Review: The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz
Series: The Ring and the Crown #1
Published by Disney Hyperion on April 1, 2014
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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five-stars

Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve?

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen.

But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard.

Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only one rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one.

The Ring and the Crown was one of the most amazing books I have read in a long time. Before I picked it up, I was in a reading slump that began after I finished an incredible, heart-breaking book in early March. I only managed to read four books in March because of this reading slump and I feared it would never end. The Ring and the Crown completey blew me away and ended my reading slump.

This book was a perfect blend of historical fiction and fantasy. There was court intrigue, a season in London, beautiful ball gowns, romance and courting. But there was also magic. Though the historical fiction side of things was enough to pull me in (I love books set in this time period), the magic added something extra that really grabbed me and refused to let go.

There were a lot of characters introduced throughout the book, but they had such distinct voices, I never really felt confused as to who was who. My absolute favorite character was Ronan. Just two pages in to her story, and there was something about her that intrigued me. She was the outsider, the outcast American. She wasn’t always likable – she could be vain, shallow and a little bit snobby – but she was always relatable. She definitely experienced some growth and maturity from beginning to end, though I was really upset with how certain things turned out for her. I wanted her to have her happily ever after and, in some ways, she did still get it. She was smart and resilient and never backed down, no matter how many times she was pushed.

Another favorite of mine was Aelwyn. She was fascinating, willing to give up so many things so her friend could be free. The magic, the darkness within her, the conflict she felt, all added to her character and personality. And the twist at the end? Wow. I definitely would have liked to see her more in the story – Not that she wasn’t a prominent character, but I would have liked to learn more about her background and see more of her and her powers.

I wasn’t crazy about Isabelle at all. She did nothing for me, though I did feel bad for her and the way her story ended. And though the story centered on Marie, I found her to be boring and selfish in the beginning. I definitely feel that Marie had the most character growth of all the characters, though. As I said, she started off so selfish princess in the beginning and by the end, she was a selfless queen, accepting her destiny and her heritage.

I loved, loved, LOVED Wolf. So much! I could just sit here and fangirl over him because he was that awesome and swoon-worthy. I loved all the scenes with him and Ronan on the Saturnia. It reminded me of Jack and Rose in Titanic. It was just amazing and epic and.. Did I say amazing?

There are so many characters worthy of a mention, I could go on forever. But real quick, here are some characters worthy of an honorable mention: Gill was kind and his heart was in the right place, but his attitude at the end was selfish. I never trusted Leo, and with good reason! Louise… Oh, I can’t even… *Sniffles*. Archie and Perry were adorable and hilarious. Eleanor and Emrys creeped me out.

There were so many twists and turns in the end, I feel like I have whiplash! One twist after another, one shocking reveal after another. So many things I never saw coming! Not everyone got their Happily Ever After and I definitely had hoped for some different outcomes. But overall, though The Ring and the Crown didn’t end how I hoped it would, it was the perfect ending for this book and for the characters. Any other ending would have felt forced.

Melissa de la Cruz is amazing. I loved her Blue Bloods series and her Witches of East End series. With The Ring and the Crown, de la Cruz stepped up her game and wrote an incredible story that, I think, will touch many people. I HIGHLY recommend it!

Review: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

Mar29

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden #3
Published by Harlequin Teen on April 15, 2014
Pages: 416
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster?

With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

MONSTER

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa was an epic adventure filled with heart-stopping moments – as well as some incredibly heart-breaking moments! If tears feed Julie’s muse, then her muse must be well-fed! This book was pretty much the perfect ending to an incredible trilogy. I’m both satisfied with how it ended and deeply saddened that I have to let it go. I’ve grown to love this series and these characters so much.

As a quick side-note.. It’s really, really hard to write a spoiler-free Julie Kagawa review without breaking into gibberish feels and such. So, please forgive me!

