Book Review: Camelot Burning (Metal and Lace #1)

Release Date: May 8, 2014
Author: Kathryn Rose
Publisher: Flux
Length: 408 pages
Source: eGalley from NetGalley

By day, Vivienne is Guinevere's lady-in-waiting. By night, she's Merlin's secret apprentice, indulging in the new mechanical arts and science of alchemy. It's a preferred distraction from Camelot’s gossipy nobility, roguish knights, and Lancelot’s athletic new squire, Marcus, who will follow in all knights’ footsteps by taking a rather inconvenient vow of chastity.

More than anything, Vivienne longs to escape Camelot for a future that wouldn't include needlework or marriage to a boorish lord or dandy. But when King Arthur's sorceress sister, Morgan le Fay, threatens Camelot, Vivienne must stay to help Merlin build a steam-powered weapon to defeat the dark magic machine Morgan will set upon the castle. Because if Camelot falls, Morgan would be that much closer to finding the elusive Holy Grail. Time is running out and Morgan draws near, and if Vivienne doesn't have Merlin's weapon ready soon, lives would pay the price, including that of Marcus, the only one fast enough to activate it on the battlefield.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Vivienne is the queen's lady-in-waiting by day, but by night she secretly studies the mechanical arts and alchemy from Merlin himself. As a woman in Camelot, it's not appropriate for a woman to be learning anything other than maintaining a household and how to catch the attention of a suitable husband, but Vivienne dreams of more than a life at court and a loveless marriage to some noble or dandy. She wants to learn new things and build mechanical feats of brilliance. While I did enjoy the character of Vivienne, I also found her to be a bit too much of a cookie cutter "strong and inquisitive heroine." most of the time she has a fairly logical mindset, but when her emotions come into play she can be impulsive and charge headfirst into danger. She is a great character, but I feel she lacks something to set her apart from the archetype she embodies.

Romance: This book did get off to a great start in terms of the romance. Vivienne is intrigued by Marcus, Lancelot's new squire, and that curiosity eventually blooms into attraction, though she knows nothing could come of that attraction since knights are required to be celibate, a requirement that it seems everyone knows isn't actually kept, but any sort of marriage with Marcus is still off the table. However, while this romance starts off at a slower, but very enjoyable pace, at a certain moment I feel as though there's a skip in the romantic development, and before I could fully get on board with these two characters' romance they suddenly were sharing their intensely strong feelings toward one another. Now, I'm not opposed to these characters being together, in fact, I think they work really well together, but the abrupt jump in their devotion to one another is extremely jarring. My hope is that in the next installment we'll see more chemistry between these two characters so that I don't feel as though I missed a bunch of romantic development between these two characters.

World Building: A Steampunk Camelot? Sign me up! I was really excited to read this book on the Arthurian Legend aspect alone, but a steampunk element really amped up my excitement to read this story. (Although it did take me nearly three years to get around to, please don't judge me!) One of the elements to this story I found the most compelling was that the author didn' romanticize the famous characters from Arthurian legend. They all have flaws, some more than others, and it helped to bring a nice element of realism to this magical and mechanical world. Now as for the settings that we get to see, I was a bit bummed that Camelot felt sort of generic, much like our heroine, in that while we hear about Camelot as this wonderful utopia-esque place, there's nothing that really separates it from other kingdoms and since we don't get to see much of the world outside of Camelot, there wasn't all that much to this world, at least from a setting standpoint that stood out to me. As for the steampunk and alchemical elements to this story, I sort of felt underwhelmed by them, I mean there were definitely a few really cool steampunk scenes, but I felt as though the alchemy wasn't explained the best it could be and while I'm sure we'll get a greater understanding of it in later installments, I wish it was explained better in this book.

Predictability: As far as predictability goes, I was also similarly underwhelmed. I mean, there were quite a few surprising twists in this book. There were things I had no way I could see coming just pop right up, but in most of these cases, I never got the shock factor that I usually get when a surprising twist is revealed. One of the twists, I'm not going to go into specifics because I don't want to spoil anything, but one of the twists was actually a trope I've seen a lot of times before, but since there was no real foreshadowing for it, there was no way I could have seen it coming, and yet when it happened I sort of just brushed it off. Now, that's not to say that I was never shocked, nor was there never a time that I was able to predict something and get super excited that I got it right, but they were very few and far between.

