Book Review: Ensnared

After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world--a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. 

In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?   Quoted from Goodreads

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I have totally mixed feelings about this book.  In some ways I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it's possibly the best book in the series, absolutely better than book two.  However, there are aspects of the ending that really bothered me and dampened my enjoyment somewhat.  I'll talk more about that later on in a special spoilers section.

First, what I liked. In a sort of twisted way, I enjoyed the world building.  You know with anything Wonderland related theres going to be a sense of the macabre, and A.G. Howard certainly brought it. Wonderland was strange and horrifying in it's madness, but the looking-glass world was worse.  It was even more cruel and strange than Wonderland, which is kind of needed for a for the final book in the series.  It was crazy and chaotic and delightfully imaginative in a gruesome but occasionally beautiful way.

Second, Morpheus. Or maybe he should be first. Yes, probably first. Seriously, I love him. He's by far the best character in the series (and yes, I am team Morpheus).  He's crazy, unique, confident, inventive, and best of all, he's totally manipulative.  That sounds horrible, and no, that's not what I look for in a boyfriend, but it still makes him my favorite character. He literally plots circles around everyone else, and you never guess exactly how his plan will play out. He always knows exactly what he's doing, and when an obstacle stands in his way, he finds a brilliant work around. He's loyal, and would do anything for Wonderland and Alyssa.  Plus, he perfectly embodies the madness that is Wonderland.

All in all, (besides my upcoming little spoiler-filled rant) this is a satisfying conclusion to an interesting trilogy. There's some good action sequences and a few great twists I absolutely loved.  I'm giving it a nice 3.5 stars because despite my issues, there is a lot of good stuff here.  I loved the twist on Wonderland and especially her ideas about dreams and imagination and how important they are.   

Okay, SPOILERS ahead, so considered yourself warned!

My issues.  If the author decides to put in a love triangle, I believe the main character should, at some point, be forced to choose one boy over the other.  I hate this whole I love you both equally, and so spends two separate lifetimes with each boy, so in the end everybody wins!  Uggggg. One mortal life with Jeb, and after he dies, she fakes her death and spends the rest of forever with Morpheus in Wonderland.  I hate it.  The whole point of a love triangle is the different options each boy offer, yes, but also the anguish of choice.  This, just like The Clockwork Princess, eliminates that and sort of put me off the whole series.  Of course, I am team Morpheus, so I liked that he ended up with her in the end, but if the author had written the book well and explained why Alyssa was better with Jeb/chose a life with him, I would have accepted that as a better ending than this whole "I can't choose, so magically I'll get to have you both garbage.  There.  Maybe you like the "everybody wins" scenario. If so,  this book might be perfect for you, but that aspect really wasn't my cup of tea.

And while I'm ranting, I have one more little thing/SPOILER to add that bothered me.  When Alyssa thinks Jeb has been killed, she tries to kill Morpheus  Again, he's my favorite, so it makes me mad on principle, but I thought it was horrible that she would do that.  I get being furious and heartbroken.  I get banishing him or choosing to never love him again, but not murder.  It's not like he stabbed Jeb in the back himself, and even if he had, sacrificing one person for a whole nation would sort of fit with his MO.  She knows he would do anything for Wonderland. I hated that she told him she loved him then tried to murder him without listening to any explanation in a land where your soul turns to dust.  It made me like her a lot less as a character, and sure, maybe the whole Jeb reveal was more powerful, but really, did anyone believe that he was dead at that point?  I mean, the cover gives the whole thing away, so it just made Alyssa into a horrible person.  Still, beyond my few issues (and it's always easer to rant rather than praise, unfortunate) this book does have some really good points, like . . . Morpheus. 

Book Review: Firefight

They told David it was impossible--that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet, Steelheart--invincible, immortal, unconquerable--is dead. And he died by David's hand. 

Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life more simple. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And there's no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs. 
Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David's willing to risk it. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David's heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic--Firefight. And he's willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.   Quoted from Goodreads

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Read this book.  

I'm serious.  Go to the library, borrow it from a friend, visit your local bookstore---whatever you need to do to get your hands on this book.  It is that good.

This book picks up a few months after Steelheart (and if you haven't read that book yet, what are you waiting for?).  Someone is sending Epics to attack Newcago, so Prof, Tia, and David head to Babylon Restored to confront Regalia, Oblivion, and Firefight/Megan.  If you liked book one, this is possibly (probably) better.  In Steelheart, we mostly see Steelheart. Here we have multiple Epics to destroy and more mysteries to solve.

