ARC Review: The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier

The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier
Release Date: 11th March 2014
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Source: Netgalley
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

The Lost Sisterhood is the new novel from the author of Juliet, an Oprah's Book Club Pick published in 30 countries which has been picked up by Universal to be made into a feature film. The Lost Sisterhood tells the story of Diana, a young and aspiring--but somewhat aimless--professor at Oxford. Her fascination with the history of the Amazons, the legendary warrior women of ancient Greece, is deeply connected with her own family's history; her grandmother in particular. When Diana is invited to consult on an archeological excavation, she quickly realizes that here, finally, may be the proof that the Amazons were real.

The Amazons' "true" story--and Diana's history--is threaded along with this modern day hunt. This historical back-story focuses on a group of women, and more specifically on two sisters, whose fight to survive takes us through ancient Athens and to Troy, where the novel reinvents our perspective on the famous Trojan War.

The Lost Sisterhood features another group of iconic, legendary characters, another grand adventure--you'll see in these pages that Fortier understands the kind of audience she has built with Juliet, but also she's delivering a fresh new story to keep that audience coming back for more.

Do you like adventure? Does a good treasure hunt intrigue you? Are you fascinated by ancient history and mythology? Then perhaps you have come to the right place for this book provides you with a good mix of everything I just mentioned above.

There are mixed reviews all over the place about this book and it’s really easy to see why. Some people will love this and some people won’t. One reviewer described this book as the Dan Brown of women’s fiction and that is a very apt comparison because this book does have the same vibes as a typical Dan Brown book and your enjoyment of this book will largely depend on whether or not that sort of thing works for you. If you haven’t read any Dan Brown and are confused as to what I am referring to.. basically, do you like info dumps? Do you mind being stuffed with information? Avoid this if that doesn't appeal to you, but if you don’t mind so long as the topic interests you (which in case it did for me), dive right in but prepared for a couple of unrealistic things that may bother you.

I was in 3^rd grade when I first heard about the lost city of Troy and since then, mythology hasn’t let go of the grip it has on me. As soon as I came across this book and saw the combination of mythology, history and women’s fiction, I knew I had to read it and I was not let down. I went into this expecting a good adventure and that is exactly what I got.

This novel follows the story of two women, namely Myrina, who lived in the Bronze Age and Diana who lives in present day.

Diana is approached by a mysterious man who tells her that proof that Amazons existed has been found. The man proceeds to hand her an image to back up what he is saying. Diana is definitely vary but she is also intrigued because well she is passionate about Amazons and something about the writing in the image seems familiar. It turns out that the notebook her grandmother left her was written in the same language and so begins our adventure as Diana follows the same path Myrina did over thousands of years ago.

Diana for the most part is a pretty decent female lead. She is headstrong and can make her own decisions. She doesn’t let the men make her choices for her but instead does what she feels is right. She’s grown up, she can handle herself… for the most part. Sometimes she may need to be rescued and sometimes her decisions land her in icky messes but really the one thing that bothered me about her is how oblivious she can be. Especially with the whole thing about her grandma. It’s GLARINGLY obvious what’s going on there yet Diana was blind to that for a major chunk of the book.

Also, I do not buy the fact that this chick translated an ancient scripture in a manner of days. Uh.. NO. Even with the ‘translating dictionary’ Diana had (her grandmother’s notebook), it should still take more than a mere 5 days. Remember when I mentioned unrealistic things? Yup, this was one of them.

Myrina was an interesting character to say the least. Both Diana and Myrina get thrown into circumstances that turn their lives upside down, they follow similar paths but their stories are different. Myrina travels all the way to a city to find the Moon Goddess so that her sister can be cured of the blindness that came as a result of a fever. Myrina is a wonderful sister and more than that, she is a brave warrior. She is a hunter at heart and she is a strong female lead and a great leader. In spite of all these wonderful things about her, I never really liked her. I didn’t dislike her, but her story, while fun to follow, was not nearly as enjoyable as Diana’s. Perhaps this is because Myrina’s story has an underlying sadness to it. When you realize that all of this occurred in a past so distant, in a part of history that has been lost and might not ever be recovered, it makes you feel very melancholic.

