Book Review: After the End

She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.
Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.  Quoted from Goodreads

********************

I enjoyed Amy Plum's Die for Me series, so when I saw she was writing a new book, it went straight on my to-read list.  The one downside to this was I never actually read the little blurb accompanying it.  I looked at the title, the barren cover with a city in the distance, and thought I knew what this book was about.   I was 90% wrong.

This isn't a post-apocalyptic survival story or even a dystopian one (though those are on the outs, so I didn't really expect that), though Juneau thinks that's her life.  No, it's much more a journey to uncover the truth after a lifetime of being lied to while, at the same time, avoiding people who want to capture her just like they did the rest of her village. What the blurb doesn't tell you is it's dual POV, so only half the story is Juneau's.  The rest belongs to Miles, and while his path joins hers pretty quickly, his half the story is, for the most part, pretty different.

I'm not sure how I feel about the dual POV.  I really liked Juneau as a character.  She's different, independent, responsible, smart, and very determined.  With her we get the whole fish-out-of-water with a mystical twist that makes her a superb character.  Miles, on the other hand, is your typical misunderstood rich boy, and honestly, his story is a lot less exciting.  Sure, it's fun to see exactly how odd Juneau is from another person's perspective and I liked knowing exactly why Miles was with her, but half of his chapters (especially the first half) could have easily been taken out.  The good news is he looks to become a much more interesting character in the second book and I really did appreciate his growth.

There's a lot of betrayal (which I love) and manipulation to keep the plot moving.  We also get a bunch of separate groups looking for Juneau, so there are different sorts of threats for them to watch out for, especially right at the beginning and the very end, but a lot of this book is a semi-mystical road trip/mystery.  The magic/science in this book is also really interesting.  I enjoyed the juxtaposition of   the two different elements and how both work together to form Juneau's world.

As for the romance, I appreciate the lack of insta-love, though I still felt like the characters grew close a little too fast.  I'm going to be vague to avoid spoilers, but I liked how Juneau put finding her family before Miles and how Miles reacted when she did something a little too off the wall/creepy.  It made their relationship more realistic, and while that may have made it less "romantic," it made the characters ring more true.

All in all this was an enjoyable read, despite the fact that it really wasn't what I was expecting at all.  It ended up being very 2014, and while this could have hurt the book, I actually really liked it.  I enjoyed the mystery and the lies that tore Juneau's world apart, and despite this, she's still determined to find her family and the father that deceived her.  This is a solid 3.5 stars for me. It was an interesting beginning to a new adventure, and based off her previous series, I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes next.

Book Review: Death Sworn

When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances.
But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins . . . and possibly the entire world.  Quoted from Goodreads

********************

First, I absolutely adore this cover.  It's hauntingly beautiful and possibly my favorite cover this year.  Second, if the cover weren't enough, I loved Leah Cypess's Mistwood, so even if the cover had been bad, this would still have been a must read for me, and it didn't disappoint.

First, Ileni is a strong main character.  Everything she wanted and worked for is taken away, and instead of complaining or wallowing in self pity, she takes an assignment that she's almost certain will kill her, all because she wants her life to mean something, even if it's not the something she spent her life working towards.  Sure, she's a little fatalistic at times, but in the beginning it makes her a little better at her job.  Plus, despite her diminishing magic, she still struggles to teach and solve the mystery of who is killing sorcerers.  She's smart, though she does make some stupid mistakes, and she never gives up, even when she doesn't seem to have anything left.

As for world building, it's a bit mixed.  The story takes place in caves.  All of it.  So while that aspect of world building is intricate, gritty, and realistic, we don't get a ton about the rest of the Empire.  This could have backfired horribly, but it works, because while the Empire is the big, ultimate threat of the story and behind all the assassin's work, it only plays a small part in this installment. With the way the next book is set up, I'm guessing it will expand that facet. 

