Tag Archives: YA Fantasy

Tarnish by J.D. Brink

27 Feb

Tarnish

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

So I was lucky enough to actually a signed copy of this from the author. CHEA! So thank you thank you Mr. Brink for the fantastical read.

dance

Different than my normal read purely because it has a male pro-tag but VERY good. I would say this is more of a crossover YA-Adult book based on the storyline, characters, and tempo.

The longer I am away from this book, the more I like it. What’s amazing about this book is that it is its own story. It’s well written, although it got a little choppy (more on that in a minute) and the characters are their own beings. It’s not some spin off, take off, bullshit twisting of the same young adult themes. And honestly, I think that’s mostly because for ONCE we get a very real male pro-tag.

Billy/Will, our main homeboy, is adorable. This is my Will:

will

 

Smexy, and buff and clean faced. He’s exactly what I would think a medieval teen-aged adventure junkie would be. And I think it’s completely cute how smitten he is with the illusion of Will vs Billy. And love how he has to wrestle with the age old “who am I?” question and how Brink makes it very entertaining. He has all these ups and down and highs and lows and by the end, he’s really gotten booted off this pedestal he put himself on. But I couldn’t help but giggle at the last name he comes up for himself, Thunderstrike. Call me dirty minded but heyyyy…

wink

 

Personally, I am A HUGE fan of switching narrators. I love being able to feel and see the story through different eyes and voices. It adds depth and dynamics to a book. And while a did enjoy all our narrators, I only wish we got to spend a little more time with each of them. I felt like sometimes we would meet someone and he’d be gone before we got a chance to know him.

who are you

 

And OMG, I love love love that you get all these stories within stories because there’s all these storytellers in the story. It’s like, bookception.

you're awesome

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Best of 2013

24 Jan

I am waaaaay late on this post… whoops! But I present to thee

*drum roll*

The Best of 2013!

Applause

Remember! Click on the covers to add these books to you Goodreads account!

 

Best Cover

perfectruinuk

Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano (UK Version)

Best New Series

the5wave

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Best Sequel

the bitter kingdom

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

Best World Building

fallingkingdoms

Falling Kingdom by Morgan Rhodes

Best Romance

the bitter kingdom

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

Hector and Elisa *swoon*

Best Come to Jesus Moment

theelite

The Elite by Kiera Cas

America’s reaction to Maxon’s reaction

Favorite Female Character

the bitter kingdom

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

Elisa – I love her

Favorite Male

worldafter

World After by Susan Ee

Raffe

Most Badass Character

crown of midnight

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

Cealena Sardothien – duh.

Best Science Fiction

reboot

Reboot by Amy Tintera

Best Fantasy

the bitter kingdom

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

Best Dystopian

champion.indd

Champion by Marie Lu

Best Short Story/Online Series/Bridge Book

The starkillerscycle

The Starkillers Cycle by Sarah J Maas and Susan Dennard

Favorite Author of 2013

maas

Best Book of 2013

crown of midnight

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

“Life takes us to unexpected places sometimes. The future is never set in stone, remember that.”
―     Erin Morgenstern,     The Night Circus

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The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

26 Sep

the bitter kingdom

Book Three in the Fire and Thorns Series

Rating: Five out of Five Stars

I was legitimately upset when I finished this book. It’s heartbreaking knowing my journey with Hector and Elisa are over. I adore them in every way possible and I will miss them like they are my friends IRL.

Hector and Elisa will always have a little corner of my heart. Their romance and their steadfast love for each other is what everyone dreams of having.I am jealously happy for this fictional couple and wish more than anything that there were five more books to be written about them. About little Prince Rosario and fiery fierce Red, about Conde Tristan, Storm and Alodia, Cosme, Mara and Belen. There is so much Carson could do with this world and these people because she’s developed these characters so thoroughly and so wonderfully I can create futures in my head for all of them. There are living breathing people to me and I am going to miss their stories.

The Bitter Kingdom is dazzling. It’s drips with beauty, from the world to the words to way her characters live, Carson has captured every bit of imagination. This series is one of the greatest I’ve ever read. Carson solidifies herself in rank with fantasy authors like JK Rowling, Kristin Cashore and Cinda Williams Chima.

I can’t write anymore. Anything I write won’t live up to how breathtaking this story is. Won’t ever truly make you understand how ardently I adore this series. Instead, I am going to write Rae Carson a letter begging and pleading her to write another series about the characters. Look for it on my blog soon.

Because Rae? “I love this series like a dying man loves air, and I would hate to have it just once.”

 

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Asunder by Jodi Meadows

2 Jul

13043180

Book Two in the Newsoul Series

Rating: One out of Five Stars

I am going to give everyone a heads up… this review will be snarktastic.