Let’s start with Allie. I’ve loved Allie from the beginning. She always exhibited a lot of character growth. She’s a survivor and she does what has to be done. In the beginning of The Forever Song, though, she kind of annoyed me – for the first time ever, pretty much. She was very whiny and had this “pity me” attitude. She had a LOT of inner conflict over things. It really got on my nerves. By the end of the book, though, she was back to being the Allie we all know and love. She reflects a lot on who she was and who she has come to be and I think, through her eyes, we really see how far she has come.

Zeke… I don’t know what I can say without being spoilery. But I love Zeke and there were so many things and feels and… Ugh, I don’t even know! I’m… not happy with what happened to him, but I’m satisfied with the way his story turned out in the end. Yeah, that’s all I can say without spoiling things. Sorry, guys! But this is incentive to read the book!! *Evil grin*

I’m pretty sure Jackal was my favorite part of the story. I love his whitty, sibling-like banter with Allie. I love his little one-liners and quips. I love how far he’s come and how much he’s grown and changed, yet stayed exactly the same as he was. Does that make sense? No? Too bad – read the book!!! You’ll see what I mean! *Another evil grin*

Kanin… Oh boy. Oh boy. All the feels! I don’t even know what to say… I love, love, LOVE Kanin and.. At 13% into the book, I updated my Goodreads status to this: “I love Kanin so much. He’s the voice of reason. But knowing Julie Kagawa… *Shakes head*” — And.. Umm… *Glares at Julie.. Chin trembles.. Shakes fist and runs away*

There were so, so many moments that nearly gave me a heart attack, it’s not even funny. Seriously, sometimes I was afraid to flip to the next page. Julie Kagawa is really great at making you fall in love with her characters… And she’s really great at destroying your soul and bringing on the feels. It’s inevitable, and something I’m always prepared for when I read her books!

On the flipside, I can count on one hand the number of things that annoyed me. Like I said, I wasn’t crazy about Allie’s behavior in the beginning, there were moments with Zeke that made me pout, Kanin…Just..Kanin! And I didn’t like two things that happened near the end, though I completely expected them to happen, so it wasn’t much of a surprise.

Overall, despite the small handful of things that kind of annoyed me, I loved The Forever Song. With the evil, evil cliffhanger we got in The Eternity Cure, I was desperate to get my hands on The Forever Song and I was definitely not disappointed! I will forever and always be a Julie Kagawa fan – She’s one of my auto-buy authors and I can’t wait for her next book, Talon, to come out!

Review: Alpha Goddess by Amalie Howard

Mar7

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Alpha Goddess by Amalie Howard
Published by Sky Pony Press on March 18, 2014
Pages: 384
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

In Serjana Caelum’s world, gods exist. So do goddesses. Sera knows this because she is one of them. A secret long concealed by her parents, Sera is Lakshmi reborn, the human avatar of an immortal Indian goddess rumored to control all the planes of existence. Marked by the sigils of both heaven and hell, Sera’s avatar is meant to bring balance to the mortal world, but all she creates is chaos. A chaos that Azrath, the Asura Lord of Death, hopes to use to unleash hell on earth.

Torn between reconciling her past and present, Sera must figure out how to stop Azrath before the Mortal Realm is destroyed. But trust doesn’t come easy in a world fissured by lies and betrayal. Her best friend Kyle is hiding his own dark secrets, and her mysterious new neighbor, Devendra, seems to know a lot more than he’s telling. Struggling between her opposing halves and her attraction to the boys tied to each of them, Sera must become the goddess she was meant to be, or risk failing, which means sacrificing the world she was born to protect.

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on The Alpha Goddess blog tour! I’m very excited to be a part of this blog tour! Amalie is amazing and I absolutely loved Alpha Goddess!! I hope you enjoy my review!

Amalie Howard has done it again! With Alpha Goddess, she brings us an amazing, gorgeous story with vivid, detailed mythology, amzing characters and wonderful prose.

Sera was an interesting character. She starts off disbelieving, craving to be normal. As is typical with Howard’s books, Sera was reluctant to accept her destiny. But over time, she grows and matures and accepts her destiny for what it is. She embraces who she is and who she is meant to be. I always love Howard’s MC’s because of these things – Because even when they start off reluctant, whiny and (sometimes) bratty, they always go through this incredible growth and transition and, in the end, do what they need to do.