This book starts with a bang and never lets you put it down.  I loved Steelheart, so this was clearly one of my top anticipated books of 2015, and it met every expectation and then some.  Some of the things I loved: David.  He is one of my favorite main characters.  I love his focus, his worry about being a nerd, his horrible (totally makes me laugh) metaphors/smilies, his earnest belief in others, and his impulsive nature. Plus he grows even more in this book.  He leaves the only city he's ever known, and has to deal with a different world, full of different rules and people. I love how he discovers and confronts his fear of water, watching his interactions at his first party, his relationship with Firefight/Megan and Prof.  

Worldbuilding: It's Brandon Sanderson, so you know this is going to be good.  I love the new city---New York, aka Babylon Restored---and how creative it is.  It's a complete contrast to what we saw in Newcago and even more creative.  It's a completely unique end of the world scenario and I really loved the feel of it. Plus, it presents its own challenges and trials.  Along with the city itself is the mystery surrounding Epics and their weaknesses. There are so many fun and unique powers here.  We get to skip right past the standard super strength and flight to truly unique and creative skill sets.

Action: There is so much action. We start with a fight, and that's just the beginning.  I mean, how are you supposed to resist these two sentences. "My name is David Charleston.  I kill people with super powers." You can't.  This book hooked me in from the beginning and just kept getting better and better.  By the last quarter so many amazing things were happening I couldn't stop smiling with excitement . . . or turning pages.  

Basically, this book is amazing.  I said it with Steelheart and I echo it again.  If I were a hollywood producer/director, this is the movie I would make. It's got everything you could possibly want it a good story: tight plot, amazing bad guy, unexpected twists, mystery, action, peril, flawed/real  characters, and an unique backdrop for it all to take place.

This book is a strong 5 stars for me. I know that's starting the year out on a high note---I mean, where am I supposed to go from here---but this book totally deserves it.  Read it.

Book Review: My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: TWELVE HOLIDAY STORIES by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins.  Quoted from Goodreads

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I was going to save this for Christmas, but then I figured what I really should have done is posted this a few days ago so people could actually do a 12 days to Christmas countdown.  That being said, read two the first couple of days and you'll be right back on track.

This is a wonderful little book.  Okay, at 320 pages it's not so little, but individually each of the stories is short, so my 12 days of Christmas suggestion is totally valid.  Reviewing anthologies is hard.  I'm not going to go through and rate each one, and each person will have a different favorite.  Some, like Stephanie Perkins, Laini Taylor, Ally Carter, and Kiersten White I knew I would love.  They're the reason I bought this anthology and they didn't disappoint. They are some of my favorites of the collection. The stories were unique (especially Laini Taylor's The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer) and varied, and they did exactly what I wanted them to do.  They captured the spirit of the season.

The nice thing with anthologies is you get surprises.  Of all the authors I've either never read or wasn't expecting a ton from, Rainbow Rowell and Myra McEntire's stories really stood out.  It's not that  the other stories weren't good, because a lot of them were.  (For example, I'd never heard of Kelly Link before, and now I'm totally going to check out other things she's written.) These were just the standout unexpected discoveries.

What else is great about this anthology is it's diversity, and I'm not just talking about the regular kinds of diversity such as race and religion (great job Gayle Forman, by the way) but these stories really just felt different.  I know they're holiday stories and with the lovely number 12 they really do lend themselves to a Christmas Countdown, but they don't have to.  I mean, we start off with new years and end up in a fantasy.

Basically this is a fun, cute read.  Did I love all the stories the same? Of course not.  That's the beauty of so many options. Some clearly aren't going to appeal to every reader, but I guarantee there are some you are going to love.

I'm going to give this book a strong 4 stars.  Not all the stories deserve the rating, but on some I could even go higher.  Check this book out.  It's perfect for this time of year, and even if you don't love all of them, there's a good chance that there are a few you will fall absolutely in love with.

Book Review: Talon

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.
Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.   Quoted from Goodreads

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When I first started this book, all I could think of was Firelight by Sophie Jordan.  I mean the plot ideas are almost identical: dragon girl, dragon hunter boy, first taste of freedom outside in the human world, controlling dragon society that will determine girl's future without giving her any say, red hair.  The list goes on.  Fortunately I've read enough by Julia Kagawa that this wasn't a turn off.  I knew things would be different, and she was so creative with the ideas around her Iron Fae series that I was interested to see what she would do with dragons.

