Book Review: Second Star

Release Date: May 13, 2014
Author: Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Length: 248 pages
Source: eGalley from NetGalley

A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers.

Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward Pete's nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete.

A radical reinvention of a classic, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up--and the troubled beauty trapped between them.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Wendy Darling's brothers have disappeared. Being surfers who constantly chased the next big wave she and her parents believed that's what they had done, until they never came home. Even though the case is closed and her parents believe her brothers are dead she hasn't given up hope. After graduating high school she finds herself looking for them and stumbles upon a group of squatters led by the charismatic Pete. Soon she finds herself even closer to figuring out what happened to her brothers, but soon enough her search leads her to Jas a local drug dealer and Pete's nemesis. I really like Wendy. Ever the optimist she never gives up hope of finding her brothers, even when almost everyone else says that she should. She's a strong and stubborn character who even when she finds herself caught between two guys never loses sight of her goal. I really enjoyed her journey and her development as this story unfolds.

Romance: Here's the thing, there's a love triangle in this book. Now normally I'm not a fan of love triangles since it's usually very easy to tell where the main character's heart lies. As they are sorting out their feelings for two people the reader usually already knows which makes it very aggravating to constantly read their indecision. However, even as the second love interest, Jas, becomes a contender for Wendy's heart, I was never quite sure where the story was going to go. I could see pros and cons with both guys and I love how the author did a fantastic job of making sure that the reader couldn't quite see who she'd choose. Since this is a standalone there is a choice made in this book, it's done in a nice and realistic way, neither of the romances was really rushed and since this is such a short book there wasn't really any agonizing over Wendy's choice. I'm very happy that there was not only a love triangle done right, but one done right in a standalone nonetheless.

World-Building: Going into this book all I knew about it was that it was a contemporary Peter Pan retelling, and I thought that it sounded like a nice summery book. However, I wouldn't call this a retelling. Much like some other "retellings" I've read, such as Gena Showalter's Alice in Zombieland, this is more inspired by the book rather than a straight up retelling. Characters share the same names, some even share similar motivations, but the story is almost completely different. That's not a quality I disliked, as the story was very compelling, but I kind of felt that if the author gave the characters different names I wouldn't have been able to really pick up on a Peter Pan vibe. That being said the author did create a fantastic story filled with surfing, romance, and mystery. The writing is so incredible is nearly made me want to drive out to the nearest beach and go surfing.

Predictability: This book did a pretty bang-up job in terms of predictability. At first I thought I had all the answers about where this story was going to go, but before I knew it I began doubting nearly everything. There was a fair bit of foreshadowing, but not really all that much which gave a sense of unknowing to the story. There are quite a few twists and turns to this story, some that aren't that hard to see coming, and a more that feel more like a wave crashing into you. Overall, it was a very twisted story and I was delighted to see how unpredictable it could be.

Ending: *sighs* This ending wasn't quite what I expected or hoped for. In the final climax of the book, there are quite a few twists, but it's almost over before it really begins. Then we have a fairly long cooldown period where things don't quite get wrapped up. If this wasn't a standalone novel I wouldn't have cared as much, there would still be time to fully wrap things up, and while there was enough wrapped up so that I wouldn't go crazy, it still wasn't enough. This really disappointed me because since this is such a short novel it felt like there was still space to finish the book in a much more complete way, and while I respect the author's right to end it where she did and almost understand why she did, I just can't help this sense that this story isn't quite finished.

Rating:

I feel bad for knocking a star off the rating, but how the story ended really bothers me. If the story up until that point hadn't been so phenomenal I wouldn't have cared so much, but because I loved it so much the disappointment at not getting a completely wrapped up ending was that large. All in all though if you're looking for a great summer read with some classic influence I'd highly recommend adding this one to your list!

Book Review: Gilded (Gilded #1)

Release Date: March 1, 2014
Author: Christina Farley
Publisher: Skyscape
Length: 352 pages
Source: eGalley via NetGalley

Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa Lee is a Korean-American girl with a black belt, a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows, and a chip on her shoulder the size of Korea itself. When her widowed dad uproots her to Seoul from her home in L.A., Jae thinks her biggest challenges will be fitting in to a new school and dealing with her dismissive Korean grandfather. Then she discovers that a Korean demi-god, Haemosu, has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she's next.

But that’s not Jae’s only problem.