One of the loop holes in Myrina’s story was her elder sister. I have no idea what happened to her. Perhaps I accidentally skimmed over the part (hey, the book was long!!), or perhaps it was never mentioned.

The world building is were some of the other issues arise. The scholars in this world are constantly looking down on women and I know this happens in the real world. I KNOW. But the extent to which it happens in this book kind of pisses me off. It seems overdone. Then there was also the thing about the female lead being half American and other scholars constantly mocking her for her ‘Americaness’ when according to her she was raised in Britain. Really? Are we really going there?

The author brought some original twists to the tales we know and some of them, well, some of them just didn’t work for me. They were believable. The author didn’t just pull them out of nowhere but sometimes some things don’t work for you and nothing can change that. There were also other things that the author threw into the mix which didn’t sit well with me but I learned to live with those grievances to enjoy the adventure I was on.

One of my other issues with this novel was the romance. No the romances. Neither of the romances were all that well developed. The romance is not the focus of either story (okay so perhaps Myrina’s tale has a tad bit more romance) but I never saw it coming. I mean I knew there was going to be a romance, but there wasn’t enough development in either case to make the romance more believable. They seemed to have popped out of nowhere.

With that said, Myrina’s romance, even with my annoyance of how it seemed random, was so sweet. It really just brought out emotions. Yes I was annoyed that Myrina willingly gave up who she was but then her romantic interest is just so adorable that it’s hard to stay mad. There is so much respect in their relationship and so much love and SO MUCH COMPANIONSHIP. They can tell each other things. They do get mad at each other but they are sweet together.

Diana’s romance was… iffy. Nick is not the best love interest out there. He has been lying to her since the dawn of time and has pulled her inside this complicated web of lies and really I have no idea how she could trust him after everything that he has done. I know I wouldn’t. Pretty face be damned (although I am not sure we know what he looks like exactly).

There are secrets, lies, ancient civilizations and heaps of mythology involved and if you’re looking for an adventure, this book does give you one.

But it’s best not to go into this book expecting to be wowed. Similar to a typical Darn Brown book, the excitement only lasts for the period you are reading the book and once you’re done, everything will fade away. This book makes for excellent brain candy and I’d recommend this to fans of Dan Brown but also to anyone who is looking to lay back and just chill with a good adventure. Don’t let the number of pages scare you off for they go by pretty fast and the book will be over before you know it. 

ARC Review: Donners of the Dead by Karina Halle

Donners of the Dead by Karina Halle
Release Date: 24th Feb
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Jake McGraw was unlike anyone I’d ever known. He was brash, rude, unapologetic and arrogant; chauvinistic, close-minded, and terribly stubborn. He was built like a tree, tall with a hard chest and wide shoulders and hands that looked like they could wrestle a bear. He was a cigar-chomping, scruffy-faced, beast of a man. I was pretty sure I hated him. And I know he hated me. But among the flesh-eating monsters in these snow-capped mountains, he was the only thing keeping me alive

The year is 1851 and pioneers in search of California gold are still afraid to travel on the same route as the tragic Donner party did years before. When the last wagon train to go into the Sierra Nevada mountains fails to arrive at their destination, Eve Smith, an 18-year old half-native girl with immense tracking skills is brought along with the search party, headed by an enigmatic former Texas Ranger, Jake McGraw.

What they find deep in the dangerous snow-covered terrain is a terrifying consequence of cannibalism, giving new meaning to the term “monster.” While the search party is slowly picked off, one by one, Eve must learn to trust Jake, who harbors more than a few secrets of his own, in order to survive and prevent the monstrosities from reaching civilization.

A while ago, for a Top Ten Tuesday post, we were asked to list the top 10 books we wished would exist. One of the things I wanted more of was a historical romance book that wasn’t set in England or Europe for that matter so you can imagine why I wanted to read this book so much (not considering the fact that I love everything written by Karina Halle). I wasn't disappointed. Karina worked her magic and out came a highly entertaining historical romance. 

Eve is a young woman who lives with her uncle. Her father died a while ago and it affected her mother so profoundly that she stopped talking. As a half breed, she is shunned by society and doesn’t get the same opportunities as her cousin. She isn't seen 'fit' enough to engage with society but her best friend, Avery, is a champ and helps her out the best he can. Her uncle only tolerates her and wouldn’t think twice about championing her out if that meant he could get more money (in my opinion). Avery’s life changes when a band of Texans come. They are looking for a tracker to help them get through the mountains. They also pay handsomely so she joins their group with her best friend and a companion but little does she know what she’s getting into *cue dramatic music*. The mountains are hiding something terrifying, monsters no one could have dreamed of. Will they survive? Or will they turn into the same monsters they are running away from?