Kyle is amazing. I loved him from the very first time we were introduced to him. I loved his physical description and his personality. At times, his jealousy and uncontrolled anger got the best of him. At those times, he becomes slightly unlikeable but he, too goes through a lot and, in the end, we find out why he behaves that way. I think he learns the most about his life and his destiny and he almost goes through a bigger transition than even Sera. He has to fight who he is to be who he wants to be – and it’s an uphill battle and never easy.

Dev was another amazing character. Howard always manages to write amazing and intriguing love triangles – ones where you find yourself loving both guys and wanting the main character to somehow end up with both guys. When Dev’s identity was revealed, it was no surprise. I had a feeling, very early on, about who he was. I was really pleased, though, when this was confirmed. But the other half of who he is – what he is – came as a shock. There was one moment where I truly feared for him, when I wasn’t sure what was going to happen… And, well, I don’t want to spoil it.. So.. I’ll leave it at that.

Some other characters that I loved and who deserve a quick shout-outs include Micah, Nate and Beth.

The end was an epic battle of epic proportions. As always, every time we thought something had happened, Howard pulled the rug out from under us and something else happened. There were several revelations, as well – one revelation after another. I don’t know how Howard does it, but you can never trust what you read until the very last page of the book. Just because something happened, it doesn’t mean it’s set in stone – I’m not sure if that was cryptic or gibberish, but I promise it’ll make sense when you read the book!

Overall, Alpha Goddess was absolutely incredible. Though all of Howard’s books are amazing, Alpha Goddess was my absolute favorite. I’m a huge fan of Greek mythology and, lately, I’ve really enjoyed reading books with other mytholgies in them – such as Egyptian and, of course, Indian. Howard is an amazing storyteller and I look froward to reading many more books from her in the future!

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ABout the Author

A rising star among young adult writers, Amalie Howard developed a loyal following after releasing her debut book, “Bloodspell,” in 2011. Now, she is returning with five new books that are sure to excite her devoted fans and catch the attention of new readers.

A bookworm from the beginning, Howard grew up on a small island in the Caribbean with her nose buried in books. When she was just 13 years old, her poem “The Candle” was published in a University of Warwick journal, marking a sign of great things to come. Howard immersed herself into other cultures, globetrotting through 22 countries in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. After moving to the United States, she earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies and French from Colby College in Maine. She also holds a certificate in French literature from the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, France. Traveling around the world, Howard has lent talents as a research assistant, marketing representative, freelance writer, teen speaker, blogger and global sales executive.

Howard is a recipient of a Royal Commonwealth Society award, an international youth writing competition. She is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Howard’s first book, “Bloodspell” (June 2011, Langdon Street Press) earned rave reviews and was named a Seventeen Magazine Summer Beach Read. Readers will hear more from Howard as she releases a pair of two-book series, “Waterfell” (November 2013, Harlequin TEEN) and “The Almost Girl” (January 2014, Strange Chemistry), as well as “Alpha Goddess” (March 2014, Skyhorse/Sky Pony Press) over the next two years.

Howard lives in New York with her husband, three children and one willful feline that she is convinced may have been a witch’s cat in a past life.

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Review: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Feb26

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott
Series: Fire & Flood #1
Published by Scholastic Press on February 25, 2014
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-half-stars

A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

Fire & Flood was mind-blowing and amazing on so many levels. My first thought was that it was like The Hunger Games – but way, way better. From there, the comparisons to The Hunger Games faded away and the book became even better. This was my first Victoria Scott Book (I swear, the Dante Walker books are on my TBR! Soon.. Very, very soon…) and I could tell right from the start that Scott was an amazing writer. I was captivated by her writing, her characters, her world-building, all of it.

First of all, I loved Tella. She was a strong, fierce and determined character. Used to living a mostly pampered life, she really came into her own as the story unfolded. She had a few moments of weakness, but that only made her feel more real and more relatable.