There's also Marc. Irresistible and charming, Marc threatens to break the barriers around Jae's heart. As the two grow closer, Jae must decide if she can trust him. But Marc has a secret of his own—one that could help Jae overturn the curse on her family for good. It turns out that Jae's been wrong about a lot of things: her grandfather is her greatest ally, even the tough girl can fall in love, and Korea might just be the home she's always been looking for.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Jae is a fierce, spirited, girl who wants nothing more than to move back to the US. She doesn't feel as though she fits in in Korea, even though it's where her family is from and her heritage is. Soon though, just as she is maybe starting to like some of the things Korea has to offer, she get entangled in an ancient curse, and now she needs to find a way to break it, or she will be captured by the terrifying demigod Haemosu. Overall, I really liked Jae, she didn't put up with people's crap and she could probably drop kick out if you got in her face. She has a fiery temper that she probably needs to get a better handle on, but as the story continues she begins to find balance within herself.

Romance: I really wanted to care about this romance. I mean, Marc's a good guy, he's a perfectly fine love interest, I just couldn't find myself caring. First off, the romance is a fairly small sub-plot of the books, and more often than not it just felt like it was getting in the way of the larger plot. And, granted while it took some time for things to start with Jae and Marc, once their feelings were revealed, it doesn't take long for things to move really fast. I just don't understand certain authors and their need to rush romances. It feels like as soon as you get them to kiss and acknowledge their feelings for each other, as long as they're not secondary love interests, they can't wait until the next book to have them declaring their love for each other, just please draw it out some.

World-Building: So, I'm not well versed on Korean Mythology and Folk Lore, but after a cursory search of the internet, other than tweaking a few things here and there to serve her story, Farley did a very faithful job in introducing these myths to a new reader. There's a really strong tie in with the spirit world and various mythological creatures that roam around and make Jae's life even more complicated. I really enjoyed the fantasy aspect of this book and how it's weaved into modern day Seoul. The author really does a fantastic job at describing the world and it's inhabitants in rich detail making this story a real immersive experience. With this first story down, I'm interested to see what other myths and legends this author will tackle next.

Predictability: In all honesty, I'm not quite sure how predictable this was. I mean, there were the bigger grand story telling elements that I could see how they would turn out, and here and there I'd call something before it happened, but I don't know. Maybe I just wasn't invested enough to really get into what's coming next and how the story would twist here and there. Also, if I'm being honest there wasn't a lot in this story that I would consider a twist. I mean, nothing really surprised me or even really felt like something that was supposed to.

Ending: Since I knew going into this book that it was the first in a series I was expecting a much more open ended finale. I mean, there's still plenty of story left to tell, but there was far more closure than what I was expecting. That being said though, given how this book was going, the fact that there were many elements that were tied up wasn't too surprising, I just wasn't expecting it going in. Anyway, I really enjoyed the final climax of the book, there was a lot of tension and there were some amazing scenes. The cooldown was rather extended, again I'm assuming adding in everything could to tease the fact that this is indeed the first book of a series. We get a vague idea of where the book is heading before ending on a rather plateaued ending that doesn't really have me chomping at the bit for the next book.

Rating:

Wow, I really thought I was going to give this book 4+ stars, but in all honesty, while there were many elements of this book I found enjoyable, the world building, the mythology, the protagonist, between the half-assed romance, my lack of desire in picking up the next book ASAP, and the fact that I couldn't get super into this book, dragged the rating down.

Book Review: Captive (The Blackcoat Rebellion #2)

Release Date: November 25, 2014
Author: Aimee Carter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Length: 299 pages
Source: eGalley from NetGalley

For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister's niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats keep her in the dark more than ever.

But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.

As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?

    

Review:

Protagonist: Kitty Doe has taken it upon herself to keep posing as Lila Hart and to support the Blackcoat Rebellion against a tyrannical meritocracy and it's corrupt leader. Things are beginning to change though, Knox won't let her in on his plans and she discovers that there's more to who she is than she thinks. However it's not long before she's accused of treason and shipped off to Elsewhere, where there is no escape. Kitty's characterization in this book and her development come from a place of pain and depression, for a variety of reasons, she's lost all hope and it takes a while and a few new faces to get her back on her feet and give her a reason to survive and thrive again. I really loved Kitty in this book again, she's such a strong character, she has a vulnerable side which she's not afraid to show, and at the end of the day she'll do whatever she feels is right, for better or worse.

Romance: Before I delved into this new adventure I read my review of the first installment to get a good idea at where my head was at after reading the first book. Now, in my review it said that I liked the romance between Kitty and Benjey, I'm sure I wasn't lying, but after waiting so long, when I came back I just didn't care. I couldn't root for them and I never felt any real chemistry between them. Luckily the romance is only a small part of the story and while it is in some ways a driving force, especially in this installment, it's dwarfed in comparison to the political intrigue and the world building. I wanted to like these two together, partly because I know I had at one point and also because it would make the reading experience easier, I really tried, but in the end I just couldn't care less.