I loved the plot.  It's a bit slow sounding on paper, half mystery, half survival/suspense---not the murders and secret missions you might expect of a book about assassins---but Leah Cypess's writing is addictive and she builds tension throughout.  I loved the absolute lack of safety the book provides.  Ileni is surrounded by killers, people who she knows has killed the two men who came before her for unknown reasons, and no one is safe.  It's not just that there is a murderer on the loose, but everyone and anyone could decide to kill her for a myriad of different reasons.  Plus, Ileni's magic is fading more and more as the book goes along, so as things get more dangerous, so does her ability to physically defend herself.  

As for the romance, I absolutely adored it. It's light, not a main plot-line, but it's sweet and awkward and fully developed.  First Ilena and Soren become friends . . . of sorts.  She lets herself trust him, even though part of her knows she shouldn't, and he's just adorable awkward when it comes to relationships with girls, which is a striking contrast to his absolutely confidence in everything else. Plus, no love triangle.  There could have been since Ilena's the only girl in a cave full of boys, but most of them pay little to no attention to that fact, which is pretty refreshing in YA.

Overall this is an excellent, suspenseful story, with fully fleshed characters and an intense setting.  The writing is beautiful, and I adore the way Ileni grows and changes over the course of the book.  I'll admit  I did guess the murderer before Ileni does, but I didn't feel she was dim witted for not getting it sooner, and I didn't really see one aspect at the end coming at all, though it was perfectly set up. If you're a fan of fantasy, you really should pick up this book.  I'm giving it a strong 4 stars and eagerly awaiting the second half of this duology.

Book Review: The Burning Sky

It all began with a ruined elixir and an accidental bolt of lightning…

Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she's being told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the greatest mage tyrant the world has ever known. A suicide task for anyone let alone a sixteen-year-old girl with no training, facing a prophecy that foretells a fiery clash to the death.

Prince Titus of Elberon has sworn to protect Iolanthe at all costs but he's also a powerful mage committed to obliterating the Bane to avenge the death of his family—even if he must sacrifice both Iolanthe and himself to achieve his goal.
But Titus makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the Bane closing in, he must choose between his mission and her life.  Quoted from Goodreads    Check out the trailer here: The Burning Sky.

*******************

This has been one of the most delightful surprises this fall.  Between the premise and the cover, well, I had high hopes, and this more than delivered.  Was the book perfect?  Probably not.  But it was excellent, well done, and I kind of loved it.

First, I loved the characters.  Iolanthe (okay, that name's a mouthful) and Titus are such great characters.  The book's told in duel POV, and each voice very is distinct.  Ioanthe is, in so many ways, your typical 16 year old girl.  Her life hasn't been perfect, and she's not sure she really up for the hand destiny seems to be dealing her. The best part about her is her growth an change throughout the novel.  She's never a weak, wimpy character, but neither is she a hero, and I loved watching her change and grow into her potential/destiny.

Then we have Titus. He's so utterly dedicated to his cause, it's awesome and kind of sad.  Still, it makes him an excellent character. He's so completely good at what he does.  Everything is planned out, every action, every word has a purpose. People like brilliant characters, and he is ruthless, calculating, and brilliant. 

Their relationship is adorable.  I love the romance.  It's slow building (thank you, no insta-love) on both sides, with a solid foundation.  Plus, it never overwhelms the book. It's a delightful development that plays a part in the larger story.

Speaking of story, I love the world Sherry Thomas has created. Yes, there could be more world-building, but I think this book has made an excellent beginning. Magic of different sorts abound, and I loved the contrast between their magical world and England circa 1880. I particularly enjoyed all the little end notes the author included with deeper insights into the history and the world, that you could read then or read later.  It helped flesh out the book without slowing down the action with overlong exposition. The world feels unique, full of fun ideas and an overwhelming villain---well, sort of. This book the villain doesn't really appear until the end.  Instead we get the villain's second in command (who is evil enough in her own right), which provides the perfect build-up for the first book, so we can save the best for last (I mean ,this is a trilogy).  