Guy was completely swoon-worthy. I adored him from the beginning, even though he was kind of mean to Tella at first. Guy was strong, a fighter and a protector. There was something about him from the beginning that had me curious and interested. Though Tella meets Guy early on, we aren’t formally introduced to him until further into the story. But I had heard so many things about him, I knew who he was immediately and I was eager for more of him!

I loved that Tella and Guy’s relationship had a slow build-up, that it took time for them to trust each other and like each other. And even then, Tella still questioned it. My favorite part of their relationship was when Tella questioned if they liked each other for the right reasons – was it true attraction or due to circumstance? It’s not something often addressed in Dystopian books and it was great seeing the character question the relationship in such a way. It felt realistic.

There were a lot of secondary characters in this book and sometimes, that can feel overwhelming and confusing. But all of Scott’s characters were so distinct, with strong voices, that they stood out and were incredibly memorable. I loved Harper, though I didn’t completely trust her. I was always waiting for.. something to happen. I’m not sure what. And my hunch was pretty accurate. I was pretty wary of Caroline and Dink, too, and for good reasons! Titus was a complete a-hole and he got what was coming to him!

Now, let’s discuss my favorite part of this book – Pandoras! I LOVED LOVED LOVED the Pandoras!!!!!!!! Seriously, Victoria Scott needs to team with GUND to create a stuffed animal line of Pandoras!! I want a stuffed Madox!!!!!!!!!! I feel like the Pandoras were a huge part of the story, so I can’t say too much or I’ll get spoilery on you guys, but they were amazing and cool and amazing and… Did I say cool yet? I just absolutely adored them!

And that brings me to the reason I rated this 4.5 stars instead of 5 stars… Near the very end of the book, there was a… situation. And it upset me terribly. Like.. I was literally sobbing and hysterical. And it bumped this wonderful book down half a star rating. I can’t say a single thing about what it was, what it concerned or why. It’s too big a spoiler. But it seemed unnecessary and completely ridiculous and out of the blue. My heart broke. So yeah..

Moving on. The ending was insanely amazing. I don’t know if I can wait a whole year for book two! I NEED to see what happens next! Especially with the crazy, insane revelations we learned in the last seven pages or so. Victoria Scott is an amazing writer, amazing story-teller and overall awesome person. Not only am I eager for the next book in the Fire & Flood serious, but this makes me even more eager to read her Dante Walker books. And I would DEFINITELY and HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

Review: Perfect Lies by Kiersten White

Feb23

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Perfect Lies by Kiersten White
Series: Mind Games #2
Published by HarperTeen on February 18, 2014
Pages: 232
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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four-stars

Annie and Fia are ready to fight back.

The sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death, Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the inside.

But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other - but that may not be enough to save them

I have loved every single book that Kiersten White has written and Perfect Lies is no exception! It was an amazing book and an epic conclusion to an epic duology.

Fia is one of my favorite characters in this series – Actually, one of my favorite characters of all time. There’s something cunning about her, yet she’s more disturbed by the things she was forced to do than she lets on. She’s smart and she thinks on her feet. Her mind works in odd ways, which is to be expected after everything she has seen and done. She’s a broken, slightly crazy femme fatale.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Annie in Mind Games. Her sections were a bit slow and a bit boring in comparison to Fia’s sections. But in Perfect Lies, Annie became more decisive and more of a fighter. She didn’t sit around, waiting for things to happen. Ultimately, it was her actions that set up the ending and made it the way it was.

I never trusted Rafael. Never, not for a single second. I didn’t even really like him because there was just always something about him that mad me wary. I wasn’t a fan of Nathan, either, though I could never really pinpoint the reason why. He just.. irked me. Almost creeped me out. Cole was the only one of the guys who I really liked and trusted. And in the end.. Well, I won’t spoil it. But.. Yeah. Go read it and see why.

Pixie was my second favorite character in Perfect Lies, after Fia. She was hysterical and I loved the oddball friendship between her and Fia. I kept hoping that she would end up being trustworthy. I didn’t want anything to happen to her. In the end, the direction her story went.. Well, again, I can’t say without spoiling it. So just go read it! It’s amazing, I promise!