World-Building: The big hook of this book is discovering what Elsewhere truly is, and even in the part we saw of it in the first book was just a small part of the whole. Elsewhere is just this whole other place and added cancerous tumor of corruption to this world. It functions in a lot of ways like a jail mixed with a summer camp, except the inmates... I mean citizens of Elsewhere are treated even less like human beings than those in prison. I'm not going to say too much more since I don't want to spoil it, but Elsewhere wasn't quite what I expected. Then there's all the interpersonal and just plain personal stuff. We learn so much more about this world, about these characters in this book that I just couldn't believe it half the time. There are deeper mysteries to be discovered on Kitty's journey as a Captive.

Predictability:Let's talk secrets and twists and the like. There actually aren't all that many in this book. Well, not that many huge and impactful ones. There were a few twists that I easily saw coming, some of the larger ones, and there were twists that I should have seen coming, there was plenty of foreshadowing for it, but didn't. I never really felt like I was being hit over the head with anything though, I never had that feeling of, "Yes, I get it *insert spoiler here* get on with the story already"

Ending: Dear God there's a lot that goes down in this ending. There aren't too many huge twists in this book, there are things that I didn't expect to happen and things that had me jumping for joy, but pretty much all the huge twists are out of the way before the final climax. As the story winds down there's one other trump card up the author's sleeve, something there's no foreshadowing for, and something that confused me to all hell ending in a pretty large cliffhanger.

Rating:

I want to give this book 5 stars, I really do, me not caring about the Kitty/Benjey romance isn't really even a huge problem, but I don't feel like it's fair to give this book 5 stars when there was a plot element that pretty much bores me to death.

Book Review: Bloodmoon (Bloodmark Saga #3)

Release Date: March 21, 2016
Author: Aurora Whittet
Publisher: Wise Ink
Length: 400 pages
Source: Review Copy from Author

Just months shy of her claiming at Carrowmore and fulfilling a centuries-old prophecy, werewolf Ashling Boru has stepped into her role as the Crimson Queen. She finally has the support of her pack and her love for Grey is stronger than ever.

But it's not easy being queen. Ashling's guardian, Baran, has been captured by the Dvergars, a family of evil wolves who will stop at nothing to possess Ashling's power and destroy everything--and everyone--she loves. Ashling must unite the clans and build an army to stand against the Dvergars before it's too late. Unfortunately, the Dvergars also have armies of the darkest creatures the world has ever known.

Shadows loom, growing ever larger as generations of pack secrets begin to unfold. Ashling's people, the humans they protect, and Old Mother Earth herself all hang in the balance of Ashling's choices. Will Ashling have to forsake her true love to save the world? And will she have the strength to do it?

Bloodmoon is the thrilling conclusion to the Bloodmark Saga.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Ashling Boru has come a long way since the beginning of the Bloodmark Saga. She's encountered many perilous journeys, suffered grave hardships, and found true love. In this book she isn't taking anything from anybody. She's not afraid to speak her mind and let people know when they're being stupid. Most of the time I really loved Ashling, the only times she ever got on my nerves I'll get to in a bit, but she's a strong character not afraid to do what needs to be done to protect her pack and those she loves, and if she can find a way to save everyone, she will.

Romance: So, the romance in this book annoyed me to no end. It's not like I don't root for Ashling and Grey to end up together, I really do, but they could be really exhausting in this book. First off there's the constant reassurances that they love each other and how they'll be there for each other. There were actually quite a few things in this book that felt constantly repeated, but their constant grandiose declarations of love were by far the worst. Then there's how sexual their relationship has become since consummating their relationship. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind a heat in a YA romance, however when that heat sort of plays jump-rope with the boundaries between YA and Adult books that's when I get a bit uncomfortable. Not only that but it felt like Ashling and Grey couldn't control themselves around each other making their love seem more like lust most of the time.

World-Building: After I finished Bloodrealms I assumed there was at least two more books in this series left to go. However when it came out that this book would be the last in the series, I din't quite know how the author would finish the series in a way that didn't feel like she stitched two book plots together, but that's what she did. This book is all about the preparation for Ashling's eighteenth birthday, where she'll be claimed at Carrowmore and truly become the Crimson Queen. In this book we learn even more about the prophecy that foretells Ashling uniting the packs of the world and the events that will transpire at Carrowmore. There was so much to this book that I loved, new characters, old characters that haven't gotten the time to shine coming back to play a larger role, and of course seeing how Ashling's pack continues to grow!

