Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Easily the best book this year!!

How does one describe a book so magical and captivating that you will stay up until 6am to read it?

 (Guilty as charged.)

Uprooted was sexy, intriguing, honest, and just all out well written and constructed.
Like a drink of cold water when one is thirsty for something more, I was enraptured and satisfied by this book.

What will you get when you buy said book? 

A delicious cover, an adventure, unique world building, complex and wonderful characters, and best of all an unforgettable experience.

Nieshka is a wild, headstrong, nature loving girl who is whisked away into a world of magic. Counter that with the Dragon: an uptight, magician who adores beauty and perfection, and prepare yourself to be amused as they pair up to counter an evil, living forest that contains terrible horrors within.

 Novik doesn't keep the book PG by any means, which helps make the book feel more real. She composes her literature to unfold naturally with smooth progression, making it easy to fall into pace and become one with Nieshka's world. I dare not reveal more and ruin any surprises for you, but I must insist if you are a lover of reading, give this one a try. I do not think you will regret it.

Lauren - 5 stars

Dearest by Alethea Kontis

 Endearing and sweet! 

 (third book after Hero)

 Just like that the magical trilogy of an oddball family is over. *sniff* It was nice while it lasted though.

Finally, it is Friday's chance for romance! Things get interesting when she stumbles upon seven slumbering men in a tall tower. She must help them turn back into humans permanently before it is too late for there is a Kingdom at risk, and truths to be revealed.

This story plays on the Wild Swans and Goosegirl tale that Kontis cleverly combines into a heartwarming and tragic sibling tale. The magic was enchanting, the romantic cliches adorable, and some of the harsh realities were eye opening since not everyone can have a perfect happily ever after. Dearest was definitely a good end, for our sweet Friday finally finds love and grows into her unique gifts. Alas, I couldn't help but feel that so many questions of the series were left entirely unanswered. 

Luckily though, I recently discovered that release of Trix's tale! I'll have to read that soon and figure out what happened to our playful, adopted fairy child!

All in all though, Kontis did a fun twist on the usual mish mash of fairy tales, and I was thoroughly entertained. I hope to see more from Kontis in the future!

Lauren - 4 stars

Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini

Alternate universes and witches? 

Sign me up!

I found Trial by Fire to be interesting and intriguing with it's tale of alternate universes with a twist of magic. As we all know, our heroine Lily ends up in a different universe where there is another version of her, who is powerful and supposedly cruel. This part of the book is where the story gets interesting. At first though, as much as I hate to say it, Lily is completely and 100% a pathetic Mary Jane. Sick and weakly, and hung up romantically on an obviously douche-y best friend, when Lily finally left her universe I could only hope that she would get it together and woman up!

It took a little time, and some 'woe is me' moments, but I was happy to see Lily start to come into her own, and become open to her unique powers. There were a couple typical things that I felt could've been more refined, for example Lily discovers that she can speak to her sister in this new universe through her mind. Guess what they call it? Mind-speak. Surely there could be a better name for it?
 

Despite this though this new world is fascinating, with it's magical willstones that define their owners and become such a part of them, that it's painful and/or intimate to touch another's stone. Other unique points were that their ideals were different from ours as in nudity does not faze them, and their world has monsters that are disgusting, terrifying, and carnivorous.

There are sisterly bonds of love, dark secrets, possible universes linking together, an ominous and ongoing war, and of course a sexy love interest, Rowan. Who could ask for more? The ending left me feeling slightly confused, nervous, and yet still somewhat excited. I can only hope that Angelini will introduce more of this magical world and an even stronger more independent heroine in her sequel!

Lauren - 4 stars

Coming this September! 

The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent

Definitely not what I was expecting...

I feel like I missed this hype train for sure, seeing all these stellar five star reviews. And when I say missed the train, I mean I feel like I jumped off at full speed to tumble messily in the dirt. I admit, I went in with high hopes since I was a big fan of Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamer series, despite the drama of it. I realize Vincent is kind of a bubblegum literature author; drama to the max, but so bad that it's good. This was not one of those.

Stars Never Rise uses the Church as the strict, controlling regimen to a demon based story which might have been interesting, if the writing wasn't so lacking. To put it basically, our main heroine, Nina, was a bore, it was all just a big snooze. Predictable and cliched.