 You can tell this is the first book in a series---a five book series, no less.  The main character has a lot of growing to do.  It's not that I didn't like Ember, because I did, but like I said before, she has a lot of growing to do, and I'm interested to see where she ends up.  She's impulsive, rebellious, and reckless, but also strong and endearing, and you can't help but root for her.  Garret is probably the character that grows the most this book, though Ember does her fair share, and I'm curious where his character will go from here.

What this book does, really, is set up the next four.  It's a little slow in the beginning---well, the entire first half, to be honest---and doesn't really pick up until the last quarter.  What it's doing is establishing characters and multiple conflicts that you know will all come into play in the next four books.  The ending, of course, is heartbreaking and intense, guaranteeing that you will be reading book two. It just takes a minute for you to get there.

As for the dreaded love triangle, I read once that a good love triangle will bring out different aspects of the main character's personality.  It's not just two boys that she will be choosing, but two different lifestyles and really the person she will ultimately become.  Maybe the author has the same philosophy because that's exactly what our different love interests do for Ember.  One is for her dragon, one for her human, and I'm actually interested to see where it ends up.  With four more books coming, you know there will be a lot of ups and downs.

As for the dragons themselves, there's nothing really groundbreaking here.  They're fun, supernatural creatures but not anything we haven't seen in a dozen dragon books.  Still, I love the way they're portrayed and can't wait to see what else the author does with them as the book progresses.

Basically this is a slow start to what will probably be an amazing series.  Julia Kagawa is an excellent writer, and she knows how to torture both her readers and characters in the best possible way.  I'm giving this book a nice 3.5 stars with the absolute certainty that I will be reading the next one in the series.

Book Review: Unmarked

He is here . . . and he could be anyone.

Kennedy Waters lives in a world where vengeance spirits kill, ghosts keep secrets, and a demon walks among us–a demon she accidentally set free. 
Now Kennedy and the other Legion members–Alara, Priest, Lukas, and Jared–have to hunt him down. As they learn more about the history of the Legion and the Illuminati, Kennedy realizes that the greatest mystery of all does not belong to any secret order, but to her own family. With the clock ticking and the life of someone she loves hanging in the balance, Kennedy has to ask the question she fears most: what is it about her past that has left her Unmarked?  Quoted from Goodreads

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Happy Halloween!  I actually read this book at the beginning of October, but it was such a perfect, spooky book, I decided to save it for today. Warning, there are some spoilers for the first book, which you should also read if you haven't already.  What are you waiting for? This series has everything you could want in a book coming out this time of year. Ghosts. Demons.  Possession. Murder. Kidnapping. And Mystery. 

Andras, the demon freed at the end of the last book, is killing girls.  He's also possessing different people's bodies, so the Legion members never know what he looks like or where he is.  He's a delightfully creepy bad guy.  One of my favorite scenes is where he literally moves towards Kennedy, switching bodies every few steps.  Everything in the first book builds up to Andras, and he more than lives up to the hype. What can I say, I love my villains.

This book is fast paced, with plenty of action and twists. This round, we also get to learn more about Kennedy's background: her mother's secret past, the father who left her, and the aunt she never knew.  It's through Kennedy's connection to her family that we learn more about this world and the generation that came before.  We also get to see the Illuminati close up.

As for our heroes, a lot of different stuff goes down, but I love how they all pull together.  I particularly enjoyed learning a little bit more about Alara and Priest, though the real character growth goes to Kennedy and Jared.  As for Jared, he's a great love interest, and I adore where the author leaves the book, especially in regards to him.

So, should you read this book?  Yes.  Especially if you're in the mood for a spooky, paranormal series.  With enough twist and painful reveals to keep it interesting, this really is the perfect halloween book.  I'm giving it a haunting 4 stars, and eagerly await the third and final installment.

Book Review: Exquisite Captive

Forced to obey her master.
Compelled to help her enemy.
Determined to free herself. 

Nalia is a jinni of tremendous ancient power, the only survivor of a coup that killed nearly everyone she loved. Stuffed into a bottle and sold by a slave trader, she’s now in hiding on the dark caravan, the lucrative jinni slave trade between Arjinna and Earth, where jinn are forced to grant wishes and obey their human masters’ every command. She’d give almost anything to be free of the golden shackles that bind her to Malek, her handsome, cruel master, and his lavish Hollywood lifestyle.