Ending: Honestly, as this story started to wrap up I had a lot of theories about what was going to happen next, but I was surprised and even shocked, to learn where all of the characters end up by the time this story is over. The ending of this book actually had the majority of shocking moments for me in this book, and most of them happened during an epic final climax. There's a lot of tension as this book ramps up toward the ending and there are a few "blink and you'll miss it" moments. As the story winds down we get to see where the story will be going and how Vivienne and those she cares about factor into it.

Rating:

I do sort of feel like I've trashed this book more than I meant to because it is a really enjoyable book, but there were a lot of things that just felt underwhelming or didn't pop in the way I wanted them to. I will be continuing this series, but probably not for a little while.

Book Review: Heartless

Release Date: November 8, 2016
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Length: 464 pages
Source: Purchased Book

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.

Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

    

Review:

Protagonist: All Catherine has ever truly wanted is the chance to sell her confections in her own bakery. Her dream has slowly started to become a reality. She has a logical partner with a head for numbers, a local storefront has recently become available, and her skills at baking are among the best in all of Hearts. Her parents, the marquis and marchioness of Rock Turtle Cove, have other plans for her, however. Cath's baking talents have caught the attention of the King of Hearts, who has decided to propose marriage to the dumbstruck Catherine. After keeping him at bay, for the time being, she hopes to find a way to open her bakery, but how long can she push away her fate to become the infamous Queen of Hearts. I really liked Cath, she's fiery, determined, and while she is nowhere near the crazed Queen of Hearts, it's not hard to see the path that may lead to her fury becoming unleashed.

Romance: Before venturing into this book I wasn't expecting there to even be a romance in this book. That being said, I'm actually very happy that there is a romance in this book, not only because of its role in the story but because it's probably one of the best-written romances I've read. At least at first. I don't think I'll ever get to the point where I could root for a couple who pronounce their love moments after meeting, it just wouldn't feel realistic to me, but if that was the route the author went here, it wasn't by the way, I could almost believe it. I don't quite know what it was but the near instant connection between Cath and Jest was extremely palpable and their chemistry, in the beginning, was undeniable. I won't say that this was a perfect romance, this is Cath's journey to become the crazed Queen of Hearts after all, but for what this romance is, and what's it's supposed to be, it's darn near as close to perfect as it can get.

World Building: Boy, is this Wonderland wondrous. In the past, I've read Wonderland retellings or adaptations that either take the wonder out of Wonderland (no talking animals, no real sense of magic, etc) or twist it into something dark. It was refreshing to see something embrace the wonderfully strange and curious elements of Wonderland, and bring them to life in such a vivid way. There are appearances from many fan favorite Wonderlandian characters, and I was pleased to see that the author wove in other classic characters from stories and nursery rhymes to the story adding to the depth of this world even more. This world just jumps right off the page. At first, at least in regards to the pacing of the story, I was a bit anxious. This book, in the beginning, feels very much like the first installment in a series, not a standalone tale. If the author wished I could have easily seen her expand this story so much more, and yet, as the story progressed, and it became obvious just how the author was going to transform Cath into her villainous alter ego, everything made sense, and given that this is not a short story by any means, there was plenty of time to explore nearly every question posed by this world.

Predictability: I've been trying to figure out a way to talk about the predictability of a book, wherein the end, we know what's going to happen to our main character. It's inevitable and yet still I found myself hoping that Cath got a different fate. Even when Cath's not so innocent or clear-headed side started to rear its ugly head, I still wished that all her dreams would come true, knowing that, in the end, she'd be saddled with a husband she doesn't love and become the crazed shrew that has become a cultural icon. Now I will say that even though the reader knows going in what the main character's fate will be, it doesn't mean that this book is incredibly predictable, there is a main plot that's sort of separate from, yet entwined with, Cath's fate. That story does have some rather unpredictable turns. There are things that start to piece themselves together and make this book, that might feel, initially, like it would have a lot of loose ends, come together into a twisted and spectacular climax.

Ending: Again, how do I discuss an ending that's fated, an ending that we as readers knew before ever diving into this story? I can talk about the plot that's separate from Cath's fate, how the author, many times before the end, made me almost believe that this story might have a happy ending. I could talk about how the final climax was something I didn't quite expect, and yet made perfect sense with this story. I can talk about how I was blown away by the events that finally lead up to Cath becoming the infamous Queen of Hearts and how even after what I consider to be the final climax, in a traditional sense, of course, there was still more story to tell. Finally, I can talk about how the ending, the final words lined up perfectly with what this story was supposed to be.