One defining moment of said cliche-ness was that fact that when Nina is running home, trying to stay under the radar, she encounters a situation where there is something in the bushes. Logically, a person would book it over that fence instead of spending ten minutes debating whether it be dog or demon but oh no, no. Then, when she gets herself saved, she presses upon the fact that she needs to make a quick escape before she's discovered, but still takes the time to reach out and push his hood back so she can see his face. Apparently not so much in a rush as she said she was...

I stumbled through this book, and when we finally reunite with her disgustingly, insta-love interest Finn, I was seriously puzzled. 

It was weird.

 
It was almost like Vincent was going for a unique, love overcomes all approach but it was just strange. Finn isn't a demon, but he has no body, and simply goes from body to body as he pleases. To make matters more bizarre, we don't find this out until after Nina shares a passionate kiss with him. Once she joins with Finn's group of friends, or group of exorcist rebels, we find out the truth and also discover that the guys in the group are rather okay with sharing their body with Finn when he needs it. Even when it comes to kissing. Uhm, what? Dare I even mention the awkwardness of Nina kissing several different men with Finn inside?

The only thing that would compel me to read the sequel is to find out wtf is up with Finn's...incorporeal situation. Otherwise, I was not impressed.  

Lauren: 2 stars

Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff

3.5 stars

Haunting, gothic, and wildly imaginative!

What is Clementine's story?

 I was certainly dying to find out! This was such a fun magic themed story, with great mystery behind it. 

 Clementine's tragic tale begins with her being forced to sleep with magic for ten years in a basement closet until she was finally discovered and rescued by one of our main characters, Fisher. But why and by whom is left unknown and Clementine is seeking to find some answers.

As we uncover the old town Clementine grew up in, things get weirder and weirder. My interest really began to peak when "bad things" started happening. Bad things being slimy green catfish with rows of monstrous needle-like teeth, ominous storms, demon dogs, the magical Hollow forest acting up; all signs of what they called The Reckoning. Problem is nobody knows why The Reckoning is coming or why it even happened ten years ago, either. 

One of my issues with the book was that after finishing it and running my opinions and thoughts through my head, I realized something rather shocking; I could not remember Clementine or Fisher's names. Clementine, although strong willed, sweet, and having a rather bizarre introduction, was slightly bland. Fisher too, suffered a similar fate as there was nothing defining about him except his unique craft. This problem is more than likely due to the wide cast of main characters to share with readers, but it doesn't make the book terrible just not as amazing as it could have been. I also found myself wishing I could have known a little more about the fiends. Information like their origins, and how they came to existence.

Yovanoff's story is engaging and fascinating and the small town really comes to life with its unique descriptions, and mysterious, as well as old, history. There were some fun characters as well and a happy ending. Fiendish was truly fun and mysterious and I will look forward to more from Yovanoff in the future.

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken

5 stars

(sequel to The Darkest Minds)

Such an amazing sequel, I want to kick myself for putting it off for so long!

We pick up where we left off in the previous book but some time has passed. Ruby is now an official member of the Children's League, and has become much more comfortable with her powers compared to how out of control she was before.

She works for the League doing a variety of tasks, mostly unpleasant. Whether its missions to help attain goods for the League, or questioning prisoners aggressively, Ruby does what she needs to do though Liam and friends are a constant on her mind.

We get to meet a few new people, mostly people from Ruby's team. We have the sweet and loveable Jude though he can be annoying, to the rather bitchy but stunning beauty, Vida. We also get to meet Liam's older brother but with his arrival comes bad news: Liam is unknowingly carrying information that is important to his brother, and possibly vital to the League, which puts Ruby in a situation since she sacrificed everything to protect him. 

Things become especially complicated when Ruby finds that there are untrustworthy members of the League that have no problem killing children or any one who gets in their way of their higher goals. The story once again takes on an on the run theme, as Ruby seeks the information Liam carries in order to protect him while keeping out of the reach of the dangerous clutches of the rogue League members. 

Readers unite with old friends, meet new enemies, and encounter old ones as well. The ending of the book leaves off in a triumphant and dangerous cliffhanger that was absolutely brilliant. The third book, In the Afterlight, should be released this year!