Enter Raif, the enigmatic leader of Arjinna’s revolution and Nalia’s sworn enemy. He promises to free Nalia from her master so that she can return to her ravaged homeland and free her imprisoned brother—all for an unbearably high price. Nalia’s not sure she can trust him, but Raif’s her only hope of escape. With her enemies on the hunt, Earth has become more perilous than ever for Nalia. There’s just one catch: for Raif’s unbinding magic to work, Nalia must gain possession of her bottle…and convince the dangerously persuasive Malek that she truly loves him. Battling a dark past and harboring a terrible secret, Nalia soon realizes her freedom may come at a price too terrible to pay: but how far is she willing to go for it?
Inspired by Arabian Nights, EXQUISITE CAPTIVE brings to life a deliciously seductive world where a wish can be a curse and shadows are sometimes safer than the light.  Quoted from Goodreads

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This book suffered from high expectations.  I mean, have you read the above blurb!  It seems amazing.  Plus the cover is beautiful, and after a slew of mediocre books about jinni, I really thought this might be just what I've been looking for.  Unfortunately for me, it seems that jinni are going to face the same fate as mermaids and never get that one series that will really do the creatures justice.

It's not that this wasn't a fun, interesting book, because it was. It just failed to live up to my expectations.  The romance was far too insta-love for my taste, and the "love triangle" if you can call it that, was twisted rather than intriguing. I liked Raif as a character, and I totally approve of him as love interest, but he and Nalia fell for each other way too quickly, with too little relationship development before they were madly in love.  Plus, he was a jerk (possibly well deserved because of his upbringing, but a jerk all the same) to her in the beginning, and she got over that way to quickly.  As for Malek, I'm not exactly sure where the author is trying to go with that.  He's the bad-half of a love triangle.  If he's just one of the ways to show haw broken Nalia is, then he did his job, but if he's supposed to be a real side of the love triangle, I'll pass.

To counter this, the world building here is rather amazing.  I love all the back-story the author has built into it and the world where Nalia comes from, the different casts of jinni, racial prejudice, and social history.  The story has tons of potential, especially for books two and three.  The pace actually started a bit slow for me, but it built suspense nicely, and by the end, I was hooked. 

So should you read it?  Honestly, I'd probably wait until the second or third book comes out and then see how things are looking.  Like I said,  I absolutely love the world building and think that the story is going to get better and better.  I'd just, maybe, wait and see what happens.  I'm seeing a lot of potential here, and who knows, this may end up being one of my favorite trilogies. This first book was just weaker than I wanted it to be.  Still, I'm going to give it a promising 3.5 stars.  Maybe if my expectations had been lower, my rating would be higher.  Still, I'll absolutely be reading the second book. I'm excited to see where this series is headed.

Book Review: Unraveled

Autonomous. Independent. Dangerous. They tried to control her. Now she’ll destroy them.Things have changed behind the walls of the Coventry and new threats lurk in its twisted corridors. When Adelice returns to Arras, she quickly learns that something rotten has taken hold of the world and Cormac Patton needs her to help him reestablish order. However, peace comes at a terrible price. As the Guild manipulates the citizens of Arras, Adelice discovers that she’s not alone, and she must let go of her past to fight for mankind’s future. She will have to choose between an unimaginable alliance and a deadly war that could destroy everyone she loves.  Quoted from Goodreads

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So many mixed emotions about this ending, I hardly know where to start.  Plus, I have to be vague because I don't want to give things away.  Still, some things really need to be discussed.

Let's start with the end.  I have so many, many feelings about it. Part of me think it's actually perfect.  It's the sort of thing you need to read carefully (I cannot emphasize this enough), but there's a sort of movie-esque quality to the whole thing that I loved.  That being said, part of me hated it. I wanted more---as in some sort of explanation as to why certain people did what they did without telling another key person, this other key person's reaction, what happened next, and that sort of thing.  It also glossed over someone's death, which was sad because they didn't get the send-off they deserved. Basically I wanted more, more, more.   

I was also a little disappointed I didn't get to see the final show-down with a few key characters.  I get that it's from Adelice's POV and we couldn't really change that, but there were some people I really wanted to see taken down.  In fact, more than any other book, I felt restricted by sticking to the one POV. It's not that Adelice isn't in the center of the conflict, because she is, but there's a lot more stuff going on that she doesn't know about or get to see that would have added to the story.  Still, excellent book with tons of excitement.

