
Source: ARC from BEA

A thrilling debut in the tradition of Rick Riordan and Brandon Mull about a boy who discovers a secret race of animal shape shifters.

Twelve-year-old Simon Thorn’s life has never been easy or normal, but things like being bullied at school and living in a cramped Manhattan apartment with his Uncle Darrell are nothing compared to his biggest secret: He can talk to animals.

But when his mom is suddenly kidnapped by a herd of rats, Simon finds out that he, his mom, and his uncle are all Animalgams—people born with the ability to change into an animal at will.

In search of his mom, Simon discovers the Animalgam Academy based at the Central Park Zoo. There he learns about the fractured five kingdoms that make up this secret world . . . and realizes he may be the only one who can save it.

This action-packed page-turner is perfect for fans of the Spirit Animals and The School of Good and Evil series.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Simon Thorn lives with his Uncle in New York while his mother travels the world as a research zoologist. His uncle has some pretty strict and strange rules, such as stay out of Central Park, and staying away from animals. Simon starts out as a kid who just wants to disappear, to blend into the crowd and not stand out, but over the course of this book he really begins to build a confidence and bravery. Since this is a Middle Grade book there isn't a lot of obvious character development, from the beginning Simon is a bit defiant and most of the qualities that stand out by the end were there from the beginning in some form but sort of blossom and evolve over the course of the book.

World-Building: So going into this book I didn't quite know what to expect. From what I know this is Carter's first Middle Grade story, and it's not hard to see shades of other popular Middle Grade series in this as well. I think the strongest feeling I got was a Rick Riordan one. While this is in no way a Riordan or Percy Jackson rip-off, there were some moments that felt very Riordan-esque, nothing specific just a feeling, and the world building of both series is on the same level of fantastic. I loved the Animalgam world and the political intrigue between the five kingdoms. Not everything is as it seems in this world and I can't wait to see much more of it.

Predictability: So I really loved the predictability of this book. Since it's a Middle Grade story I thought I had everything figured out, but as the story began to unfold I kept realizing justt how wrong I was. There are a great many twists in this book some that shocked me to my very core, it was hard to know who to trust and who was on the good side in this book. There were quite a few formulaic things that were easier to pic up on but even then sometimes what I expected to happen would turn out a bit differently.

Ending: So this ending really drives it home that this is that first book in what seems to be a fairly long series. It's not that it couldn't be a trilogy, but more that it seems to be just the beginning of something longer. The final climax was crazy, there's so much that happens and some phenomenal twists thrown in during it. The ending was a weird mix of a more plateaued and traditional first book ending, and a cliffhanger. Like I don't feel an intense need to know how the next adventure goes down, but at the same time I want to know more about what happened at the very end, and just what it means.

Rating:

Carter did a fantastic job on her Middle Grade debut! I loved every minute of it and practically devoured this book in one sitting. Here's to the start of another great series!