Eve was a very likable character. She was brave but she also possessed survival instincts. She was smart and instead of giving up, tried to find alternate solutions. She was a survivor. I think one of the the best things about her character is that it is very easy to imagine her in that time period. She is not a lady because of who she is, a half breed, society cannot bind her but at the same time she isn’t so out of place for the time period this book took place in.

I had mixed feelings about Jake though. He was an asshole at first, referring to Eve as a savage and hating on her Indian heritage. As you get to know more about him, it becomes clear that there is a reason for his hatred and when you learn his story his actions are easier to swallow. My biggest problem with him was well, him. He bears scars from something that happened in the past but all of that is forgotten as soon as he becomes infatuated with Eve. On the positive side though, he really was a fun male lead. Perhaps not as wonderful as some of Halle's others but yeah.

The romance did not work. It pains me to say this but it did not work. It was insta. Jake starts being a jealous creeper even though they’ve barely known each other for a hand full of days for half of which he was rude to her. The romance could have been more developed. There was some obvious chemistry between the two but the romance itself wasn’t strong. I wasn’t swooning. Towards the end, the romance did become easier to swallow but it disappointed me since I can usually count on Karina to develop the romance really well.

With that said, the creepy in this book was WONDERFUL. I was legit scared and oh my god the cannibalism and the beliefs surrounding it was so wonderfully executed. I had goose bumps and was on the edge of my seat and scared as fuck.

The plot was excellent. It was just straight forward adventure and survival and there were tons of hardships. The author did not cut back on the gory and gave us all she had. The journey was exciting and the author never took the easy way out. The turns this book took were also realistic (in terms of the situation they were in).

The ending was slightly cheesy though. I don’t know what it is with me but I cannot stand those kind of endings. I am not the biggest fan of epilogues and I don’t see the need for them for the most part.

All in all, Donners of the Dead was an exciting read that combined history and romance with a lot of horror that resulted in a book that can be quickly devoured and is extremely satisfying. You cannot expect anything less from Karina. 

Review: Paper Towns by John Green

Title- Paper Towns
Author- John Green
Publisher- Speak
Release Date- September 22nd 2009
Buy - Amazon

Goodreads Summary 

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

Who's the super big fan of John Green. ME

“As long as we don't die, this is gonna be one hell of a story.”

It’s not a secret that John Green is my all-time favorite author on this planet. So obviously, I was to say the least excited out of my brains to read this book. However, I didn’t think I’d be disappointed with it.

The story is about Margo Roth Spiegelman who lives a very popular high school life living next to the geeky Quentin Jacobsen who is the normal high school boy with a big heart and a massive sweetheart. They have been friends as children and slowly drifted apart as they grew up after finding a dead body in a park. Years later while in high school Margo climbs into Quentin’s bedroom and takes him on revenge cantered adventure before she disappears. Quentin being the sweet boy he is he takes it upon himself to follow the clues that Margo seems to have left behind for him to find her not only missing his graduation day but also dragging his friends along.

The storyline is somewhat childish. It’s the whole shy boy is in love with popular girl and she basically throws him in the friendzone. Yeah, so the idea isn’t very original I guess. The mystery that is Margo Roth Spiegelman is quite interesting but gets boring very quickly. Everything about her seemed so great at first, her weird quirks and thoughts about the world and how seriously she takes her revenge and she just seemed like a great character. But I ended up hating Margo halfway through the book. I felt so sorry for Quentin.  She left him clues to find her, he became obsessed with it, his friends suffered because of it and the “twist” at the end is just stupid. The whole ending was just disappointing and terrible.  Margo is a horrible girl! The whole world was revolving around her and the whole clues and making everyone worry about her being missing never telling anyone anything is just stupidly stupid and selfish. Poor Quentin and his friends wasted so many hours trying to figure out where she is and it was all for nothing. Just ugh! Cannot stand this girl.