Rating:

Okay look, this rating isn't much of a surprise. I knew going into it that I would love it. What I didn't know going into it was that I would love it so much that I would feel compelled to savor it and take many more weeks to read it than I had initially planned. In fact, I had planned to binge read it within a day, and instead, it's been almost three weeks since it came out.

Book Review: Atlantia

Release Date: October 28, 2014
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Children's
Length: 298 pages
Source: Library Book

Can you hear Atlantia breathing?

For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden—she has nothing left to lose.

Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

    

Review:

Protagonist: For as long as Rio can remember she's wanted to go see the world Above. Trapped in an underwater city, she only gets the choice to go Above once and until recently she's planned on taking that chance. However, after making the decision to stay with her sister Bay, Bay chooses to go above, abandoning Rio to the world of Atlantia. What's worse is that Rio has a terrible power she's kept hidden her whole life, a power that should have been reported to the proper authorities as soon as possible, but now it's too late. Rio has nothing left to lose and do whatever it will take to defy Atlantian law and make her way Above to be with her sister and find out why Bay betrayed her. I really like Rio, she's a strong character who will do whatever it takes to see her family reunited and discover the truth. Her siren's voice power is something she's had to hide her whole life, to do that she's had to adjust her voice to be flat and emotionless, because of this she's seen as an outsider. Over the course of this book she grows to accept who she is, her purpose, and the secrets her family has kept from her.

Romance: There isn't too much of a romance in this book. At least not compared to other YA books. The romance in this book grows slowly over time. There's a small bit of romantic tension there from the beginning, but for a while it was more about a growing friendship between Rio and her love interest than romance. I have to say, it's a breath of fresh air every time I read a book where the main character isn't constantly trying to figure out their feelings about their love interest when more pressing matters are present. That's exactly how this book went. Rio wasn't agonizing over her feelings for her love interest, or whether she actually had any. Instead she focused on her objective of escape and the romance just came about naturally. Beyond the two actually admitting their romantic feelings, things seemed to unfold naturally and I really rooted for this couple with my whole being.

World Building: For the longest time I had assumed this book was about merfolk. The cover and title made it seem so much like a merfolk story, and when I started it I was surprised to find that not only are the characters human, but that this reads more like a dystopian rather than a fantasy or paranormal tale. There is a paranormal element to it with the existence of Sirens or rather those referred to as Sirens. We don't get much of an explanation as to where and how the Sirens came to be, other than the religious belief of the Atlantians. For the most part I found the world-building not only really sound and relatively free of plot holes, but interesting as well. I found myself engrossed in this world and the secret histories that Atlantia held. If I had to have one criticism it would be that sometimes the motivations of certain individuals didn't really make that much sense.

Predictability: Looking back over the events of this book, I've found that I wasn't surprised by much. Don't get me wrong, this book has some crazy twists that I did not see coming. It's more that the smaller things, the twists that mattered but not as much, were easy to see. Somehow, getting those smaller twists right, made not getting the larger ones that much more awesome and interesting. Normally it's the other way around for me. Where I'd easily pick up on the larger, more impactful twists, and then the smaller things would catch me by surprise. Atlantia has a lot of secrets and it was so much fun uncovering each and every one.

Ending: This book is a standalone, and yet towards the end I could see this being a series, more specifically a trilogy. It's not as though things were left up in a the air, or that things were tied up too quickly and too easily, but more that I could see various ways the story could be drawn out. That being said, I really enjoyed the way this story ends. The final climax isn't a physical showdown, but more of an intellectual fight for survival. Pretty much everything in this story is wrapped up, and why I say pretty much is that while all the important things are wrapped up nice and neat, there's a little door left open. I don't know if this author plans on revisiting this world, and I'm not asking her to, I'm just saying that from where I'm standing I can see how it wouldn't be too hard to write a companion story.

Rating:

I really enjoyed this book, it's a fun and interesting standalone take on the dystopian genre, and while there are a few things that bothered me a bit, it's still pretty awesome!

Book Review: Storm Siren (The Storm Siren Trilogy #1)

Release Date: August 19, 2014
Author: Mary Weber
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Length: 320 pages
Source: Library Audio Book

“I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don’t want me. Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you.”

In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curse—and the girl—can be controlled.

As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth — meaning, she shouldn’t even exist.

Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed.

Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons.

But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for?

Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Nym is a female Elemental, someone that shouldn't even be alive, let alone something that shouldn't even exist. She's been bought and sold so many times due to her uncontrollable powers. She blames herself for every accident and feels as though she is cursed. If you haven't figured it out yet, Nym is an extremely caring person, and very sensitive to the events that transpire around her. She's self-deprecating, and doesn't feel she deserves any kindness she gets. While her guilt and self-deprecation may seem like huge flaws, and in some ways they are, they help her keep some perspective in her new surroundings. Luckily though she's able to keep that perspective while she grows and develops over the course of this story.

Romance: Okay, so I really wanted to care about this couple. I mean, they started off okay, everything was going well, there was an aspect of forbidden love tied to their romance, plus a bit of a love triangle, though nothing to ever take seriously, but it was entertaining. Then it just moved too fast. I mean. I like a compelling romance, but that, for me, includes characters that don't rush through their feelings and race to get far with the romance in as little time as possible. Then there's a bunch of romantic drama, but by that time I just didn't care about what happened between them. The secrets that came out and the shocking twists associated with the romance just seemed to fizzle, and I just couldn't bring myself to care, even though I really wanted to.

World-Building: If you're going to read this book I'd highly recommend staying away from the audio book. Not only was the narration kind of boring, but, at least for me, I just couldn't hang on the relevant details. I'm not sure if it was the narration, the speed it was read, or the actual story itself, but if I spaced out for even a second anytime during the story, not only would I feel lost, but I would sort of forget what was happening. Again, this could totally just be me, but yeah I'd stay away from the audio book and sit down and read it instead. Why I'm putting these thoughts in the world building section is that like I said, I had a hard time sealing in a lot of the world building, and while there is some stellar things in this book, I either missed out on some good exposition that would make it even better, or the much less likely chance, it wasn't in there to begin with. This story has a really intriguing that definitely holds up, and before I start book two I think I'm going to do a reread of this book to center myself in the story better this time.

Predictability: This story actually has some fantastic twists in it. The foreshadowing is pulled of really well, teasing bits and pieces that never quite come together to reveal the actual twist until it's too late. I have to say I'm either really impressed with all the things this author was able to pull over my eyes or really pissed off at some of the things that were kept hidden until it was time to be revealed. I mean, seriously, I don't want to spoil anything but I can definitely see some people that will need a box of tissues with this book.

Ending: The ending of this book was pretty epic. I think most of the twists came at the end, or as the book was heading into the end. There are a lot of things revealed and a lot that goes down. Let's just say I had a few ideas I thought were good only for things to be far more complicated than I imagined. As for an ending to a first installment, well the author did a good job there. There's a good cooldown period before the final moments and well, I'm actually going to leave the nature of the ending a mystery for once. Just for fun.

Rating:

I hate giving this book this rating. The thing is, this could still be better or worse than a more accurate rating, but my experience with this story, at least this first time around was a bit of a bummer. There are fantastic elements to this story and wonderful characters, hopefully whenever I do get around to rereading this book that I'll have a much better experience with it.

Book Review: The Outliers (The Outliers #1)

Release Date: May 3, 2016
Author: Kimberly McCreight
Publisher: HarperCollins
Length: 352 pages
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

From the New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia comes a fast-paced teen series where one girl learns that in a world of intrigue, betrayal, and deeply buried secrets, it is vital to trust your instincts.

It all starts with a text: Please, Wylie, I need your help. Wylie hasn’t heard from Cassie in over a week, not since their last fight. But that doesn’t matter. Cassie’s in trouble, so Wylie decides to do what she has done so many times before: save her best friend from herself.

This time it’s different, though. Instead of telling Wylie where she is, Cassie sends cryptic clues. And instead of having Wylie come by herself, Jasper shows up saying Cassie sent him to help. Trusting the guy who sent Cassie off the rails doesn’t feel right, but Wylie has no choice but to ignore her gut instinct and go with him.

But figuring out where Cassie is goes from difficult to dangerous, fast. As Wylie and Jasper head farther and farther north into the dense woods of Maine, Wylie struggles to control her growing sense that something is really wrong. What isn’t Cassie telling them? And could finding her be only the beginning?