This book was a little heavy on Cormac (granted he's our big bad, but I would have been happy with a little less his evil and a little more what the rebellion is doing to counteract the horrible thing's he's doing).  It was also a little light on Erik, Jost, and Dante. Minor spoiler here, but we don't even get to see them until the second half of the book.  The first half was still interesting, don't get me wrong, but I was missing some of my favorite characters and I kept waiting for them to show up. Now, to counter all this, we do get to see a bunch of people from the first book again, which really brings the story around full circle.

I really don't know what else to say without giving away spoilers.  The characters were great, and everything you've come to expect and love in the series is here. All in all, this is an excellent conclusion to a wonderful trilogy.  It's such a unique world, with such an interesting concept, you really should check it out. It's definitely got its sad moments (which all good books like this should have, especially ending a series) but there's hope, which is absolutely essential.  I'm giving it a strong 4 stars.  If you're looking for a unique dystopia read, you really should check this out.

Book Review: The Infinite Sea

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.
Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.  Quoted from Goodreads

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I hardly know what to say about this book.  Did I enjoy it? Of course.  But it's in a hard position.  There was so much hype after the first one, that how could the second one live up to it?  Personally, I think it did a pretty good job. Did I have a few issues?  Sure.  Does it suffer a bit from second book syndrome? Yes. But it's still a well written, adventure filled book in a devastatingly tragic world.

This is a fast read.  Things happen and keep happening, breaking off at the worst possible moments so you have to keep reading or skip ahead, just to know if the characters you love survive . . . because some of them don't.

Just a heads up, the format in this book is a bit different.  The first two thirds is a nice rotation between the main characters we got in The 5th Wave, with the addition of Ringer (which, I'll be honest, kind of bugged me a bit. It's not that I didn't like her story or find it compelling because it was.  I just didn't care as much about her as I did Cassie, Ben, Sam, or Evan).  Then the last third is entirely Ringer, so while I came to care about her as a character and her story was interesting, I wanted to see more of the characters I loved so well from the first book.

Of course, loving characters is always a danger in this series.  People die.  It's sad.  It's shocking. and it tears your heart out just a little.  At the same time, there's just enough hope and mystery that you can't help but keep caring about the different characters in their struggle to survive. 

One of the things I enjoyed most was the mystery of why the aliens were destroying humanity the way they were. They talk about the dinosaurs being wiped out with one meteor, so why the different waves?  It's cruel, intended to destroy what makes people human, and I found it to be an interesting question I can't wait to explore in the next book.  

I read several reviews before reading the book, trying to gage how much I should lower my expectations, and one thing I found completely wrong was the repeated statement that there was basically no romance in this book. There is. In fact, it's the realistic, perfect amount for the situation. Sure, there's no great declarations of love or overly-detailed make-out scenes, but that would not have fit into the world that's created or the characters. 

I realize this book review is rather vague.  I just didn't want to give anything away and spoil the book for you. So, should you read this?  Absolutely---especially if you loved the first book. It's a nail-biting, heart-pounding adventure, full of betrayal, death, compassion, consequences, and promises.  I'm giving it a strong 4 stars. Now I'm forced to endure until the third book comes out, answers all the questions, and I know who survives this roller coaster.

Book Review: The Perilous Sea

After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.
Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother's prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future.  Quoted from Goodreads

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I love this book.  There.  Enough said.

Okay, clearly I'll write more, but really, we could just leave it at that.  The best part about this series is I wasn't even afraid going into the second book that it would be bad (and, really, that's almost always my fear after an amazing first book).  Plus, you literally can't stop turning pages. 

So, what did I love?  Split timelines.  Did you ever watch Alias, where we start the show at some horrible moment, then go back three days to find out how our hero gets into the situation. This book is sort of like that, but instead of going completely back to the beginning and putting aside that horrible situation, the author goes back and forth from past to present (or present to future), every chapter.  It sounds confusing, but it worked amazingly well.  Each setting is so different, the adventure and danger so unique and setting specific, that you never get confused where or when you are (at least, not unless the author wants you to be as part of the mystery).  On top of that, it really ups the tension as you watch what happens to our main characters in two timelines and two settings.

Then there's Iolanthe and Titus.  I love them.  They're fun, well fleshed out characters that are good at what they do.  I love the banter back and forth between them, half as "boys" at Eaton Collage and half as two people who love each other and still have problems they have to work out. There's just he right amount of romance between all the adventure to keep it fresh but not overwhelm the very busy, page-turn inducing plot.