Apart from Margo being a massive poop I liked the book. See the word “liked” yeah I didn’t love this book as the rest. I expected so much more. I was prepared to have my heart shattered and then burned but nope. Really disappointed with the fact that I didn’t cry like a baby at this book…

The quotes are really amazing in this book however. Like seriously if I could marry John’s writing I would do it in the blink of an eye. His writing speaks to me so clearly that I sometimes see the world differently (cheesy I know)

“It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world.”

Review: The Calder Game by Blue Balliett

Title: The Calder Game
Author: Blue Balliett
Series: Chasing Vermeer #3
Release Date: May 1st, 2008
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

Petra, Calder, and Tommy, the sleuths at the center of the amazing CHASING VERMEER and THE WRIGHT 3, are back with a labyrinthine new mystery to solve.

When Calder Pillay travels with his father to a remote village in England, he finds a mix of mazes and mystery . . . including an unexpected Alexander Calder sculpture in the town square. Calder is strangely drawn to the sculpture, while other people have less-than-friendly feelings towards it. Both the boy and the sculpture seem to be out of place . . . and then, on the same night, they disappear! Calder's friends Petra and Tommy must fly out to help his father find him. But this mystery has more twists and turns than a Calder mobile . . . with more at stake than first meets the eye.

I believe this is the first time in a couple of years that I read a middle grade book. The only reason I even picked it up was because I had read the first two books in the series in middle school and adored them. So I set out to complete the series.

It was such an interesting experience because middle grade is so different from YA and Adult and it was just so refreshing.

But with that said it’s pretty hard to say anything about this book because I have no idea how I feel about it.

While it was different it didn’t induce the same excitement the first two books had for the younger me. Yes you could argue that I’ve grown up since and expect a lot more out of books. The fact that I liked almost every book I read back then doesn’t help either, but the fact that I liked almost every book I read back then could also mean that I had great taste. After all the only book that had angered me was Twilight (there is a story behind that).

I don’t remember a lot about the first two books so I could be wrong, but I feel like the mystery in the first two books was very well developed and a lot more interesting compared to this one. The only thing that was going on in this book was the search for Calder, which didn’t really keep me on my toes. The ending was rushed and I didn’t really understand what had happened. It also bordered on unrealistic.

I realize I shouldn’t be so critical of a middle grade book because it’s aimed at a younger audience who aren't as likely to be bothered by those little things but I AM a reader.

“..Cader the Math Whiz, Tommy the Finder, Petra the Scribbler..”

With that said I really enjoyed the characters. They were such a refreshing change from the angst filled teenagers of YA and the complicated adults of Adult (that sounded better in my head). It was just incredibly fun to read about these characters who always meant what they said. Their innocence was refreshing.

For example Tommy and Petra do NOT like each other (in the beginning). If this had been a YA the author would have played off this hate and made it into a romance, yet there were no romantic feelings between the two. The author actually developed their friendship. I almost cried (tears of joy of course) because I am so fed up of the whole hot and cold shit.

Calder wasn’t there for a large chunk of the book but he was definitely missed. I remember him being my favorite character and I think I would have liked the book a whole lot better had he been there to help solve the mystery. He was always an interesting character. And adorable too. He is always thinking about puzzles and is pretty smart but he tends to misspell words all the time.

Petra can sometimes be slightly condescending the way pre-teens can sometimes be. It always made me laugh when she criticized Tommy in her head and how she said eww so often. She is pretty smart too.

Tommy.. was interesting. He kind of reminds me of a stereotypical pre-teen. Messy and unorganized. He loves collecting treasure and (in my opinion) isn’t as smart as Calder and Petra but he has his own charm.

Mrs. Sharpe, who I don’t really remember from the previous books (I am getting old okay?) was interesting I suppose but I don’t understand why she would so readily help these kids much less pay for the expenses. I am glad that the author actually provided them with a chaperone who was sharp (see what I did there?) but it came off a tad bit unrealistic.

So did Walter Pillay for that matter. While I am glad the author develops a healthy parent-child relationship, Walter’s speech bothered me. He didn’t sound like an adult. He sounded like a kid. Again I realize that this is a book meant for pre-teens and so it would be more suitable to have the father sound like a child but it bothered me.