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

4 stars

A unique and powerful read! It truly delves into the darker sides of children.

Bracken absolutely tore my heart out with this book and yet I longed for more! In a dystopian twist where children become monsters, tools of war, and runaways, Ruby is a wolf among sheep biding her time before the inevitable happens. 

A disease strikes the children of the world, either rendering them dead, or gifted with unique powers. Struggling to keep everyone from panicking, the government sets up camps where they promise parents to help make their unique children "better" and to find a cure. These children are classified by colors based up their danger to others.

 Just imagine how powerful Ruby is when she has the abilities of an orange and the highest ranking power is red. But sweet and naieve Ruby does not long to use her powers against others, in fact she is scared of them and the consequences, to the point of manipulating the man registering the children into thinking she wields a less lethal ability, and is classified as a green. She must learn to adapt though, as she later escapes her horrible and abusive camp, and joins up with a group of children also on the run not only from the camps, but from bounty hunters. It's only with these lovable characters, Liam, Zu, and Chubs, that Ruby truly blossoms and cracks open her hard outer shell.

Alas, times are tough, and Ruby is wanted by many but the on the run feeling of the book was exciting, thrilling, and interesting. Bracken writes a great high paced dystopian that leaves you with the urge to weep or tear out your hair in the end. (Trust me, it's still amazing.) 

(my review of the sequel, Never Fade)

Half Bad by Sally Green

4.5 stars

Loving the blood effect on this cover as well as this debut novel.

I stumbled upon this gem while looking for another book at the store. Honestly, I was not entirely sure what to expect, but what I didn't expect was such an amazing and heart wrenching story!

Nathan's tale is one of sadness from the day he was born, for he is a half white and half black witch. What makes this so unfortunate is that Nathan's black blood is of the darkest and most dangerous origins. Despite being constantly viewed with disdain and treated with hatred by nearly everyone he meets, Nathan is strong, clever, and optimistic in his own unique way.

Sally Green does an amazing job with her story telling for it ensnares you and compels you to finish this book as quickly as possible. Along with a rocky and deliciously forbidden romance, readers also get to experience living in a cage, tales of torture, and an underground system for witches on the run or in need of an illegal favor that comes with a price.

There are a couple pages told from a first POV but I found it to be unique and different almost like you're being woven into the story. The idea of good/bad and black/white is strongly put into question.  I also found Nathan's view on life and his interactions with family and the people he meets to be beautiful as well as a touch cynical. My only dislike was my concern with his instant turn to brutality in certain occasions.

The ending was satisfying and left off with a mild cliffhanger but I see promise in it's sequel, Half Wild.

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

 

4 stars

Such a fun and adorable book!

I was nervous for this one for several reasons, one being that our main character was a Southern belle, and I was waiting to see if Harper Price would be anything like Sophie Mercer from Rachel Hawkin's previous series, Hex Hall. To my delight, our heroine was one of a kind.

Harper Price is the definition of perfection down to her petite and bright sounding name. She is the kind of girl that most girls either admired, hated, or both as she is highly successful, a perfectionist, and has a hand in every club, event, and is without a doubt Homecoming Queen. 

Harper's almost perfect world is turned upside down when she ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time, and inherits Paladin guardian/warrior powers. She also finds out that as her job as Paladin, she is forced to protect the one person she despises most; David Stark.

It seems David is more involved than even he knows, and the action and mystery get intense, let me tell you! It took me a bit to adjust to Harper's do good attitude, but I found myself growing fond of her fierce spirit, and occasional sarcasm in her attitude. David is especially lovable with his wit and eccentric dressing style! The two together make for several laughs, and heartwarming moments. 

The Unbound by Victoria Schwab

5 stars

Love the matching theme cover, I must say!

(sequel to The Archived)

No sequel trauma here! What a knockout!!

Back with our independent heroine Mac, we start off with a new beginning, a new territory: school. Mackenzie is trying to cope with the trauma she experienced in the previous book with Owen, while attempting to take control of her life. Easier said than done in her case.