We get more of the secondary characters this book, and I love them.  Even tertiary characters have distinct personalities, and they're fun without being too quirky. Don't get me wrong, I love certain quirky characters, but sometimes authors put in too many to keep things from being cardboard and it comes off as an episode of Gilmore Girls instead of real life.  These characters are distinct and different while still being the sort of people you meet every day and could adopt as your friends (well, the good guys, anyway).

Basically this book is amazing.  It's full of action, twists, prophecies, mistaken identities, cliff-hangers, mysterious pasts, missing memories, survival, war, complex characters, romance, magic . . . the list is endless.  So if you're looking for an amazing fantasy series, you absolutely have to read this.  I'm giving it a strong 5 stars.  It's everything I could possibly want in a book.  Now I just have to suffer until the third one comes out.

Book Review: Deluge

It's one thing to battle for life . . . but what do you do when death itself comes hunting? 

The Bettarinis and Forellis have found rich fulfillment together in medieval Italia. But after fighting off countless enemies, they now must face the worst foe of all. As the Black Death closes in upon them, threatening everything and everyone they hold dear, Lia and Gabi–and the knights they love–must dig deep within to decide how they might remain safe…and if they need to risk it all in order to truly live as they’re called.    Quoted from Goodreads

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I'm one of those people who was satisfied with The River of Time series after the original three books.  Sure, the next two shorts were fun, but I really looked at them as extras, and I sort of went into this with the same idea.  I'm still standing by the trilogy here, but this book really can't be called a novella.  I mean, it's somewhere around 400 pages!

So if the first three books are Gabi's story, the last few (they keep changing it, putting two novella's into one and calling it a book, so last two?) are Lia's.  The story's really split into two sections.  The first half we get more Bettarini time travelers to save, plus Lia's wedding. It's not until the second half where you hit the plague.  The novel itself skips something like three years between the first and second half and could have easily been two novellas. I almost wish it would have been.  The first half is happy.  We get new locations and characters (they go to Venice!).  There's the aforementioned wedding, and a separate adventure that is reminiscent of the first few books.

The second half is completely different.  Half of me is glad the author explored the Black Plague. I enjoyed knowing who lived and who died, especially since it's been a point of worry in every preceding book.  But part of me hated it.  She killed of some people I was really sad to see go, so now I can't un-know exactly who died and who survived.  Even the survivors struggle with what's happening, so we get all their depression with watching so many die on top of our own.

At the end of the day, though, if you're a fan of the series, I would absolutely read this book. We get lots of adventure, romance, and all the great characters we've come to love.  I loved the new obstacles, villains, and locations.  We get alternating POV between Gabi and Lia, which means more Marcello and Luca, which is always a plus. 

Besides how sad part of the book is (and really, you can't complain, since you know what this is going into it), my only complaint is the epilogue.  It's told from Gabi and Lia's kids POV, without any reference to their parents at all.  Sure, it's great to know that their kids grew up in relative peace and are close to each other and brave and strong, but I wanted to see more of the characters I loved, and we didn't get any.  Even if Lisa T. Bergren wanted to keep it from the kid's POV (which I'm fine with) I at least wanted them to see their parents, sort of let us know what's been happing in the last 15 years or so, but we don't get any of that.

Still, this is a fun, tragic adventure for characters I've grown to love.  I'm giving it a high 3.5 stars (and rounding it up to 4 on Goodreads).  If you're a fan of the series, you really should read this.  Even if you're not, go check out the first book. Despite the horrible "teenage slang" the author throws in there, it's an exciting, breathtaking, romantic read.

Book Review: Illusions of Fate

“I did my best to keep you from crossing paths with this world. And I shall do my best to protect you now that you have.”Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.   Quoted from Goodreads

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This very possibly my favorite Kiersten White book, and that's saying something.  I adored her Paranormalcy series and thoroughly enjoyed her Mind Game duology, but this one is better.  Maybe because it was only one book, but really I think I just loved the characters, setting, all of it.

Jessamin is a perfect main character.  She defies society's conventions, but instead of feeling forced or modern, like so many books, it works because she's foreign, and it makes a difference.  She's strong, independent, and determined to make her own choices (you can see one of the reasons the title works so well).  Because she's an outsider, we also get to see Albion through her eyes, introducing us to the country and the world of the book in an organic way.

It's not just Jessamin who is wonderful.  You can't help but love Finn, of course. He's gorgeous, smart, sweet, and mysterious.  He's the reason this story takes place, the single factor that starts everything, but the story ends with Jessamin. But the good characters don't end there.  Possibly my absolute favorite is the girl who becomes Jessamin's best friend, Eleanor.  She's bubbly, vivacious, and deceptively cunning in the best way possible.  She's one of those characters I would love to be best friends with, and she steals the spotlight whenever she enters the story.