I guess in the end this book was enjoyable, but the mystery fell flat. I do hope to read another middle-grade in the near future but I honestly don’t know. Maybe if I want a break when I get fed up from reading so much angst in YA, NA and Adult. 

Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: Hunger Games #3
Release Date: December 2011
Publisher: Scholastic 

Goodreads Summary

Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But she's still not safe. A revolution is unfolding, and everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans - everyone except Katniss. And yet she must play the most vital part in the final battle. Katniss must become their Mockingjay - the symbol of rebellion - no matter what the personal cost.

 I’m broken. Seriously Suzanne Collins has broken me with her beautiful writing and her amazing story telling abilities. The whole world that she created within the three books is amazing. I cannot even form words to explain just how much I love this book. This last book is by far my favourite! I was numb at the very end.  

I’m used to characters dying from the very first chapter in the first book. So I never got close to most of the characters apart from the ones that I thought Suzanne can’t kill, I was so wrong. So very wrong. Like why. Don’t give me some hope and then take it away from me L

I don’t like books with a ton of action mostly because a lot of authors screw up the simpleness of  describing exactly what’s going on and over write it which sucks a lot because it confuses a lot of readers (mostly me) but the hunger games was written and described beautifully. I could picture myself looking over Katniss’s shoulder seeing exactly what she was seeing and knowing exactly where was happening and I was so happy that the writing was simple and not over thought.

The love triangle was quite annoying. Only because I’m team Peeta forever but at the same time Gale is just so yum and so great and bless him why does he have to be rejected?! This is the problem with love triangles being used in books. I hate the fact that one guy who seems as perfect as the other has to be by himself or gets heart broken, it’s just not fair! I wish Gale stayed the best friend and Katniss and him never got closer than that.

The whole rebellion was brilliant. I loved every part of it. Okay not every part… But I was still on my tiptoes about what was to happen next. The entire time from starting the first book I was on tiptoes worrying about what would happen next! It broke my heart when Peeta was finally rescued and everything was meant to be okay but he was brainwashed. Katniss pretty much admitted to herself that she had feelings for him and this could have been their beginning but instead she finds that every memory that Peeta has of them has been turned bad. He thinks of her as the bad guy, as the Capitols mutt, as the person that’s responsible for every death. Not only that he tries to kill her. I could not believe it. I was shattered. I felt so bad for Katniss! Not only was she feeling guilty of all the events that have happened and all the lives that have been lost, and there Peeta was the guy who was meant to be in love with her. Meant to be the nicest person, the person that made her feel better after a nightmare trying to kill her and blaming her for everything that has happened. As much as I hated this part, it was done amazingly. The whole journey of trying to restore the memories damaged by Snow was astonishing.

Compared to the first two books the beginning was somewhat slow. I guess the missing presence of Peeta and district 12 was making everything seem slow. However the ending! Oh my. I’m still not over everything that has happened. I just can’t deal with everything that’s happened.  

I’m rumbling so much and I’m sorry but seriously my brain just can’t cope… I cannot wait for the rest of the movies to come out and see exactly how it was done!

Eona by Alison Goodman

Title: Eona
Author: Alison Goodman
Series: Eon #2
Publisher: Viking
Release Date: April 19th, 2011
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Eon has been revealed as Eona, the first female Dragoneye in hundreds of years. Along with fellow rebels Ryko and Lady Dela, she is on the run from High Lord Sethon's army. The renegades are on a quest for the black folio, stolen by the drug-riddled Dillon; they must also find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona's power and the black folio if he is to wrest back his throne from the selfstyled "Emperor" Sethon. Through it all, Eona must come to terms with her new Dragoneye identity and power - and learn to bear the anguish of the ten dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered. As they focus their power through her, she becomes a dangerous conduit for their plans. . . .

Eona, with its pulse-pounding drama and romance, its unforgettable fight scenes, and its surprises, is the conclusion to an epic story only Alison Goodman can create..

 I started off by giving this book a three because I didn't think it was so bad that it deserved a two but then I realised a three meant that I actually liked the book and I didn't. This book was a big fat disappointment (no literally, it was 638 pages long).

It wasn't until page 84 (yes I remember somehow) that things started going downhill for me. For the first 84 pages, I was ready to be blown away by the awesomeness of this book but that didn't happen. Instead I read the second most disappointing sequel of the year (the first being Timekeeper). I thought that this book would help continue the streak of good books, but the streak finished before it even started. 