She finds it of course difficult since she suffers from morbid night terrors involving Owen that start to bleed into her waking life making her wonder if she's slowly going insane. What's especially difficult is that she can't show weaknesses right now since her job as a Keeper has been put on the line. 

To add to the mystery and chaos of it all people are disappearing and their only connection is to Mackenzie. 

Dun, dun, dunnn!

The Unbound round house kicked me in the face with awesomeness. We get more character development, more action, more mystery, and more layers of the "Archive" onion peeled away to reveal that there is more to this library of the dead than we could have ever hoped for...

For fellow Mac and Wes fans, I'm pleased to announce that they grow much closer in this book! (Finally!) 

Once again, I'm left dying for the next in the series, because everything was raw and intense. You feel Mac's pain, anxiety, and terror throughout the book and the ending leaves such promise for the third.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

5 stars

Look at that cover!! It's freakin' fantastic!

AHmazing!! I am so happy this book 
lived up to my expectations!

If you don't read this book you will be missing out. In my perspective, this book was a whole new view on the dead. This isn't about ghosts, and it isn't about a troubled teenager. It's about life, death, and something more. 

That's right, there's more!

So you have the three main "worlds" in this book. 

You have the Outers, everyday life for us normal beings. 

The Narrows, in my head I pictured a sort of go between for these different worlds for it has many doors and one narrow hallway like description with fog and darkness. 

Then you have the Archived, a library of dead people called Histories. 

Histories can awaken and they slip, where they start to lose themselves and their eyes become all black, it sounds pretty creepy. Mac's job is to find these histories and return them to the Archives. Sounds mundane, except that when they slip they can become violent and Histories don't bleed and are strong which ups the danger and excitement of this story!

What makes this book such a winner is the fact that its creatively imagined, the story is kept interesting because the apartment that Mac lives in has a dark back story of it's own which keeps the background intriguin. You also have a mysterious conflict and I loved the characters, and just when you think you know everything, there is much more to it than you thought you knew!

Just blew your mind there.
 All the excitement, mystery and action is why I can't wait for the second book, plus I want Wesley and Mac together. No lie.
The only complaint I have are that I pretty much figured out the villain right away. <spoiler>It had to be who I had priginally suspected, because the character was too...vague. We only knew that he/she was a sad character who had a somewhat mysterious past. 
I found Mac to be a strong heroine, defiant, and funny. I also thought the grief in this story was appropriate, not too whiny or clingy, but a family trying to recover from a harsh loss. The climax was awesome and blew my mind, especially when some of the clues were pieces together to reveal the "final form," as I'd like to put it.

The characters are wonderful and well developed as well. I simply adored Roland. Wes is pretty funny but I love Roland hands down. Just had to put that in there, that this book earns its fifth possibly secret sixth star for Roland. He is such an awesome character, I mean any character who wears Red Converse is just amazing automatically! I'm happy to find that Victoria Schwab has made another winner.

My review to the sequel, The Unbound.

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

3 stars

Loved the cover, its really eye catching and entrancing.

A fun action packed book that leaves you longing for the next change...

I've got to say I've been on a badass heroine streak and love it. With this story I was not disappointed with our heroine Kali; an average teenager every other day. But when she isn't simply human, she is a bloodthirsty hunter, seeking to sink her knives into supernatural baddies!

Her life takes an even bigger turn for the interesting when she sees the mark of the Chupacabra on a popular girl at school and has decided to save her no matter the cost.

Though Kali isn't exactly social, she warms up to most of the characters we're introduced to, and its quite a variety. Through Kali's eyes, the world of the usual bump-in-the-night creature genre is given a unique twist. Especially so when readers learn of a company with evil intention involving Kali, humans, creatures, and a certain somebody else.

It's what makes this book so fun, since things aren't what they seem! I really appreciated that while our popular girl did fit the usual bill of teenage snot, once Kali got past the facde there was someone truly lovable underneath. I did feel a little confused after some mysteries were revealed for example what exactly Kali was before things began to change was left...cloudy. Also a certain character death left me with a big angry question mark above my head. I felt the death was random and highly unnecessary, plus the ending felt slightly vague. 

These were my only complaints since the book was otherwise so good, I could not put it down. Great for a light, action read!

Always A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

4 stars

This cover is way better than the first.