In this breakneck tale, New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight brilliantly chronicles a fateful journey that begins with a single decision—and ends up changing everything.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Wylie has had a whirlwind few months. She's lost her mother, she isn't really talking to her best friend after their last fight, and she hasn't been able to leave the house in three weeks. However when Wylie receives a text from Cassie saying that she messed up again and Wylie needs to come rescue her, Wylie drop everything to come to her aid. Wylie isn't your typical YA heroine, she's a strong character for sure, but she doesn't really fit into the archetype of the typical heroine, she's anxious about everything, she's still grieving the loss of her mother, but still she pushes past all the negative emotions to try and rescue her estranged best friend. Wylie is a many layered character and I really liked her development over the course of this book, it's subtle but it's there.

World-Building: So, going into this book I expected it to be sort of a YA thriller about a girl going to save her best friend, which it is, but it's more than that. Without giving too much away I'll say there's a lot going on in this book, and when we get to the meat of the world building this book explodes with wonder. I'll talk a little bit more about my experience going into the larger world building in the next section, but let's just say it was a shock. As you can no doubt see there is no romance section to this review but I do want to talk about it a little bit here. There really isn't a romance in this book, hence no section, but unless I'm mistaken there's some foreshadowing to future romance sometime in the next to books. I have to say there were times when I thought there was a spark between Wylie and Cassie's boyfriend, Jasper, but before too long there would be something to squished those thoughts.

Predictability: The foreshadowing in this book is ON POINT! I love the way the author weaves key pieces of information into the text as if they're just trow away lines of world-building is astonishing. This book has several twists, but there's one big one that sort of starts the snowball sown the hill. This is a twist I didn't see coming at all, but after it was revealed, I knew I should have. After that I kept getting stumped by twists. There isn't an overabundance of them, but they carry a heavy impact on the story. Even the little things I saw coming had some sort of twist to them that I couldn't guess. I'd advise you to stick with the tagline of this book and "Trust Your Instincts."

Ending: With this book being so fast paced it was hard to isolate the final climax. However it is there, it's not a scene full of action and battles, but it's there. The cooldown period of the book though is where everything comes into place. When I went into this book I didn't figure out that it wasn't a standalone until quite a few chapters into it. I wanted to check  the length and chapter count and that's when my eyes, of their own accord, roamed over and saw the cliffhanger ending. Boy was it a doozy, however it wasn't until I was actually reading the end, when the full impact of the ending hit me. I'm excited for the next book, mad at the author for leaving it like that, and just overall emotionally drained.

Rating:

I was not expecting this book to be this good! I mean I expected to like it, but I freaking LOVED this book. It's super fast paced, it grabs you and won't let you go until you're on the floor sobbing over this story, and it's so worth it too!

Book Review: Girl Against the Universe

Release Date: May 17, 2016
Author: Paula Stokes
Publisher: HarperTeen
Length: 400 pages
Source: eARC via Edelweiss

Maguire is bad luck.

No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when Maguire is around. Like that time the rollercoaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or that time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash—and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch.

It’s safest for Maguire to hide out in her room, where she can cause less damage and avoid meeting new people who she could hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star. Jordy is confident, talented, and lucky, and he’s convinced he can help Maguire break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for Jordy is to stay away. But it turns out staying away is harder than she thought.

From author Paula Stokes comes a funny and poignant novel about accepting the past, embracing the future, and learning to make your own luck.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Maguire believes she's a bad luck charm. Things seem to happen to her, leaving her practically unscathed while others get sick, seriously injured, or even die. This has led to Maguire having some serious anxiety issues, where she feels if she's around other people the Universe with somehow punish them. Most, if not all, of Maguire's character development stems from this fear. I really liked Maguire. The thing about Paula Stokes is that she never writes the most put together characters that just need a bit of tweaking here and there, she writes characters that are flawed, sometimes with deep scars, that to so many people are easy to identify with. This book is no different, Maguire's character development never felt rushed or unrealistic, it felt ver in line with who she is and where she needed to be by the end of this story.

Romance: When Maguire and Jordy first meet after one of her therapy sessions, I expected the romance to move rather quickly. A few bumps here and there but for the most part for there to be a lot of romance in this book. However the romance between these two is a much more slow burning one, which given their personalities and histories it makes sense why things don't happen too fast. The romance between the two is really sweet and while there isn't a lot of intense romantic tension there are a lot of really sweet romantic moments spread throughout this book. This is probably my favorite Paula Stokes romance yet!