Predictability: So, part of me feels like I really should have reread the first two books before starting this final installment. Honestly I forgot so many things between books that I don't know what was truly unexpected and unpredictable and what I would have known had I had a bit of a refresher or recap of the series before going into this book. That being said I do know that there are quite a few shocking moments, things I never saw coming and things that while I felt they were pointless, surprisingly made sense. There's also some stuff that I read into too much and I was expecting some things to happen that just didn't. Overall, I never felt like I knew what was going to happen but making your way through that unknown darkness is half the fun.

Ending: So when I talk about this I'm not only talking about the end of this book but the end of the series in whole and I say the author did a great job wrapping everything up, however I would have liked an epilogue, something to sort of catch up with some of the stuff that went down in other parts of the book. The final climax was amazing, it wasn't filled with a big battle, but there was an amazing confrontation that just matched perfectly with the tone and message of this series. As I said everything wraps up really well, I was just hoping for something more in the end.

Rating:

For the most part I loved this book, aside from a few things here and there, some of which were entirely based on my own opinion, It is a great conclusion to this series and I'm excited to see what this author comes up with next!

Book Review: The Fire Artist

Release Date: October 14, 2014
Author: Daisy Whitney
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Length: 288 pages
Source: eGalley via NetGalley

A forbidden romance literally heats up in this new fantasy from acclaimed author Daisy Whitney.

Aria is an elemental artist—she creates fire from her hands. But her power is not natural. She steals it from lightning. It’s dangerous and illegal in her world. When she’s recruited to perform, she seizes the chance to get away from her family. But her power is fading too fast to keep stealing from the sky. She has no choice but to turn to a Granter—a modern day genie. She gets one wish at an extremely high price. Aria’s willing to take a chance, but then she falls in love with the Granter . . . and he wants his freedom. Aria must decide what she’s willing to bargain and how much her own heart, body, and soul are worth.

In a world where the sport of elemental powers is the most popular form of entertainment, readers will be swept away by a romance with stakes higher than life and death.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Aria steals fire from the sky. She does this because it's the only way to keep her family together. However the process to take the fire isn't always reliable and after she's transferred to big leagues for her elemental artistry she needs to find a more sustainable and long lasting solution to her problem. The only other way to achieve a fire artist's abilities other than being born with it or taking it from the sky is to find a Granter and wish for the ability. However all Granter's require a price, is Aria willing to pay hers? I actually really liked the character of Aria, she isn't resigned to a single trope or stereotype, instead she comes off as a very realistic character, she cares about her family, her friends, and it's her protectiveness that leads her every move in this book. Over the course of this book Aria gets even stronger becomes a more fully developed character.

Romance: Going into this book, I felt that a large majority of it would focus on the romance, and with this being a fairly short standalone, I didn't find that unreasonable. However, there is very little of this book, comparatively, that focuses on the romance. Another thing I'm going to stick in here, I know that the synopsis is usually written by the publisher and not the author so I won't take any stars off for it, but this isn't a forbidden romance, at least not in the traditional sense. There are aspects to the romance that if you squint hard enough could be called forbidden, but the romance itself isn't. Anyway, my biggest problem is that since this is a standalone, the "L" word is going to inevitably come up, and my deal is; if it feels earned by the time the words come out, sure I'll roll with it and if not then hey they're just kids it's not like it's true love. However by the time it comes up, since there isn't all that much romance beforehand and this book is so short, it doesn't feel earned, I was actually hoping that the author would find a way to not even have to use the word love when describing these characters feelings but alas it just didn't feel right.

World-Building: If you get to the halfway point of this book, you'll probably feel that while there is a decent amount of world-building there isn't a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, but hey, it's a standalone so there doesn't need to be an abundance of world-building. The things is though, that in the back half of this book there's a lot more world-building to discover. I'm not necessarily angry at the abundance of world-building, more that with as much as there was, I could have easily seen this book become a series. I felt like with all that we learned in the back half, it wouldn't be very hard at all to extend some things, add some things and develop the world and characters just a bit more and then there would be plenty of content for more book set in this world. Again, I'm not mad that the world is so complex by the end of the story, I'm more just a bit disappointed that there was a missed opportunity.

Predictability: This book was actually really unpredictable. There was a fair amount of foreshadowing, some that it was easy to tell that, while I may not know how that will pop up again, I'm sure it will, and some that I didn't even realize until it was too late that it was important. There was even some misleading foreshadowing that made it seem like something was a big deal or that it would make a larger impact later, only for it to sort of not come to a head. Overall I really enjoyed the unpredictability of this book, of course there were a few times when I was able to catch onto things before they were revealed, but you kind of want that in a book, you don't want to feel like the author totally pulled the wool over your eyes, or at least I don't.