The only reason why I am not giving this book a 1 is because the concept was still interesting (which is the only positive thing I am going to mention).

I had three main problems with the book

1. Eona

2. Kygo

3. and their relationship

I really really really did not like Eona in this book. While she bothered me some in the first book it wasn't nearly as bad as it was this time around. She became a whiny and rather self centred girl in this one. I don't think she realised half the time that the world did not revolve around her own damn problems. Sometimes it seemed as though she was more bothered by the fact that Kygo and her couldn't have a real relationship than the imminent war.

Kygo wasn't any better either. He acted less like an emperor and more like a spoil brat. Every time something when wrong he would throw a tantrum. Right now I am very glad that I am not under his rule because with a emperor like him, I might as well just forget about myself because my life must revolve around his wishes. The only thing that makes him better than Eona was that he wasn't nearly as love sick as her.

Eona and Kygo together?? Huh? They acted like a bunch of horny teenagers. 'Heat' flared between them when they weren't even in close contact. Oh COMMON! Have I not read enough crappy romances, that one of the ones that I was actually looking forward to went down the drain? In the first book they were mostly acquaintances but somehow they went from acquaintances to umm being in love? Before I even get to that let me mention, there is a love triangle of sorts going on here. One relationship is based on love and the other on lust. And no, this one was not the lust one, this was the LOVE one. I am not even sure where the love come from. Thin air perhaps? It happens often enough these days in YA so why the hell not? They also have huge trust issues which definitely do not help in making their relationship better. If they really loved one another, they would goddamn trust each other. I believe that trust is very essential to a relationship and without it a relationship just won't survive. 

I preferred Lord Ido to these two and that's saying something because I despised him in the previous book. 

At least he is true to his purpose. He knows what he damn wants and he will get it no matter the cost. He is not exactly redeemed in this book but I will say, he does seem to get better.

Aside from that, this book really did bother the feminist in me. I know, I know, its a part of the world building but I cannot seem to shake off the unease that comes from reading how low a position women hold in this society. Eona seems to be the strongest woman in the book but she is too busy worrying about her relationship with Kygo so that doesn't really help matters.

I realise I haven't mentioned anything aside from characters and relationships and thats mostly because the faults in those two things alone just overshadowed the book for me, I could not enjoy the excitement or anything else that was going on and it wasn't until the last couple of pages where I started enjoying the book. Sadly that wasn't nearly enough to redeem it for me. 

Hopefully people will have better luck than I did with this book.

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman

Title: Eon: Dragoneye Reborn
Author: Alison Goodman
Series: Eon #1
Publisher: Viking
Release Date: December 26, 2008
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Eon has been studying the ancient art of Dragon Magic for four years, hoping he’ll be able to apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But he also has a dark secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been living a dangerous lie for the chance to become a Dragon-eye, the human link to an energy dragon’s power. It is forbidden for females to practice the Dragon Magic and, if discovered, Eon faces a terrible death. After a dazzling sword ceremony, Eon’s affinity with the twelve dragons catapults him into the treacherous world of the Imperial court, where he makes a powerful enemy, Lord Ido.

This book was a bundle of awesome. I am so glad I read it; although I am sure my librarian is happier I finally returned it.

It took me a long time to get around to this and even when I did I stopped reading when I found it there might be a love triangle in the sequel. Lucky for me there are nice people in the world and they cleared that up for me and so I continued reading.

I don’t pick up fantasy often mostly because it is a special genre; I don’t want to read anything in this genre that I am not sure won’t blow my mind.

From the plot, to the characters to the world building, everything was done very well in this book, so it’s safe to say my mind was blown.

It took me a while to write this review because my brain was too scattered to actually come up with anything that would justify this book.

There were times I wanted to smack Eon in the face because she didn’t realize the truth of what she was and didn’t want to embrace it but I understood it. I couldn’t call her stupid because if people knew she would be screwed (even though at one point I did exactly that).

The characters in this book are somewhat complicated, not all of them are likeable but that doesn’t mean you hate them. You never understand what their motives are because that’s what life at court is like; there are tons of politics, sides and my favorite, secrets. The secondary characters are well developed and also happen to be my favorites (Lady Dela, Ryko, Rilla and Chart).