(sequel to Once A Witch)

A serious improvement compared to the second!

All my pet peeves from the first book were pretty much eliminated from the second. For starters it felt way more action packed than the first. We pick up where we left off with Tamsin and family deciding how they plan to face off with the future troubles ahead involving Alistair and the old Knight family. 

Alistair has escaped to the Victorian-era to warn his family of their impending troubles, and there's nothing for Tamsin to do except follow and try to save her family as well. 

It was way more action packed

  because Tamsin disguises herself as a lady's maid in the enemy's home where things are a dark whirlpool of trouble. If there isn't the threatening, domineering La Spider, there is Liam the dangerous, experimenting son who has a flirtatious facade. Jessica is the only normal one of the family, and you can't help but grow attached to and pity her situation, though she is strong in her own way.

The Greene family predecessors were quite talented as well. Isobel was by far my most favorite, though Thom was definitely second. Although we didn't get to know the entirety of the Greene family you still got the feeling that they were well rounded, and altogether fairly decent people.
With the feeling of Tamsin against the world, I found myself quickly reading through the book to reach the anticipated conclusion.

Throughout the book Tamsin is reminded that she will have to make a life-changing decision which really makes the book even better in the end since it was amazing though a little sad. I was happy with the realistic view of it though like the first book.

Once A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

3.5 stars

While this book was unique in sorts, it was also a bit cliched.

Meet protagonist Tamsin, a young witch from a long generation of witches. Promised to be a great witch at birth, and then to everyone's disappointment, wasn't.

Tamsin does not feel like she fits in with her family, she is under minded by other family members, and so when she is mistaken for her sister and gets approached by a stranger asking for her help locating a missing item, a part of her cannot resist. Tamsin gets herself tied into a a huge mess as she struggles with being an average human being, and yet coming from un-average origins.

I found the idea of each witch and wizard having unique powers such as freezing people, reading minds, siren like abilities, throwing fire ect. to be a fun and unique idea for a plot based on witchcraft. I also liked the twist of the rivalry between the two magic families for the antagonist.

What I found to be a little teenage angsty was the fact that she pined instantly for her love interest, and thus began silly girly spouting here and there. Otherwise I didn't mind their romance all that much just slightly cliched.

But then there was the sister rivalry...
This was the absolute worst aspect of the book. Tamsin went on and on about how perfect her sister Rowena was, and how the world revolved around her older sister who acts like a spoiled primadonna. (Which honestly didn't help her case.)

Rowena was just an absolute snot for no reason whatsoever, except maybe jealously, to make matters worse. You would think training to be the next head of family would install some maturity and nurturing in her especially regarding her sister. Not to mention everything Rowena did was perfect and was noted in the book i.e. Rowena's hair always being a perfect chignon, or white would usually look bad on people with pale skin tones but on Rowena it only made her glow and did I mention she looked absolutely majestic?
Long story short, it got old.

The ending was very intense, and left a great opening for the sequel, Always A Witch. I felt it was a good ending since it wasn't happiness and rainbows for everybody, but rather a big life changing decision which felt realistic.

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

5 stars

Gorgeous cover, amazing story.

"He wished he could bottle up the smile she gave him and save it for a rainy day. Of course, if all went as it should he'd have those smiles every day, bottle or no, rain or shine, now and forever, until the end of time and after."

That is just too cute.

I have to start off with saying that I felt the summary did not give justice to this book. And if you are a book cover fan like me, look under the dust cover! I felt it was very elegant and pretty! :) I found myself completely enchanted by this novel! While it remains unique in it's own way, it is a mash-up of several different fairy tales like Rumpelstiltskin, a slight pinch of Rapunzel, a reference to the rhyme of the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, as well as Princess and the Frog.
I immediately fell in love with the Woodcutter family and their overall bizarreness, for each family member is unique in their own magical way. Sunday's story is very intriguing, and it jumps right into the part where she meets Grumble the frog who becomes her companion, her friend, and her love. Of course as the story goes, she kisses Grumble and he later transforms into Prince Rumbold.

The story was light, entertaining, creative, and unique to say the least. I found all of Sunday's family, including herself, to be quite loveable. The scenery was described and written beautifully I found myself longing to see the Elder Woods, and I also found Rumbold's character to be adorably complicated, especially post-frog enchantment. He was just so eager to love Sunday...