Basically, this book has everything you could want in a fantasy.  It's got the great evil, brilliant characters, rise of the underdog, romance, action, hidden identities, magic, and a quest against impossible odds.  With the conclusion of Rae Carson's Girl of Fire and Thorn trilogy, I've been looking for a great fantasy series, at this could very well be it.  I'm giving this book a strong 4.5 stars, and I can't wait for the next book to come out.

Book Review: Doon

Veronica doesn't think she's going crazy. But why can't anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months. 

But the Scottish countryside holds other plans. 
Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna's great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica's daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they've longed for . . . or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.   Quoted from Goodreads

********************

There are a lot of things I really liked about Doon . . . and then there are a few things I would have changed.

First, I love the whole idea of Doon, the mythic land that you can only access once every hundred years, Scotland's hidden Utopia/Atlantis if you will.  Yes, it's inspired by the musical and the poem, but it definitely has it's own mythology going for it.  I really did like the world and the conflicts inherent in it. For example, they live in this perfect kingdom, but they can never leave.  They can see the ocean but never swim in it.  Part of me wishes the author's would have explored the sacrifice of living there further. Still, I love the idea of this idyllic kingdom.

Veronica and Mackenna are both great characters.  They're strong, spunky, and I love their friendship. They're both the sort of people you could see yourself being friends with.  To be completely honest, I actually wish the whole book would have been told from Veronica's POV.  It's not that I didn't like Mackenna. I did.  She's fun, spunky, and has a lot more to loose than Veronica, but the book time isn't shared out equally between them.  We get four chapters of Veronica, then one of Mackenna, and Mackenna's chapters didn't tell us anything we couldn't have gotten from Veronica's POV (well, except, maybe, how perfect and beautiful Veronica is).  It sort of broke up the story for me.  Honestly, I wish we would have simply gotten an epilogue from Mackenna's POV, maybe a prologue too, and that's it.  Then she could be the main character in the second book, which seems to be shaping up to be more of her story. Still, since there are two authors, maybe that's how the decided to split the work?

This sort of leads me to the down-side of this book.  It's a little bit too wish fulfillment happy for me.  For example, both friends potentially have a prince devoted to them? Couldn't one have at least been the captain of the guard or something?  Plus, Veronica's life is horrible.  From the beginning, you know the girls have to choose whether to stay in the Doon or leave.  For Veronica, she's basically leaving nothing behind. Half of what makes Brig o'Doon such a great story is what a person would have to give up to live there, and for Veronica the price is a bit too easy.

Other than that, the book really is a fun adventure.  There's plenty of romance.  Like I mentioned before, there are two princes for our two main characters.  Both are dreamy in their own way, though it took me a while to warm up to one of them.  

As for our villain, she is pure black and white evil (make of that what you will), and the book led up to a strong conclusion/confrontation. Most of it I totally saw coming, but there were a few twists that I enjoyed. 

Overall, this is a fun, light read.  I love the mythology behind it and our main characters. I'm interested to see how this series will continue and where the authors will take it next.  It's a delightful 3.5 stars for me.  Now I just need to figure out when the second book is coming out.

Book Review/Trailer Tuesday: The School for Good and Evil

“The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.”

This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.

But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?The School for Good & Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.   Quoted from Goodreads

**********************

Okay, and if that fabulous synopsis wasn't enough to convince you, you have to check out this trailer.  It is probably the best book trailer I've seen to date and got me excited for the book all over again.

Wasn't that just about perfect.  Seriously, if that didn't make you want to rush out and get the book right this second, well, this book probably isn't for you at all then, because I loved it.  I'm almost glad I didn't see it before I read the book because my expectations might have been too high.  Still, I'm including it because I loved it.

As for the book, it was also delightful.  It's a middle grade, but it's a long middle grade.  Almost too long, really, but it keeps you turning pages, making it impossible to put down.  Plus, it's an excellent spin on your classic fairytale set up.  It actually reminded me a little bit of Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles, where some things get turned on their head, but there were other things that played straight  out of a Grimm's fairytale.