World-Building: While this book is pretty much a fluffier and lighter contemporary novel, it does deal with serious topics such as anxiety, PTSD, OCD, and other mental disorders. The things Maguire went through before the story begins are stranger than fiction, but probably not unheard of. I really enjoyed the psychology aspect of this book, being a former psychology major myself, and while there are some liberties taken here and there, for the most part everything if fairly accurate. Actually next to the adorable romance I found the "Session" chapters to be the most entertaining, not that this book on a whole isn't entertaining. Then there's the sports aspect. I've learned a lot about sports reading as many YA books as I do, but I don't think I've ever learned so much about a sport all in one book. Stokes does a fantastic job of describing both the sport and it being played without making it seem boring or superfluous. While there isn't ALL that much tennis in this book the scenes where it's present are just as entertaining as the rest of the book.

Predictability: So for the most part I think I have my contemporary twist radar properly calibrated. Things seemed to flow really easily and while there were quite a few things that I hadn't guessed prior to the reveal, I think I'll just chock that up to my "Fluffy Contemporary" margin of error, also because Stokes is pretty amazing at laying down foreshadowing without leading you right to the answer. In fact the things that I easily called were the usually big picture plot points, actually I was pretty happy that I was able to call the ending to this book.

Ending: So, I'm not saying the ending's predictable, it all depends on how familiar you are with tropes and YA formulas, but even though I was able to predict it, I wouldn't have wanted a different ending to this story. What goes down in what I like to refer to as the "final climax" was totally necessary to the plot and really helped leave this standalone with as few loose ends as possible. The ending isn't totally idealistic and in all honesty, it would have been boring if it was.

Rating:

So, soon after I started this I wasn't sure if I'd give it five stars, I'd read an earlier version of some of the first chapters and there were some aspects I enjoyed more to the intro. However even with all that being said, this book is amazing. It's a fun and fast paced light contemporary novel perfect for Spring/Summer reading!

Book Review: The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1)

Release Date: July 8, 2014
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Publisher: Henry Holt
Length: 492 pages
Source: eGalley via NetGalley

A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Lia is a princess who is terrified of entering into an arranged marriage. She doesn't want a loveless marriage and she doesn't want to possibly marry someone old enough to be her father, or worse, grandfather. So she makes a plan and escapes on her wedding day and finds a new life in a small town as a barmaid. That is until two men enter her bar, one is the jilted prince she left at the alter and the other is an assassin sent to kill her. I really liked the character of Lia, she's smart, resourceful, and while she may not be a kick ass heroine like other fantasy YA protagonists, she is a very strong character. While her motivations for the most part of this book involve wanting to find someone to love her for who she is and not her title, as the story goes on she becomes much more than that and she becomes a much more three-dimensional character.

Romance: So this book does have a love triangle and I'll get to the gimmick involved in another part, but I just want to talk about the romance at face value here. Right off the bat it's obvious which boy Lia favors, but the question still remains who he is; prince or assassin, and I really liked the character she was more drawn to a lot, and for a while, even though it's easy to see who Lia favors I still took the love triangle seriously. However after the truth comes out, about at least one of the guys, I quickly felt myself losing all respect I had for one of her love interests (sorry I'm so vague, just trying to avoid possible spoilers) but after we learn who he is and given the situation everything he does just seems creepy after that.

World-Building: So when I started this book and really thought about this book, for about the first half or so I realized I didn't know much about this world. There are some excerpts from in book texts sporadically placed between chapters, but for the most part I didn't get that real expansive world-building feeling. That is until the giant shift in the story where we really get a feel for what's going on in this world and how our main character fits into it all. There's a subplot to the first portion of this book that only begins to make sense after the big shift and while I would have liked to see a little more about it prior to the shift, when we do learn about it, it does really give a whole new perspective of this world to not only the reader but to Lia as well.

Predictability: So the big gimmick of this book is the fact that we, as the reader, have no idea which one of the boys that walked into Lia's life is the prince and which is the assassin. Now I went crazy over not knowing who was who. At first it seems obvious, but then my mind went on overdrive wondering if it was a trick, or if I was supposed to think it was a trick. I have to say the author did a spectacular job keeping the identities wrapped up, especially since we get chapters from the perspectives of both guys. When the truth came out, I had so many emotions going through my head, it was a weird mixture between genuine surprise and this feeling of knowing all along. While this was the biggest twist of the book there are other great twists, none I really saw coming, but none that were presented like this twist.