So I’ve had some time to step away from this book and allow my feelings to mellow out a bit. But sadly, my rating is not changing from a One Star. I know a lot of people ohemgee-loved-this-book but I have to, respectively, disagree. Please please don’t hate me for this review.

Be warned: There are spoilers aplenty in this.

And I apologize in advance for my swearing. *Sowwy*

Alright:

bmode

What, in all that is good and holy in this world, the f**k was Meadows thinking with this disaster of book? I don’t think I’ve read something so disorganized as this plot or as weak and pathetic as a main a character since 50 Shades of Bullshit landed in my unknowing lap. And the worst part about my hatred of this book was that I gave Incarnate FOUR STARS! Four freaking stars. Talk about fab to drab in 400 pages. Good lord I would rather torture myself with entire 1500 page Matched series again before I would submit to reading Asunder a second time. It was painfully awful. And I can actually say PAINFULLY because I rolled my eyes so many times while I went through chapters of this book I gave myself a headache. A self-induced, eye rolling headache. If that doesn’t scream “bad book” I don’t know WHAT does.

To be fair, I will list my grievances in a civilized and decent manner and feel free to argue against any of the following points:

1.) As expressed clearly in my review of Incarnate, the world building was extremely lacking. But I think I had tricked myself into thinking that it was acceptable in Book One because the concept was so new. Perhaps my WSOD meter was just catching up?  Now though, the newness has worn off and I am left with this jumble of words and bullshit that is attempting to congeal it’s self into some semblance of a working plot. For example: There’s only one effing city in the whole world (planet? land? Earth? Universe?) and it can house a million people? And yet you can walk from one side of the city to the other in a day. A city where every single “soul” has their own house, with their own yard? Riiight. OK yeah that makes PERFECT F*CKING SENSE. And this glorious city that just sits on this volcano just “happens” to have the right amount of houses with walls that, excuse me, pulse? Cool, nbd, awesome. Let me just segway into my next point on that creepy shit..

2.)Sooo… our “bad guy” is actually the wall that pulses? Who is actually Janan?  Who is a god but USED to be a real person? And he’s the reason that everything happens in this god-forsaken world/land/planet?

confused
No, that’s not confusing at all. Totally understand THAT connection. Moving on.

(If you don’t get the sarcasm in the points above, shame on you. Just stop reading now)

Ok so besides the completely illogical world that is never fully described and the creepy as f*ck wall/bad guy/god thingy, we could almost save this book at a couple stars if we had a solid main character and a good romance. But alas, that was not to be found in this darling book. Proceed on, oh bitchy rant!

3.) Ana. Young, innocent, naive, newsoul Ana. How I wish you had one ounce of redeeming qualities in you. Instead, if I saw you on the streets, I would throw a rock at you too, you stupid fickle twat. Now here is my biggest beef with Meadows at the moment: WHY DID YOU CHANGE ANA SO MUCH? Yes, she was indecisive and and yes, she kind of made no sense in her decisions making, but at least she was endearing! You tried too hard and tried to accomplish so much with her and it just fell so flat. Everything became soo… coincidental. She just “happens” to have the key that “happens” to be the clue to unlocking this whole messed up Janan crap? I can see how Ana was trying to be this Grand Savior and all that but she just.. wasn’t. She’s weak. Annoying, self-centered and weak. And she has a wrapped and twisted review on reality, I feel sorry for the poor thing. I mean come on, she would NEVER confront Sam on anything. Ana was so terrified of making him mad or uncomfortable or upset she never DID anything. She was so forgiving (practically instantaneously) that every time she “got mad” I pictured a 2 year old stomping her feet for 30 seconds than moving onto the next toy. And her morals went out the window. She wanted to wait to have sex in Incarnate but she was like a two dollar hussy in Asunder. Ugh.

4.) And don’t even get me STARTED on Sam and their “romance”. Seriously. Don’t.

shot

I could really go on and on.. but I’ll save myself a hand cramp and your most likely bleeding ears from my never-ending spiel of how disappointed I am with this book. I will read the third, purely because I did enjoy the first so much and because I adore Jodi Meadows. But lord help me if it’s as twisted and stupid as the second.
going to hell

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To Read Tuesday – 2013’s remaining releases

25 Jun

I have been a SUPER SLACKER on my To-Reads Tuesdays lately. I wish there was some way to quit and be a full time blogger/reader… but alas, I must make money. So until some smitten publisher comes and swoops me up, I do have to work a normal job.

Instead of giving some in-depth analysis into one book, below is a list of all the 2013 releases I am looking forward to for the next 6 months!