The tale takes a steady route, and while you know where it's heading it's still an excellent read that you can get caught up in. I was actually surprised at actually how dark the book became regarding the King and his reign.

Follow my review for Hero!

 

Vicious by Victoria Schwab

4 stars

 I love the details in this cover. Amazing art!

Victoria Schwab has fast become one of my favorite authors. 

From the Near Witch, to The Archived, and now Vicious, I have to say that she writes engaging stories that absolutely thrill.

With her newest adult fantasy novel, Vicious, we are introduced to a new creative world. She gave a whole new spin to the idea of superheroes or ExtraOrdinaries (EO's). I loved how in this book, technically nobody is the good guy.

Both Eli and Victor have their dark sides, both have killed people in the pursuit for something bigger and greater.

The story swings between past and present and pulls together as we collect the little pieces of the puzzle to Victor and Eli's tale. A few chapters help us get to know the side characters like Mitch, Sydney, and Serena, in more depth.

Victor and Eli become involved in the study of Eo's and how they come into existence or whether or not they actually exist. After discovering how people attain their unique gifts, which is very fascinating and creative, they decide to take it a step further and experiment on each other to in order to attain results.

It's here that things start to get ugly and our characters begin to change. The boys split ways; Eli begins his killing spree and Victor his life in jail. Then the story amps up when Victor escapes from said prison, and picks up a stray on his pursuit on Eli who is trapped in his God mode.

The story dragged just a little at some parts, but I was otherwise highly entertained. (Out of all the characters I found Sydney to be my favorite!)

The ending was brilliant, and left it open in a way that was satisfying in my opinion. To others, possibly not so much, but this a book that's meant to be given a chance!

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Steifvater

Loving this cover! 

5 brilliant stars~

(sequel to The Raven Boys)

FINALLY. 

It is here! I finished it and damn it! Why must you cliffhang us, Stiefvater?!

I'll admit to it being awesome though...Dream Thieves was so amazing that I was dreading the end. It was simply just one of those books, the ones you fly through so quickly. They say that sometimes that sequel can be the slump book but this one was everything a sequel should be in my opinion!

After the puzzling cliffhanger in the first book where Ronan reveals his unique nature of being able to pluck items from his dreams, we pick up immediately and get a deeper view into the progressing tale of Blue and her Raven Boys.

Ronan was definitely one of the boys that we got to take a dive into. All those questions about his complicated and mysterious past are given answers, and we get to explore and discover all he does, on the abilities of what I like to call dream manifestation. It's called something else, but I'd hate to spoil it for you guys!

 We also get some pov of  Adam, after his life changing and sacrificial decision in Cabeswater. It's interesting since he is changing, but at the same time Adam has some inner demons and struggles with the past to deal with.

I had some serious feels with this book as well, since there was a lot of the same old, but at the same time things were changing for everyone. They're closer to finding their Raven King, while all the while trying to discover themselves and what they want, where they belong. Not to mention, what the future holds for them. 

We also get to meet a new character who I was honestly, was unable to to classify into one category until the end. The Gray Man is definitely an interesting add-on. Although some might seem him as kind of unnecessary? Possibly.

I seriously enjoy Steifvater's style of writing, how she develops her characters, and how she describes surroundings, situations, and feelings. It was a wonderful, exciting, and amazing book! And I'm dying for the third one, Blue Lily, Lily Blue!

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

 

A dazzling and striking cover!

 4 stars

Jay Kristoff, you've earned every star. 

Though you tore my heart out...quite brutally. I still give you the honor of a slow clap.


How do I describe a book that is so fantastic, there is a loss of words? I shall try my best.
We meet Yukiko, our heroine, who accompanies her father on the hunt for the legendary Ashitora, Thunder Tiger, or as we Americans call them, Griffins. It is said to be a myth or at least extinct thanks to the Blood Lotus, a red flower that is toxic and addictive. It slowly kills their land, animals, and people. Imagine everyone's surprise when they discover that they do still exist. 