The world building is done beautifully. It’s amazing how much of the culture Goodman incorporated into this book.

The plot was rather interesting, we know who the bad guy is but I think this first book was meant as an introduction into this world and the sequel is where we’ll learn more about the dragons and have tons of fighting scenes. Beside that what made the plot really interesting was what was going on in the court. It’s a very interesting place, plus.. the prince.

I believe book does the fantasy genre justice; it has action, a strong female lead, a good plot, great world building and my personal favorite, DRAGONS! So I recommend it to everyone who loves the genre as well.

I look forward to reading the sequel and seeing how the romance works out.

Rogue Descendant by Jenna Black

Title: Rogue Descendant
Author: Jenna Black
Series: Nikki Glass #3
Release Date: April 30th, 2013
Publisher: Pocket Books
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

No longer the leader of the Olympians, Konstantin has now gone into hiding. Konstantin is vulnerable, and Anderson believes now is the perfect time to destroy his nemesis. He orders private eye Nikki Glass to use her powers to locate Konstantin, and she balks at the idea until a series of attacks leads her to believe that Konstantin is gunning for her and Anderson instead of remaining safely in hiding.

Nikki’s search is complicated by Cyrus—Konstantin’s son and the new leader of the Olympians—who threatens retribution should his father be killed. The complications mount up as Nikki begins to suspect that Konstantin might not be behind the attacks after all. The only person who hates Konstantin more than Anderson does is Anderson’s estranged wife, Emma, who has joined the Olympians. And Nikki knows Emma would be more than happy if Anderson and his people embroil themselves in an all-out war against the Olympians—a war they cannot hope to win.

As Nikki tries to figure out who the true enemy is, she deals with her tumultuous relationship with Jamaal, who struggles to control his death magic. But being loved by a descendant of a death goddess is the least of Nikki’s worries…

This won't exactly be a review, since my focus is going to be Jamaal (or is going to start of that way... being who I am.. I am probably going to end up talking about something else).

Jamaal is a very interesting character in the sense that my feelings for him have changed so much over the course of the three books. 

In the first book, when he was first introduced, my reaction wasn't exactly positive. I didn't want him to be a love interest. I didn't want Nikki throwing herself at a guy who was more of an asshole then anything else. In fact, throughout the first book all I wanted was for Blake and Nikki to get together. That didn't happen though (I am going to get back to the whole Blake thing later).

In the second book I was starting to warm up to Jamaal but I still wasn't exactly comfortable with him. He seemed too much like those annoying tortured boys you find in YA. 

The 3rd book changed everything though, I went from being okay with him.. to developing serious feelings for him. It's because there is so much more to him than the classic bad boy. There is a certain depth to him that wasn't really explored until the 3rd book. We know he is secretive about his past and all that jazz and isn't exactly a social bee, but it wasn't until the 3rd book that it finally hit me that I had to stop blaming him, if he were the guy who fell in love with someone trying to save him right away and became a mushy gushy weirdo, it would take away the essence of his character.

After being alone for so long and not trusting anyone, he cannot just become unglued at the smallest act of kindness, there is going to have to be more than that.

I appreciate how determined Nikki is though, if the author decided that maybe she should add another complication to this mess by making Nikki's attention fray to someone else, I would have been extremely pissed. I love how she is determined to break that shell of his no matter what. It shows that she really cares. Plus I love how it isn't all about the attraction. She admits that she is a bleeding heart and feels a connection to him because of how SHE grew up and feels the need to fix him.

Although I admit to hating every single one of the interruptions that happened throughout this book but that's how things were sadly.

Back to the topic of Blake. I was majorly disappointed when Jenna forced Blake and Steph together. First it seemed too easy. Second, they cannot ever be happy together unless Jenna does something to extend Steph's life, which will piss me off so much. I don't want things to be so neat. Which is why I really do not want them to end together. I keep on hoping that there is something else going on b/w the two of them that we don't know about but who the hell knows.

Enter Cyrus and that seemed like the perfect solution. I WANTED Cyrus and Blake to get together because it seemed like they still had feelings for each other. After this book I am not so sure if that will work out. But.. I swear if Cyrus were a girl instead and if this book were a YA, what he did would have been romantic and that is what freaks me out the most. 