16045008viral nationcarniepunkindelibledoon the bitter kingdom crown of midnightproject cain antigo marieendless these broken stars world after unsouledtheenchanterPerfect Ruinallegianthorde curtsies champion.indd rebel spring

Also not on here:

The King’s Guard by Rae Carson (Fire and Thorns 0.7)

Altered by Gennifer Albin (Crewel World 2)

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Poison by Bridget Zinn

24 Jun

Poison

No series

Rating: Two out of Five Stars

This book reminds me a lot of Scarlet by A.C Gaughen. It’s a little slip of a story with a lot of fluff and not a lot of meat. Although I will admit that I had QUITE the shock when we find out who Kyra’s mom is. GASP! I was totally taken by surprise.  So well done, Zinn.

I am always hesitant to read stand alone books because there just is not enough time to really get into the story. The characters, the world, the premise tend to be a bit superficial. ESPECIALLY when it’s a fantasy book. To develop a world in 300 pages that’s believable, a plot that viable, and a character that’s relatable is pretty much impossible. Hence my beef with stand alone fantasy books and this book in particular. The pro-tag was meh, the storyline was alright and I couldn’t even begin to explain the world because it wasn’t explained at all in the book.

If I was to describe this book, I would stick with words like “cute” and “quaint”. It’s a little young, maybe more geared to late middle-grade, than YA readers. I mean come on, she has a baby pig as a pet guide dog. And there’s no real tension or anything truly gripping but it’s an easy read. So, if you are looking for a true fluff book, something you don’t really have to pay attention to, go for it. But if you are looking for something with true substance, look elsewhere my friends.

 

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Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

20 Jun

incarnate

Book One in the Newsoul Series

Rating: Four out of Five Stars

This will be an interesting review to write…

I am going to make this simple as I can: I liked this book but it confused the shit out of me. It was an interesting concept that was totally in it’s own world of weirdness. It was an intriguing storyline and that cover??? TO. DIE. FOR.

Now, there are pros and cons to being such a different story. It was it’s own completely unique concept and like nothing I’ve ever read before, therefore the book had some hurdles to jump through to compensate that my WSOD was confronted with this scenario for the first time. As bad as this may sound, once you’ve read a dystopia novel or fantasy novel, you kind of “get” how they play out. For dystopias, there’s always a cause for the apocalypse or downfall of democracy, there are people that took over, there are people that are trying to fight them, and then there’s the on going battle of survival or take down of the new government. Details vary in each dystopia but they have the same basic gist and premise in every book. Fantasy books always have a unique world, usually forresty and flowery with some kind of ancient magic attached to it, a pro-tag with some kind of connection to said land magic, and a evil doer trying to exploit that magic.

This book however, had none of these elements.

It WAS a fantasy book, but also with a science fiction flavor in it. But the science was based off the fantasy world so it wouldn’t actually count for “sci fi”. Also, you never really learn if this world is OUR world, just years before/after our time, or a completely new planet. Because it has the same properties as our world, plants, animals, gravity, ECT. but it also has slyphs (black shadow things that attack and burn you), dragons, trolls, and centaurs. Oh and then  there’s that thing where only one million souls are ever born and they keep being reincarnated.

So besides being confused on where the hell and when the hell this whole story takes place, I liked it. Which is strange because I was VERY confused at times. Ana, our pro-tag, is all over the place with rapid fire decision making skills and emotional changes I could hardly keep up with. Most of the time I had no idea what was going on… and the “love story”? Pooh. And yet for some strange reason… I still liked it?

Ah well… *shurgs* Read it for me and then maybe we can all get together and discuss it, yeah?

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The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

24 May

10816908

Book Two in the Fire and Thorns Series

Rating: Five out of Five Stars

I legitimately squealed when I finished this book. Like the high pitched annoying sounds 11 year old girls make when they see a baby penguin or something. It’s Just. That. Fabulous.

Girl of Fire and Thorns took me awhile to get into but once I was in, I was swallowed up by the beauty of Carson’s writing. I am a sucker for good world building and this baby gave me everything I wanted. To me a high fantasy book should have a world that is it’s own character. You need to know it, feel it, love it or hate it just like any other character in a story. You want to be able to relate to it and visualize it in your mind. I could actually see a map in my head of everywhere the characters went in the novel. From the water fall to the underground city it was vivid and clear and glorious. *whimsical sigh*

Not only am I once again impressed with Carson’s writing ability, but I am also ecstatic that this is a functioning, well thought-out, crucial-to-the-story installment. So many times author’s second book in a trilogy or sequel seems forced or convoluted because they are trying to build suspense and foreshadow everything that will happen in the next/last book. They forget that the readers still want to be transported to another world and see the characters grow. But Crown of Embers has it’s own flavor, story, personality that makes it just as engaging and engrossing as book one. It feels like a natural extension of the plot but it layers on so much more feeling and passion and emotional connections you just sink more and more into the story the longer the book progresses.