As for the villains, they are horribly evil in the best way possible. Besides shadowing her with black birds (Hitchcock's The Birds, anyone---so creepy), he tortures Jessamin at their first meeting, threatens and attacks her friends, and constantly manipulates everything.  He's always one step ahead, brilliantly plotting war and destruction all for his own power.

As for the world, honestly, it reminded me of Victorian England with a sort of steampunk twist.  The enemy on the continent was France, and while I'm not sure exactly which colony Jessamin would have come from, it's easy to imagine. Really, it's the magic that's the world building draw to this book. Plus, the fast pace keeps the plot from ever bogging down. 

Basically, if you're looking for a wonderful stand-alone, historical fantasy type book, look no further.  This is a fun, romantic, action packed adventure I would recommend to just about everyone. It's a strong 4 stars for me, and honestly, I'm hoping Kiersten White decides to write more in this world . . . maybe a spin-off story from Eleanor's POV?  I'm keeping my finger's crossed.

Book Review: Trial by Fire

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.
What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.   Quoted from Goodreads

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If you're looking for an original, unique book, look no further.  Trial by fire doesn't sound all that different from a lot of other books out there, but the world building is so unique, especially when you start off with the whole Salem witch thing (which has been done a lot) and see exactly where you end up and all the well thought out changes and adaptions of fairly common historical practices. I loved it.

First, world building. Honestly, like I said before, I love how absolutely unique the world building is.  I mean, we have witches and alternate worlds, which have all been done before, but the way she combines everything together.  How Lily becomes a crucible and how that relates to magic and the mechanics that she uses, the willstones, the burnings, etc. It was combined together in such a perfectly creative way, that I absolutely loved what Josephine Angelini did with the mythology.

The characters are also pretty great.  Lily, herself has to grow a lot, but I love who she becomes by the end.  She starts off as someone who physically can't do a lot, and becomes a girl who is sure of herself with the power to really make a difference. Plus, Lily is surrounded by a lot of great side characters, from Rowan, the complicated boy you can't help but fall in love with, to her sister Juliet, who loves Lily in each and every world.  Each character has depth and personality, and it's fun to see the different people in the different worlds.

As for action, this book is full of it, from monster attacks to mistrust, kidnappings to secret meetings, it's all there.  It really is one of those books you can't put down because there's almost never a good place.  Even when the action does pause a bit, it's filled with magic and more world building. 

Really, my only complaint for the book is how easily Lily does everything.  I understand that she's powerful, and sometimes she has problems with the simple stuff, but she gets the big stuff a little too quickly for my taste.  We are told over and over again that she is being introduced to magic that most crucibles never achieve, and she masters it on her first try.  I get the book really isn't about her learning magic, it's more about facing off with her alternate self, Lillian, and fighting for what she believes, but I wish she would have failed a few more times instead of mastering what no one else can every time.  I'm not disparaging Lily's character---I thought she was developed beautifully---just how easily everything came to her.  I wanted a bit more struggle. 

Despite that one small problem, this book is amazing.  I adore the world building, the way we start with things like burning witches, and how it is morphed into this complete, amazing mythology.  I love the characters and the adventures Lily is thrust into.  For me, this book is a strong 4 stars.  It's fun, unique, and fascinating.  The ending is a bit abrupt, but we have too more books to go, and I can't wait.

Book Review: Heir of Fire

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy. 
While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?  Quoted from Goodreads

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I'll be honest, when I started this series, I wasn't too impressed.  I'd heard so much about the first book, how amazing it was, how much I would love it, that really nothing could live up to the hype, and it sort of didn't.  It was a good book, but I never fell in love with it.  So when the second book came out, I didn't rush right out to read it, but I knew I would get to it some day, and I did.  And I loved it.  It was everything I wanted the series to be and more.  Maybe it was my lowered expectations or (and this is my personal opinion) it was just better and more complex, full of twists I didn't see coming.  So I tried to keep my expectations lower for this third one so it could possibly be as amazing as the second one, and it absolutely was.  I am totally and completely a huge fan of this series.  It's complex and amazing and everything I could have wished for and more.