The plot in this book was umm (give me a sec to think, I need to get Jamaal out of my head) good. For me the charm of this book was Jamaal and Nikki's budding relationship. The plot was well paced and fun to read but nothing out of the ordinary. 

I am so glad though I finally finished this book because it gave an uplift to my downward spiral of bad books. 

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Title: Graceling

Author: Kristin Cashore

Series: The Seven Kingdoms #1

Publisher: Harcourt

Date Published: October 1, 2008

Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

“His eyes, Katsa had never seen such eyes. One was silver, and the other, gold. They glowed in his sun-darkened face, uneven, and strange. She was surprised that they hadn’t shone in the darkness of their first meeting. They didn’t seem human….

Then he raised his eyebrows a hair, and his mouth shifted into the hint of a smirk. He nodded at her, just barely, and it released her from her spell.

Cocky, she thought. Cocky and arrogant, this one, and that was all there was to make of him. Whatever game he was playing, if he expected her to join him he would be disappointed.”

In a world where people born with an extreme skill – called a Grace – are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even shedespises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po’s friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace – or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away…a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

*takes a deep breath*

I remember going on for a day about the pretty cover. I mean it has such a pretty knife on it. I was like coddling it and hugging it and so eager to start it but I wanted to enjoy the anticipation to read it so I decided to not start it just that day but wait until the next.

Gracelings are basically people who have a grace, a grace being a talent, not a normal kind but something that is basically perfected. Katsa’s is the ability to kill people.

Okay so ummm I kind of expected this book to blow my mind away (the cover. It demands me to expect nothing less) but it didn’t. Yes I loved it to bits but it wasn’t the best thing that ever happened to me.

There are some issues with the book which mainly stem from Katsa’s belief about marriage. I see that Cashore is attempting to have a feminist take but it comes out all wrong. It’s like she is shamming marriage, saying it’s bad and that women shouldn’t get married. I see she wants to show Katsa as a person who doesn’t depend on a man and stuff but it didn’t work. Also if she wanted this book to have a better feminist angle, she shouldn’t have had pretty people. Feminism isn’t only about how the personality of a woman, just because she doesn’t like dresses and kicks ass doesn’t mean she is the symbol of feminism, because she isn’t. To show a true opinion, she would have to change the treatment of women in the book, to show them in a way that isn’t shown in most books. In this world, women are looked down upon, leered at, etc. How is that going to give you plus points in the feminist section? Okay I can see this is going to turn into a feminist rant so I am going to move on from this.

This was one of the things that made me cut down a star, the other was that I wasn’t exactly screaming with joy at the ending, I mean sure it was sweet but the author didn’t have to make it end that way, I mean really? It was taking things too far.

Okay so this book has self-discovery, people searching for answers and a nation build on lies.

“….or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away…a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.”

That part made me want to kill people so I could get this book. I mean I LOVE SECRETS. I love discovering things little by little with clues. The actual secret was so umm lame (for the lack of a better word)? I mean it wasn’t what I expected, plus we learn it rather early in the book so there isn’t much room for suspence.

The self-discovery is more about her learning to love and that she isn’t a terrible person and self-acceptance but the whole thing is toned down, it’s going on in the background.

With that said, I am not sure what EXACTLY this book is about but never the less it was a great read. I cannot believe I haven’t mentioned Po yet, the best thing that happened in this book. I mean we know he is going to be the love interest from the summary but I wasn’t sure WHO he was until we learned that he IS indeed the much awaited Prince Po. The summary makes him sound cocky, but he isn’t, he is a nice guy, he jokes but I wouldn’t go as far as calling him cocky. Although when I had started this book I was kind of hoping he was. Cocky princes are always so cute and fun to read about.

Po is an understanding person, I love the patience he has for Katsa, and he realizes she has a lot of issues. He doesn’t push her, he lets her become comfortable in her own skin, waits for her to realize what it is she wants and ACCEPT it. Most of the times during “the waiting” I was resisting the urge to smack Katsa in the head (although I wouldn’t be able to even if I wanted to :/).

All in all this was a good read and if you can over-look the feminist issues (which I lot of people couldn’t, I didn’t do a great job of that either but because the book aside from the issues was great I didn’t mark it down a great deal) you will enjoy the book.