It’s a beautiful story with a unique, not cookie-cuter YA female pro-tag that will have you riding the wave of fantasy hard. When the book ends it takes you a second to come back to life in the real world because the story just feels so… real.

And this line.. soo romantic. Reminds me of my book boyfriend Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen would be so proud:

“I love you the way a drowning man loves air. And it would destroy me to have you just a little.”

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Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

7 May

10429092

Book One in the Fire and Thorns Series

Rating: Four out of Five Stars

Oh my little lovely book. You’re just a gem of wonderful aren’t you? Yes, yes you are.

After reading a lot of the reviews of this one, it’s pretty hit or miss with folks. People either love it or hate it. And while the beginning was a bit slow, the personal growth that Elisa experiences is infatuating. Who’d a thunk that being kidnapped would end up with the fat little princess being a warrior queen? A MAGICAL WARRIOR QUEEN! GET SOME!

Ok, but for real. This book was good. The writing and the tone Carson uses is lyrical without being overwhelmingly flowery. I like when author’s really take the time to describe the scene and paint the picture in your head. But sometimes it can get to be so much that I get bored and I forget the dialogue that was happening before we walked into whatever area we are in. This book manages the balance well. It brings you into the world without smothering you with it. And the characters were really well done. They have personalities and quirks and aren’t the cookie cutter YA makeups.

Now I have to be honest here and say I struggled a bit at the beginning of this book. Typically YA princesses are young, thin and pretty. It’s super rare to find a chubby pro-tag in a high fantasy young adult book. So it took me some time to understand the character’s way of thinking about food and herself because quite honestly I couldn’t relate, I didn’t understand. But this different point of view is one of the reasons I really like this book and encourage girls to read it. That typical Barbie doll heroine that thinks she’s ugly because she’s self depreciating won’t be found here. This is a real young girl’s struggle with her weight. And no, the whole book is NOT about how big or skinny she is but it’s a theme that is always underlying the major pieces of this plot and it’s beautiful. It’s a unique perspective that I haven’t read in fantasy before and could really resonate with readers.

Elisa’s weight struggle isn’t the only reason why I like her. Although the fact she takes pride her in mental beauty more than her physical beauty is intriguing. I really enjoyed reading Elisa because she’s, well for lack of a better word, human. And she’s brilliant. She’s the type of person that grows wings when the fire starts. Her realistic adaptability and her desire to be good, do good, make good, is breathtaking to read. Elisa doesn’t go from dowdy second born to sorceress queen in one chapter, its a complete journey, confusing, full of rejection and hurt, and full of her passion to over come. Which she does, but not without sacrifice. And although she encounters a lot of pain, she’s resilient in the fact that she does not break. Elisa is the epitome of what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. She’s inspiring.

BTWs – this series has some really good novellas. I encourage you to read them!

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Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas

3 Apr

13574861

Book One in the Throne of Glass series

Rating: Four out of Five Stars

This book has a special place in my heart. My blog is named after a quote that’s in this story and I actually stumbled upon the quote before I knew about the book. I read this phrase once and it resonated with me so much, I fell in love with the idea of it.

“You could rattle the stars,” she whispered. “You could do anything, if only you dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That’s what scares you most.”

So because I think this is a magnificent quote, of course I had to read the book. And once again, female assassins? Yes please! (For some reason I have read a lot of lady assassin books lately…) And this one is beautiful. It’s rich and luscious with details and the characters are perfect for their positions. The way it’s written, with the three different narrators, adds so much depth and dynamic to the story you sink deeper and deeper into the plot with each POV. I was enthralled by the way everything developed, it was perfectly paced.

Oh and Celaena, our heroine. She’s brilliant. One part Assassin’s creed, one part dazzlingly gorgeous, mixed with a little girly girl love for dresses and jewels and sprinkle in a bit of family drama, unrequited love, and fey heritage? BAM! We’ve got ourselves a winner my friends.

While this book has a decent swoon factor (two tastey men to drool over), gripping action scenes, lots of twists and a captivating premise… the reason why I am NOT giving it 5 stars is because I did have one or two “issues” with the book. Sometimes things got a little far fetched… I never really understood the dynamics between the princess and the would-be mistress of Prince Dorian (she confused me, because she narrates at times but we never get to KNOW her). And then there was the constant alluding to the fact the Celaena is not 100% human. Is that why she’s such a badass? Why she ran away? Why someone taught her to fight? Sooo many unanswered questions! It was a bunch of foreshadowing that I just found annoying. It sets the readers up to ache for the next book, yes, I just think there was a better way to go about divulging those pieces.

But with that being said, this is a hell of a book. Calaena has some AMAZING zingers and one-liners that made me giggle. And she owns the big guys in fights! I think I reread that initial scene when she finally displays he talents four or five times because it was so awesome. Seriously.. female power

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