Both Sophie and Agatha are delightful characters, and I really liked the way the author explored not only what makes a person good or evil, but the relationship between the two girls. While there is a handsome prince in the picture, it's the friendship between the two girls that is the backbone of the story.

I love Sophie's earnestness and drive to get what she wants. She views the world a very certain way, and even after obstacle after obstacle is thrown in her path, she keeps plunging forward towards what she wants.  Agatha, while a bit more practical and less self-assured, is just as dedicated, but her goals are different.  Sophie wants to be a princess, to marry a prince and live beautifully ever after.  Agatha wants to go home and protect her friend.  Both of them are willing to do whatever they need to to get what they want, but it leads them to becoming very different people, and I loved watching their journey.

Plus this book is funny.  I was totally cracking up at certain points, which made me glad I wasn't reading it in public (just a warning).  The role reversal was a perfect setting for some laughs, and the author absolutely explores that. 

Plus the supporting characters are excellent. Yes, some begin as your stereotypical cutouts, but most of them move past that as the characters relationship with them changes. And they're funny, interesting, disturbing, and creative.

Then we have twists and more twists.  Some of them I totally expected, but there were a  bunch I never saw coming, and I loved that.  The ending is an excellent mesh up of completed story and cliff-hanger, and I absolutely can't wait for the next book.  I'm really interested to see what happens to some of the characters now and how the author is going to keep playing with the themes of good and evil.  Plus, there's a bit of a mystery surrounding the Story Master himself, who he is, what he is, and the war that created him.

All in all, this is a strong 4 stars for me, with a good chance at being bumped higher.  It's an excellent adventure with an intriguing premise and good follow-through.  Really, the only problem is I have to wait until next April for A World Without Princes to come out.  Oh, it's also been optioned for a movie with Universal (I think the author is currently co-writing the screenplay), and I'm excited.  This could be excellent.

Book Review: The Nightmare Affair

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.  Quoted from Goodreads

********************

If I were to sum this book up in one word, I would have to choose fun.  I suppose there are other, more creative words out there (bubbly, vivacious, effervescent, to name a few) but I'm sticking with fun.  I'm not going to claim it's the most original story, but it's still rather delightful.

Like is says in the summary, Dusty is a Nightmare, a creature who feeds on dreams. There's a lot of different ways to slant this.  Rachel Vincent went for a little bit darker take in her Soul Screamers series.  Mindee Arnett, on the other hand, plays it to full comedic effect.  Sure, there's the whole clues to a murder mystery hidden inside Eli's dreams thing, but there's also the awkwardness of sneaking into a cute boy's room at night to feed off his dreams.  In fact, the whole situation is rather hilarious.  

Dusty is a fun, strong character with a distinctive, witty voice that I really enjoyed.  I also quite liked Eli, the other half of Dusty's dream-seer team.  Sure, he follows the standard YA trope by being gorgeous, popular, but secretly really sweet, and his girlfriend just doesn't get him, etc.  Still, I really did enjoy his interactions with Dusty.  After waking up to find her sitting on his chest in the middle of the night and the resulting chaos, he has every right to be a bit disturbed and hostile towards her.   

I also adored the whole idea behind this world.  I liked how Dusty had to search out the murderer both in Eli's dreams and in real life.  The whole dream-seer team, and I found this to be a wonderful interpretation of the Nightmare mythology.  I also enjoyed how it played out in Dusty's magic.  The whole thing was really creative.  

Unfortunately, there were also a lot of things in this story that reminded me of other books.  This is one of the few books I really do want to compare, world-building-wise, to Harry Potter, but it's also pretty reminiscent of the Hex Hall series.  Sure, they're both great books, so the comparison isn't bad, but the world itself isn't memorable because of it.  The mystery was also a little bit weak. I liked the visions twist, but I wish there had been more of a sense of urgency or pertinence to Dusty in particular. 