My only real complaint is that, in the beginning, I had trouble keeping up with the timeline. I was fine with it in Mind Games, but it really threw me off at the beginning of Perfect Lies and it took awhile for me to figure out who was where and when, etc.

The ending nearly gave me a heart attack… Several times over. With every vision Annie had, I freaked out more and more. I had such a bad feeling. I mean, it would have been a fitting ending, considering, but it would have had me in hysterics. So let’s just say that the way the book ended…? I was VERY happy with it. I couldn’t picture it ending any other way. I was disappointed with a few characters at the end, though.. But that didn’t ruin the rest of the book for me at all. Considering who the characters were, their actions fit with their personalities and though it made me sad, any other course of action on their part would have felt false and would have gone against who they were.

Overall, Kiersten White did it again! Perfect Lies was fabulous in every way and though I’m sad we won’t have any more books with Fia and Annie, their story ended perfectly.

Favorite Quote (I won’t name drop here, so it doesn’t spoil anything):

“Sometimes you scare me.”
“That’s because you don’t really know me yet. When you really know me, I’ll scare you ALL the time.”

Review: The Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons (Blog Tour + Giveaway)

Feb17

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons
Published by Cerulean Books on February 13, 2014
Pages: 288
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

What if all the legends you’ve learned were wrong?

Brutally attacked by one god and unfairly cursed by another she faithfully served, Medusa has spent the last two thousand years living out her punishment on an enchanted isle in the Aegean Sea. A far cry from the monster legends depict, she’s spent her time educating herself, gardening, and desperately trying to frighten away adventure seekers who occasionally end up, much to her dismay, as statues when they manage to catch her off guard. As time marches on without her, Medusa wishes for nothing more than to be given a second chance at a life stolen away at far too young an age.

But then comes a day when Hermes, one of the few friends she still has and the only deity she trusts, petitions the rest of the gods and goddesses to reverse the curse. Thus begins a journey toward healing and redemption, of reclaiming a life after tragedy, and of just how powerful friendship and love can be—because sometimes, you have to sink in the deep end of the sea before you can rise back up again.

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on The Deep End of the Sea blog tour! I’m very excited to be a part of this blog tour! Heather is amazing and I absolutely loved The Deep End of the Sea!!! I hope you enjoy my review!

So many feels!!! Words cannot express how much I loved this book. I’m warning you now: my review won’t be coherent. It will be filled with feels, swooning, incoherent thoughts and so much fangirling, it’ll be contagious!

I’m a huge, huge, HUGE fan of Heather Lyons. I have been since day one, when I first read A Matter of Fate, the first in her Fate series. She’s an amazing writer, a great world-builder and an AMAZING character creator. Her Fate series has one of my all-time favorite love triangles.

And then she went and wrote a book about Medusa (like you’ve NEVER seen her before) and the Greek Gods. You guys should know by now that Greek Mythology is one of my FAVORITE things to read about. So one of my favorite authors writing Greek Mythology? YESSS. A hundred times YESSSS. Very early on, I knew I was going to fall in love with this book.

First of all, I love Medusa (or Dusa, as she is fondly nick-named by a certain someone – I’ll get more into that soon). She is an amazing, amazing character. In the original Greek Myth, she is painted as the villain. She turns people to stone. She’s a murderer. And then you read The Deep End of the Sea… And suddenly, you question every single thought you ever had regarding Medusa. All your opinions are called into question. You feel bad for Medusa and you begin to see her in a different light. Suddenly, she’s the victim. She was betrayed and cursed. Yet, Medusa does NOT play the victim card. She is strong and she fights back. She is willing to put her life at risk to save others. Bottom line, I absolutely loved Medusa almost immediately. My heart broke for her! But her story was an amazing one and the growth she experienced from beginning to end was epic.