Yukiko later names it Buruu, and events lead to the two of them being stranded in the wilderness together, relying on each other to survive. It was here, ladies and gentlemen, that I found the book to be at it's reading peak. For it is here, that Yukiko truly discovers herself,and the truth behind her mother's sudden departure, which really shape her as a person. It was also an important period for them since Yukiko and Buruu truly bond and become brother and sister. Which i adored by the way, it was really cute!

All in all, the book is chock-full of awesome action and suspense! Who would have guessed that there was so many people within the Kingdom who hated the Shogun's guts? I mean, his own sister is even against him!
We also meet a lot of interesting characters like Yukiko's father, The Kage, and Kin, a friend she makes on her father's boat, the Thunder Child. Each character has a complicated past, which of course, only makes everything more interesting.

Not to mention, the complicated love line. Kin loves Yukiko, Yukiko loves Hiro & his green eyes, Hiro has sex with her but is eternally loyal and obsessed with the Shogun, and the Shogun is an all out tyrant when it comes to women but is apparently in love with his sister. Ew. What is with screwed up leaders being in love with their sisters? Do I even need to bring up Gladiator? 

The sex between Yukiko and Hiro was tasteful considering it's in the YA genre. I again, felt a bit of mixed feelings, towards Hiro. He seemed so perfect considering all Yukiko did for a good third of the book was dream of him, and then readers finally get up close and personal and I felt myself thinking, "Eh." I understood Hiro was needed for some romantic conflict, maturing of Yukiko, and role of scapegoat. But I wasn't all that aggrieved when Yukiko and Buruu killed him. It almost felt like Stormdancer would have been find without a romantic interest at all this time around. I got to say I'm interested to see if things go anywhere with Kin and Yukiko especially considering she broke his heart.

What broke my heart was when we lose someone very important to our story and Yukiko. My heart...

I knew somebody important died and I was really worried it was going to be Buruu. Now that would make me cry. Especially with my favorite quote of the book being Buruu saying to Yukiko: "Feathers grow back. Sisters do not."

I am really excited for the second book! The first book leaves it open to possibilities. Readers obviously know that war will most likely happen, but it ended on such an upbeat rebellious note. I found myself not dreading the sequel, but anticipating it! Bring on the heartbreak!!

 GORGEOUS! *fangirls*

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

5 stars

To be honest, I was skeptical about this book at first. We get this huge info dump in the beginning of the book that we have to try and sort through to the point of re-reading a couple of times to try and grasp the concept. But that's what I'm here for; sarcasm and summarizing. 

(Plus there's a glossary in the back. Wish I'd known that before.)

Welcome to New Age London, run by a government, Scion, that hates clairvoyants.

Year 20-something or other. Meet main character, Paige, who is a clairvoyant of a more rare class: dream walking. She can project her spirit and did I mention she works in the crime syndicate?

 But hey, who can blame her, I mean the government is pretty much a giant asshole. Think "Watchmen" here, people.

When some unfortunate circumstances come into play, Paige learns a more dangerous trick with her power, and a guard ends up dead, the other insane. Paige gets caught, and knows it's the end for her, the government has killed for less after all. 

Imagine her surprise when she finds herself taken to a hidden city where clairvoyants are hidden right under everybody's noses. Everybody's but Scion who plays a hand in this project. The city is run by creatures who aren't human called Rephaim. 

I wasn't a 100% sure what these guys were exactly, but all we know for sure is that they come from the aether; a place where spirits go for peace and clairvoyants draw their power.

The only reason Scion is working with them is because of these nasty creatures called Emim who hunger for human flesh. Due to these monstrosities Scion needs the Rephaim, thus helping form the reluctant pact between alien and human. 

Now you're thinking, what is so bad about a place that caters to clairvoyants? They get to escape from a society that hates them, to a place where their talents are rewarded.

 Except that Rephaim treat humans and clairvoyants that are useless like slaves, dogs. They beat and starve them, use them for entertainment, for personal slavery, feed from the 'voyant's auras, train most of them to be soldiers to fight the Emim and capture more clairvoyants. Rephaim can also take clairvoyants under their wing, and become their "Keeper's." 

All around assholery 'round these parts.

Just wait until you meet the Queen of these winners, Nashira. This woman is all out poison, and the more you read about her in this book the more you despise her.