Ending: It's interesting thinking about where I thought this book would end upon starting it and where it actually ended. There is so much to the story that I was expecting and I wasn't disappointed in the end. Though I do have to say there wasn't really a final climax in the traditional sense and the author did sort of skip to building up to a great cliffhanger. I think the cliffhanger really surprised me most of all, not necessarily what happens in it, but more that the author chose to end this first book on such a dramatic moment.

Rating:

So I did really enjoy this book, the story is captivation once it gets going and those hidden identities drove me to the brink of insanity, but I really wanted to take the love triangle more seriously and at this point, I really loathe one of the supposed love interests and can't take him seriously as a contender for Lia's heart.

Book Review: Firstlife (Everlife #1)

Release Date: February 23, 2016
Author: Gena Showalter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Length: 480 pages
Source: eGalley via NetGalley

ONE CHOICE.

TWO REALMS.

NO SECOND CHANCE.

Tenley “Ten” Lockwood is an average seventeen-year-old girl…who has spent the past thirteen months locked inside the Prynne Asylum. The reason? Not her obsession with numbers, but her refusal to let her parents choose where she’ll live—after she dies.

There is an eternal truth most of the world has come to accept: Firstlife is merely a dress rehearsal, and real life begins after death.

In the Everlife, two realms are in power: Troika and Myriad, longtime enemies and deadly rivals. Both will do anything to recruit Ten, including sending their top Laborers to lure her to their side. Soon, Ten finds herself on the run, caught in a wild tug-of-war between the two realms who will do anything to win the right to her soul. Who can she trust? And what if the realm she’s drawn to isn’t home to the boy she’s falling for? She just has to stay alive long enough to make a decision…

    

Review:

Protagonist: Ten Lockwood was sent to Prynne Asylum by her parents, simply for considering alternative options on where to spend her second life. They want her to sign with Myriad, the Everlife they are signed to, because if she doesn't they will face dire consequences. At Prynne she is tortured daily to choose Myriad over Troika, to make the "right choice," trouble is she's not sure what the right choice is for her anymore. I really loved Ten, her time in Prynne hardened her and sharpened her into this sturdy and strong person. Her development revolves around softening up a bit, learning to trust people and figuring out where she truly belongs.

Romance: So I'll admit when I started this book I was a bit upset, I mean a love triangle and a "bad boy with a heart of gold" love interest, shoot me now. I have no problem with either one really, I know a love triangle, when done right, can be a very effective storytelling device, though I'll let you in on a little secret, despite what the synopsis implies, there's no love triangle in this book, It's the whole "bad boy with the heart of gold" I had the biggest problem with, I feel like I see it everywhere, so when I saw it here I felt a bit jaded. Though once I let go of my biases and gave into the story I found the romance quite compelling and the characters involved, even said bad boy, work really well together.

World-Building: So what really drew me to this story was the idea of two afterlives, both are guaranteed to exist and you get to choose which ever one suits you best, but they're at constant was and will resort to tricky tactics to win you over to their side. That's not all though, if you don't sign with one of them you end up in Many-Ends a place that's supposed to be like this world's version of Hell or Tartarus. I loved this concept and it was executed really well, which made this world really come alive. I liked that the two realms, when looked at objectively, would be very hard to choose from. They both have their pros and cons and while by the end of the book I figured out where, if I were in this world, I'd like to end up there are still aspects that the other realm provides that I would have liked.

Predictability: So when I started this book I thought I had it all figures out, I thought I knew most of what would happen and how this first installment would end. Even halfway through the book there was no change in my perceived outcome for this book, in fact I was so bored the what I thought would be the cliched and trope filled end to this book that I actually considered DNFing this book, but since I'm stubborn and didn't want to put so much work in for nothing I persevered and discovered that I had no idea what was going to go on and while my predictions changed and I was able to eventually guess a lot of what really happened I was so excited about how this books shifts that in a lot of ways it was still unpredictable. There are actually a few gut-wrenching twists in this book things that definitely wouldn't happen in a cliched or trope filled story that's for sure.

Ending: This ending was glorious. The final climax was full of action and heartbreak, there's a lot that goes on and there was so much that I didn't really see coming, or rather that I saw it coming, but in some other form that would be far less shocking. As for the end, this book leaves off on a pretty massive though not that unexpected cliffhanger. I will say though that while I initially figured this book would be a duology, and it very well could be, I have this strange feeling that it'll end up bing more of trilogy.