Ending: The ending of this book was really weird. Like I said before with so much world-building introduced toward the end of this book, I could have easily seen it becoming a series, and toward the end there was a perfect place for a crazy cliffhanger ending. However since this is a standalone it moves on past that to tie things up at the end so that there are no loose ends. I did really enjoy the way things turned out, and I didn't necessarily think they were rushed or squeezed together in an awkward way, but at the same time, it just feels off. I can't quite put my finger on what but while it didn't feel rushed it sort of felt a bit too convenient maybe. Regardless, I enjoyed the ending, but there was just something about it that didn't completely sit right with me.

Rating:

On the whole I really enjoyed this story. It is a little bit of a slow start, the romance should have been given more page time and been developed a lot more, and there were a few parts in the book that were a tad confusing, but in the end I really enjoyed the world and the characters and look forward to what's next from this author.

Book Review: The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1)

Release Date: May 3, 2016
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Length: 384 pages
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

How do you punish an immortal?

By making him human.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour.

But Apollo has many enemies - gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

    

Review:

Protagonist: One of the key selling points of this book is that it's told from the Point of View of a god, more specifically of the god, Apollo. Now, I don't know why, but for some reason I didn't think that the idea of a godly narrator would be that special or different, but these are the Greek gods we're talking about. They are all vain, egotistical, and not afraid to let others fight their battles. Not to mention that Apollo embodies these characteristics the most. You'd think reading from the point of view of a character so full of himself and pompous would get annoying eventually, but since we know that Apollo is a good guy at heart and that he will undoubtedly grow and mature over the course of this series, it definitely came off as a lot more humorous than annoying. Plus it's secretly satisfying watching someone learn that the world doesn't revolve around them, even though the world does revolve around the sun of which Apollo is the god.

World-Building: There is so much to cover in this section I can't even tell you. First off let me say that I went into this book very blind. I only knew that this series revolved around a now human Apollo who needs to earn Zeus's favor again, and that he travels to Camp Half-Blood for help. I dond't know who the villain of this book was, I didn't know what the quest for this series is, none of it, and since it's been over a year since I read the last Heroes of Olympus book, I didn't remember all that much about where this world left off. Luckily there's a lot of checking in done in this book. We check in with a bunch of the Camp Half-Blood crew including but not limited to Percy, Will, Nico, Chiron, and a certain fan favorite demigod. Then of course we have a whole cast of new demigods to learn about. Don't worry though it doesn't look like all these new characters will be permanent fixtures for the series, just a few. Now one thing I was really interested to see is that in a lot of ways this feels like the beginning of the end of Camp Half-Blood books, which if I'm being honest I'm fine with. I love this world and there will always be a part of me that won't want to see it go, but I think fifteen Camp Half-Blood books is plenty.

Predictability: I love how Riordan foreshadows his books. I have to say out of everything he does right, foreshadowing is near the top. There are quite a few twists in this book and it's weird saying that as an adult I was caught off guard by a Middle-Grade novel, but I totally was, it wasn't the first time and it hopefully won't be the last. There were a few of the twists where just before the big reveal, something gives it away, just enough so that my mind goes haywire and then when it's confirmed I freak out for a bit. Honestly, I'm trying to think if I caught on to any of the twists in this book, but I have to say that I don't think I did. I mean there were things that I expected to happen, or not happen, as it would completely ruin the entire book if it did, but there wasn't really a moment where I was annoyed about a twist the I called forever ago, or got frustrated about the author hitting me over the head with a twist they tried to pass off as surprising.

Ending: That was quite an ending. Since this is the first book is this new series, the ending of this book doesn't have a Mark of Athena-esque cliffhanger and it doesn't leave our heroes in a dark and hopeless place. There's quite a bit revealed toward the end of this adventure. There are actually two very climactic moments in the end that sort of make for one very large final climax, or well at least that's how I chose to interpret it. Old friends return and as this installment comes to a close there's a bit of information about where the next installment is going. I have to say I'm really excited for what's teased here at the end. There's still a lot to do and more trials for Apollo to pass, but hey at least there's no cliffhanger.

Rating:

So, some people may want to flay me alive for this, but I think this may be my new favorite Riordan series. Look I love all his other series, and the Magnus Chase series is still ongoing, but there's something about this series that I just love so much. Some of it's the fan service, which is there but it's not abundant, and some of it's the plot and direction for this series, which I'm going to be mum on because I think it's best to go into this series as blind as possible. I don't know if I can wait another year for The Dark Prophecy.