Hermes is just… SWOON. I don’t know how else to describe him. He’s amazing, kind, gentle, sweet – the complete opposite of what Medusa expects from the Greek Gods. He stands up for what he believes in and he is extremely loyal to those who earn his friendship. Despite the fact that he has become Medusa’s friend over the last 2,000 years, he is still a God and she still distrusts the Gods because of everything that happened to her. She still tends to be wary of him at times, but her trust and love in him grow throughout the book. Overall, I love their relationship. It builds from something small into something big. And I’ll leave it at that, least I spoil you!

One of my favorite characters (aside from Medusa, of course) was Persephone. The Greek Myth of Persephone is one of my favorites! I love reading about it and I love retellings and modern takes on the Persephone myth. So seeing her in this book made me incredibly happy and excited! The Greek Gods were always depicted as cruel and brutal, so to see Persephone’s kindness and caring was in stark contract to that cruelty and brutality. The same goes for Hades – he’s the mighty, feared Lord of the Underworld and yet his character in this book is kind, though formidable when need be. And especially after what we learn later in the book… Well, let’s just say I absolutely LOVED Persephone and Hades and the direction their stories went in.

Least favorite characters? I think this is obvious, but Athena and Poseidon. I’m still not sure which one was crazier! They were both insane! I almost think Poseidon was crazier, for the fact that he felt justified in his actions. He was a true psychopath. But again, the revelations we learn near the end? Hah!

There were many important themes/concepts in this book, one of which revolved around victim-blaming and the notion that the victim is NOT at fault, that the victim was taken advantage of and hurt against their will and they are not to be blamed, though they may sometimes blame themselves. Another concept centered around the idea that all people in a specific group are the same – that if one person acts out, all are evil and should be feared or persecuted. We see in The Deep End of the Sea that that is NOT the case – Poseidon acted out, Athena acted out. They were cruel and hateful. Because of that, Medusa feared all the Gods. Yet Persephone, Hades, Hermes, Aphrodite – they were all kind to Medusa and she needed to learn to trust them, to not let her fears of some make her fearful of all. I found these themes to be incredibly powerful and touching. Finally, there was the concept that “violence is not picky when it comes to its victims.” Medusa realizes this and I think it’s an incredibly important realization for her. For those who have been a victim of any kind of crime and/or abuve (mental, emotional, physical or sexual, etc), ALL of these concepts are important for them to know and understand.

The revelations in the third part of the book were insane and I did NOT see them coming. I just.. I can’t… *Dies!!* Seriously, there’s no way to explain this without spoilers but I WILL say that I LOVED it so much!!! Like, my nerdy, Greek-loving self went crazy with the revelations we were given! It made me view so many characters in different ways and made me want to re-read the entire book right away so I could see everyone in their true light.

And that ending was… holy crap! I don’t even have words for how good it was! I’m really, seriously hoping we get to see a second book in this series or a companion in this world or, at the very least, I hope Heather writes more books with Greek Myths!!

I don’t think it needs to be said, but I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this book to everyone!!

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About Heather Lyons:

Heather Lyons has always had a thing for words—She’s been writing stories since she was a kid. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. Heather is a rabid music fan, as evidenced by her (mostly) music-centric blog, and she’s married to an even larger music snob. They’re happily raising three kids who are mini music fiends who love to read and be read to.

Heather’s Website | Heather’s Twitter
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Review: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Jan31

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Published by Balzer + Bray on January 28, 2014
Pages: 352
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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three-half-stars

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

With a plot that is Beauty & The Beast meets Greek Mythology, I went into Cruel Beauty assuming I would love it. Unfortunately, I was very on the fence with this book and, even now that I’ve finished it, I’m still on the fence with it. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. I found it fascinating and intriguing, yet it was repetitive, boring and slow. Almost everything in this book had a love it/hate it contradiction.

Let’s start with Nyx. I liked her in the beginning because of her name. Right off the bat, we get a connection to Greek Mythology. She had a spunky attitude and was pretty hilarious. She didn’t fully accept her fate, but she also didn’t turn and run from it. Her banter with Ignifex was pretty hysterical and she was constantly hitting him and throwing things at him, trying to kill him – I was laughing out loud at several points throughout the book. On the other hand, Nyx was very whiny and bratty. She had a LOT of inner monologue going on and it got very repetitive – obnoxiously repetitive. Sometimes she played the victim, other times she seemed brainwashed. I just couldn’t follow her. I didn’t connect with her and I felt very distanced from her.