Still, like I said before, it's a really fun, fairly quick, read, one that made me wish I had read it sooner. I'm awarding it a solid 3.5 stars, and I will absolutely be reading the next one.

Book Review: Born of Illusion

ANNA VAN HOUSEN HAS A SECRET.

A gifted illusionist, Anna assists her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage shows and seances, easily navigating the underground world of magicians and mentalists in 1920s New York. For Anna, the illegitimate daughter of Harry Houdini - or so Marguerite claims - handcuffs and sleight-of-hand illusions have never been much of a challenge. The real trick is keeping her own gifts secret from her mother: because while Marguerite's power may be a sham, Anna possesses a true ability to sense people's feelings and foretell the future.

But as Anna's powers intensify, she experiences frightening visions of her mother in peril, which lead her to explore the abilities she's tried so long to hide. And when a mysterious young man named Cole moves into the flat downstairs, introducing Anna to a society that studies people with gifts like hers, she begins to wonder if there's more to life than keeping secrets.

As her visions become darker and her powers spin out of her control, Anna is forced to rethink all she's ever known. Is her mother truly in danger, or are Anna's visions merely illusions? And could the great Houdini really be her father, or is it just another of Marguerite's tricks?From Teri Brown comes a world bursting with magic, with romance, with the temptations of Jazz Age New York --- and the story of a girl about to become the mistress of her own destiny. Quoted from Goodreads

********************

They say don't judge a book by it's cover, and in this case, it's so totally true.  Okay, maybe some of you like this cover.  That's fine, but I'm not a fan.  In fact I sort of put off reading this book, despite some really positive reviews, because I didn't much care for it.  Okay, hated it.  Still, I'm glad I picked it up because the story inside is absolutely worth it.  

There are so many things I loved about this book. First, the setting. There's something tangible about the world Teri Brown created.  She absolutely captured the essence of the '20s and the magician craze (and mediums.  you can't forget the mediums).  We even get a few cameos by Houdini, which totally caused me to look up a bunch of his tricks on youtube. Really, the setting was superbly done and one of the biggest draws of this book.

Don't worry, though, the characters also lived up to the world through which they moved.  I especially enjoyed (loved/hated) Anna's relationship with her mother.  It's not one you would ever want to emulate, don't get me wrong. It's disturbing and sad on so many levels, but it was delightful to read.  Her mother was such a great character, and Anna's relationship with her was complex, fascinating, and easily the core of the novel.

Anna, herself, was also a great character. She was ambitious and cleaver but had her weaknesses. She had a few glaringly stupid moments, but most of those were overshadowed by her cleaver ideas.  Her relationship with the other characters was also fun.  I loved watching her go from a friendless girl to one with a solid support system. She got a best friend, a beau, even something of a grandfather figure.  Because of who she was, she met with so many interesting people.  I especially liked the mob boss who does her a favor.  I can't wait to see what he demands in return.

As for the romance, it's a love triangle of sorts, but one of those that never fully develops, and it's pretty obvious from the beginning who the winner will be.  Both boys have their selling points, and honestly, I kind of enjoyed the way it played out.  It was never I love you both, but more plays a part in her deciding who she wants to be.  Each boy represents a different lifestyle and who she chooses plays into who she decides to become, but she doesn't become who she wants to be because of some boy.

As for the ending, it was one excellent twist paired with an obvious one.  Honestly, part of me couldn't understand why one of the villains (the main one, the one she discovers second) wasn't obvious.  It was this cluelessness in Anna that drove me crazy in the end. I couldn't understand why she didn't put the pieces together.  As for the other villain, well, that was did take me by surprise.  I won't say there weren't clues, but it was a far better twist, one I didn't really see coming.  

Still, this is a great book. It's a strong 4 stars for me, and I can't wait for the sequel. It perfectly captured an era and peppered it with complex, delightful characters.  I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction or the paranormal because it does a great job of blending the two.  Plus, while there is absolutely a sequel in the works, it wraps up enough that you aren't left hanging at the end, forced to suffer until the next book comes out.