Rating:

So while I loved this book and cannot wait to read the second installment, since there was a moment where I practically had to force myself to continue, even though it was totally worth it, I just can't bring myself to give this book five stars. It's still incredible and I highly recommend it to paranormal, dystopian, and romance lovers alike.

Book Review: Burnt Devotion (Imdalind #5)

Release Date: March 22, 2015
Author: Rebecca Ethington
Publisher: Imdalind Press
Length: 344 pages
Source: Purchased E-book/Audio Book

It was supposed to be the final battle, the one to end Edmund’s line, his life, and free the magic Edmund had taken from the world. That was how it was foreseen. The end of the battle that has raged for centuries, unbeknownst to the mortals around them, the battle that would end with Joclyn’s death.

But it did neither.

The battle still reigns, Joclyn still lives, and the sight that was given eight hundred years ago is broken.

And it’s not the only one.

Sights that were once thought infallible have become nothing more than scattered glass, with broken pieces shattering into incorrect visages. Sain clings to the magic that he knows to be true, but there is something else, something that he is not saying. And what he does say is no longer adding up.

Something is wrong.

Ilyan and his people move through the caves, following a sight they hope to be correct, fleeing a battle that should have been the end while the battle within each of them grows with each step.

Ryland fights the monsters his father has infected him with.

Wynifred fights the confusion of who she is.

Dramin fights to live.

Prague may not survive this battle, it may be ripped to shreds… or burned to ashes.

    

Review:

Characters: Much like Scorched Treachery, this book in the Imdalind series is told from more than one perspective. In this book we see the world from not only Joclyn's POV but also from Wyn, Ryland, Ovalia, and Sain's Points of View. In Wyn's chapters we see her struggle as she fights to figure out who she is now that she has her memories back. I loved seeing her struggle and as she resolved these two parts of herself, getting help from Thom and other characters. In Ryland's chapters we see just what kind of torture he's under at the hands of his father, while I felt like his first set of chapters were just there to show us what's he's going through and not providing any real substance other than that, his second set of chapters, that take place post Soul of Flame, I found really great, I can't quite say why, cause spoilers, but those were some fantastic chapters. Ovalia's chapters, there were only two, provided some great info on who she is, why she betrayed Ilyan, and her feelings toward her father and his quest for magical domination.

Romance: So, there isn't all that much romance in this book. Wyn's chapters talk about her feelings for Thom, the feelings that came back with her memories. I really liked that the author didn't just throw Wyn and Thom together as soon as possible. Wyn still needs to mourn Talon and figure out who she is before she even thinks about romance again. There weren't enough Joclyn chapters to really get any romance there, and while we did get to see some of the closure scenes between Jos and Ryland from Ry's point of view, there wasn't really anything we hadn't seen before. Though before I go I will say that Ryland may be getting another love interest before the series is over.

World-Building: So whereas Scorched Treachery was sort of Eyes of Ember 2.0 and was chock full of information that was vital to the series and the story overall. In this book though I felt like there were some fun and informative scenes that take place during the events of Soul of Flame, but other than a few scenes here and there, most of which came from Wyn's POV, nothing really felt vital to the story, and sort of detracted from everything. If it was a novella, I think I'd be okay with it, but since this is a main series title, I felt it was a bit unnecessary. However, all the chapters after we catch up with the end of book four were fantastic. We learn more about the world, the Blade of Souls and just how much control Edmund has over this world.

Predictability: So other than a few spoilers I saw here and there, which weren't that spoilery, there was very little I was able to predict. Much like other books in this series there was a lot that was foreshadowed that never came to fruition and will probably be seen in the next installment or the final one. The things that I could predict were those things that were liable to happen at some point, but even then there was sometimes a little twist on them that I couldn't see coming.

Ending: So if I had to define the end of this installment, I'd probably say the final two chapters, one told by Ryland and the final one told by Sain. The Ryland chapter really starts to wrap up the story and begins to foreshadow what's coming, and the final chapter reveals something that has been teased for a while. So for a little over an entire book some of the characters have questioned Sain's motivations and in the final chapter we find out a lot of where his true loyalties lie and his plans for the upcoming battle.

Rating:

So this was pretty hard to rate, while I knew that it wasn't going to get five stars, mainly due to the fact that there were quite a few chapters that felt like they were full of superfluous information that wasn't really needed, while it was interesting to see, it felt like something for more of a novella or bonus scenes than part of the main series. However I loved the rest of the book, after we catch up with the story as we knew it. I can't wait to see where this series goes from here.