Celaena grows so much in this book.  I love the person she is by the end, but it takes her a long time to get there.  She really grows up.  She's been so broken by the deaths of so many people she loved, she really has to work through all those emotional scars, and it's a fantastic journey.  We get a lot of new characters this book, and one of the best has to be Rowan.  He's basically the male version of Celaena plus a few hundred years, and he is awesome.  Sure, there were moments when I disliked him.  But then, there are moments (especially in the first book) when I disliked Celaena, and a lot of times for similar reasons.  Basically he is kick-butt awesome with his own set of scars to rival Celaena's and I adore how their friendship grows. 

In this third book, we finally get to leave the castle, so you see and experience so much more of the world Sarah J. Mass has created.  The world building is awesome.  Part of it is a few of those new characters.  We get Manon Blackbeak, a witch (like Baba Yellowlegs), and I love these witches.  They are delightfully evil, and yet you can't help cheering for Manon, dark as she is, and her own journey. Then there's Mab and the Fae.  The author takes so many similar elements and then twists them, making them her own, complex, and completely unique to this world, that I love it. 

Other new characters, we get the absolutely delightful Aedion Ashryver, who I thought I would hate at first, but has become one of my favorite characters in the series, and I will be so sad if he dies later (no one is safe in this series. NO ONE). Through him, (and Chaol and a little bit Dorian) we learn more about what the King did ten years before.  It's fascinating watching them solve one of the mysteries that ripped apart their world.

As for Dorian and Chaol, I have mixed feelings.  I feel like both of them are growing up, but I hate their relationship in this book.  Mostly, I'll admit, I'm frustrated with Chaol.  I feel like Dorian and Celaena grow up a lot (though they're not perfect) but it takes Chaol a little longer  to get where you know he can be.  He's good by the ending . . . mostly.  I won't go into it because he does something I love and absolutely hated him for at the same time, but I like the person he's starting to become.  

Aaaaaaagg, the ending!  It really just about killed me.  You might want to stop reading a few chapters before and then read the rest right before the fourth book because I guarantee it will kill you just a little bit.  It starts to wrap up nicely, and then . . . well you know there are some absolutely, perfect villains that you can't help but hate on multiple levels (the King of Adarlan, anyone?) and the things they do at the end to characters I absolutely love . . . well, death is only the beginning of the bad things that happen.

All in all, this is an amazing addition to an amazing series.  If you want something that's complex, full of action and character growth, world building and history, with characters you love and hate, you need to read this series.  My only stipulation is it isn't done yet (we get 3 more books!) and the ending will leave you dying to know what happens next.  I'm giving it a delightful 4.5 star.  It's wonderful, delightful, and one of those books I want to rush out and make everyone read.

Saturday Shorts: Infinite Repeat

Seventeen-year-old Micah Foster is looking forward to the return of his girlfriend, Amber, who's been away in Los Angeles recording an EP with her band. But when Amber returns home on the anniversary of Micah's dad's death, something feels different and Micah pushes her away. 
Over the next week, as Micah tries to repair his relationship with Amber, he relives the events of the past few years and recognizes a pattern. His friends and family are right--he self-destructs every April, right around the time his dad died, hurting people he cares about in the process. Will Amber be this year's casualty? Or can Micah escape his past in time to fix his present?  Quoted from Goodreads

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I thoroughly enjoyed The Art of Lainey, so of course I had to read this when I found out Paula Stokes had written a novella from Micah's point of view.  

It's a great look at Micah's life, pre-Lainey.  We get to see what happened with his ex girlfriend Amber and especially exactly what happened the night his dad died.  It's not a lot of new material, though there is some.  We get a lot of general background about Micah in The Art of Lainey, but here we get to see the nitty-gritty details of some of the biggest moments in his life that actually makes him who he is, and it's a lot of fun.  

I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing Lainey from Micah's POV before they started fake dating.  There aren't a lot of interactions---that's not what the story is about---but there are a few fun moments that you appreciate.  That's not to say you can't read this book first. You absolutely can.  In fact, this is one of the few novellas that was published after the book it goes to that I don't think would spoil reading the book at all.  Too often you have to read them second despite the fact that they're prequels because they give main plot points away.  This one really doesn't. It just fleshes out the Micah Lainey gets to know later.  

So, should you read this book?  If you've read The Art of Lainey, absolutely.  It's a delightful prequel that gives you more if that's what you want.  If you haven't and might be interested, check this out. It's a great introduction to a lot of the characters without being as much a commitment. I'm giving it a positive 3.5 stars. It's a great addition to the Lainey universe, and an excellent way to get to know Micah better.