We also get to meet Arcturus. 

Yummy!

 

 Also known as the Warden. Dark, sexy, mysterious, and yes, different, from the other cruel Rephs.

(You'll come to find that the words "special" and "different" in a book describing a love interest are serious taboo for me.)

He changes this story, and helps Paige. He takes her under his wing, becomes her Keeper and trains her to help master her unique gift.  He has quite the history and Paige is out for freedom, for a revolution and she plans to escape or die trying.

 Intriguing, yes?

Now a lot of people are calling this story unique and original, that Shannon is the next J.K. Rowling, and that there is a possibility of seven books.

I wouldn't say this story is original, but it's very entertaining, a great read! One for my personal shelves. Exciting suspense once you stick through the beginning, but I don't see a necessity for seven books. (Dear God, please, no.) Just seems highly unnecessary.

The next book's release does not have a date yet! Also, if you'd like give me a shout out on your opinion of the book, feel free. :)

The Curse Worker Series by Holly Black

This review will include the entire series.

5 stars

This cover alone made me interested, it screamed sexy bad boy and his angst filled story. Usually not something that interests me but this time I wanted it.

This series truly intrigued me, a unique take on the fantasy side of the literature, Holly Black charms readers with the idea of "curse workers." People born with powers that are activated by touch, something once prized in others, now considered a threat, a fear for everyone. People are forced to wear gloves in public 24/7, and using your abilities is now considered a crime. Which makes Cassel and his family criminals; usually working as mob bosses or con artists. 

The catch is Cassel is the only one in his family who isn't gifted, which makes him somewhat of an outsider. 

He does have a deep dark secret; that he killed his best friend and love, Lila.

Things start to get interesting when Cassel realizes his family is keeping a secret from him, he has to go deeper in order to find out more.

The idea of "curse workers" was really creative. You have your luck workers, memory workers, emotion workers, death workers, and the rarest of all, transformation workers. Cassel's family is so messed up, that at times I wondered why he hadn't run away. But as jumbled as they are, you can't help but read avidly as the story unfolds.

4 stars

Of all the painful yet enchanting sequels! Gah.

Imagine loving someone for oh say, forever. And you have the chance to have that love reciprocated! Except you don't know if it's even true.

Welcome to Cassel's world.

We've have a heap ton of tid bits revealed to us from the first book for example, Cassel never killed Lila, she is in fact alive! Cassel is actually a transformation worker, and his brothers have known for awhile! In fact, they have been using him for his powers and erasing his memory. Just when everything seems to be working out in Cassel's favor his mom decides to do a thoughtful deed, and emotion work Lila to love him. 

Ouch.

So here we are, struggling with Lila's new re-entrance into Cassel's life and his new grasp on his powers plus his budding romance with Lila which he feels entirely unsure about. Plus Cassel gets entangled with the mob and the feds, plus the other events of his life make the book seem like a constant whirlwind.

I have to give Holly Black serious kudos for her con work in the books so far. This book has an even better con than the first, and they're always so clever and creative! I was so frustrated with the ending and Cassel's decision when it came to Lila and their messed up relationship.

The feels.

5 stars

The third book cover that never was.

  It was supposed to match the first two, and then suddenly, they decided to revamp the covers to attract more readers. I had to buy a book with a cover I didn't want. I wanted to yell at them saying, "Don't I get any say in this?!" Anyway, onto the review.

Black Heart is a damn good ending to a Noire themed trilogy with magic, crime, and good old fashioned style. 

While there wasn't as much crime work in this final book, the con itself was epicly amazing. Probably the best yet. One of the disappointments I had was the diamond. Supposedly, it belonged to Lila's father, and was swiped off of him by Cassel's mother which led to some drama in the book since he is holding her prisoner in a hotel until he gets it back.

There was even more tension for Cassel as he is torn between his usual life of crime and his love for Lila, and his chance to turn a new leaf and help the feds. Yet he feels torn between the two, as though the feds might be using him for their dirty work as well...

Despite all the frustrations, we get a deeply satisfying ending.  

Cassel achieves "the big score." The one con every crook wants to make, because criminals are never satisfied. You'll have to see for yourself!