Ignifex was hilarious. I think he was my favorite character. His humor, his personality, his attitude. I just loved him. I don’t think we were supposed to love him, especially in the beginning. But, nevertheless, I did. Shade though… I think we WERE supposed to love Shade. He was supposed to be seen as the “Good Guy,” but I just never trusted him completely. And then the end of the book was… Well.. Whoa. This never felt like a love triangle, but if it HAD been, it would have been one twisted love triangle! Because.. Well.. Read it and you’ll see. I can’t explain without a spoiler.

The middle section of Cruel Beauty definitely picked up speed. The first 8-11 chapters are slow, boring, repetitive – as I mentioned earlier. But the middle picked up and I found it to be very interesting, with some great revelations. The ending was just.. Really confusing and weird and I still don’t know how I feel about it. It had me distrusting so many characters that I really couldn’t make any sense of it. I definitely feel like this book is one that needs to be read twice so that you can catch things you missed the first time around. I feel like a second read would make a LOT of things easier to understand.

There were some other characters that I should mention, but I also feel it’s hard to mention them without getting spoiler-ish – like Nyx’s sister, father and aunt. And a certain character we meet at the absolute end – I can’t even name that character cause.. Well, total spoiler. But, mostly, we’re only made to really care about Nyx, Ignifex and Shade – And of those three, really, we learn the most about Nyx and Ignifex, so there isn’t much to say about the other character’s anyway.

Overall, I’m completely torn on how I feel about this book. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it. I’d still recommend it to those who love Fairy Tale retellings or Greek Mythology, but it’s not something I would pick up again.

Review: Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Jan28

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi
Series: Under the Never Sky #3
Published by HarperTeen on January 28, 2014
Pages: 400
Source: the publisher
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Goodreads
three-stars

The earth-shattering conclusion to Veronica Rossi's "masterpiece" Under the Never Sky trilogy and sequel to the New York Times bestselling Through the Ever Night (Examiner.com).

Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring balance to their world.

The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and they are just as determined to stay together.

Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they have already lost.

Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.

In this final book in her stunning Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close.

Though I had heard great things about Into the Still Blue – that it was amazing and an epic conclusion to the Under the Never Sky trilogy – I was the black sheep of the group and did not enjoy it. The book was slow and boring, the characters were flat and the ending felt drawn-out.

The plot itself was interesting. I’ve been saying it since book one: I love the science, the technology, the genetics. I love the idea of the Pods and the Dwellers vs. the Outsiders. It’s a great concept! And Veronica Rossi is a beautiful writer. Those things really drove the book and kept me reading, more than anything.

But honestly, I found myself feeling very distanced from the majority of the characters in this book – and this series in general. I didn’t really care about them and I had a hard time worrying about their fates.

Throughout this trilogy, I’ve been on the fence when it comes to Aria. I liked her in the first two books and at the beginning of Into the Still Blue, I even liked her more than ever before. But as the book went on, she began to irritate me. I’m not sure why – just like I wasn’t sure why I liked her. She was just a meh character, in my opinion. She wasn’t a bad character, not at all. But there was nothing spectacular about her, nothing that stood out for me.

I know so many people who absolutely adored Perry. But I just never liked him. I found him annoying and I never swooned over him, like some of my fellow bloggers did. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Perry and Aria as a couple. I think they’re adorable and perfect for each other. I love Aria and Roar as just friends and YA could definitely use more male/female friendships like that. I DEFINITELY loved that there wasn’t a love triangle in this – very refreshing! But I just didn’t like Perry as a person or as a character. There was nothing special about him, nothing that made me root for him.

Cinder was a mild nuisance – his fate was very obvious from early on and I never expected much of his character, even through to the end. I could take or leave Soren – I never trusted him, anyway, so it made it hard to like him. We don’t see a lot of Talon and that felt like a let-down, considering the major role he played in Under the Never Sky. And the characters who met with a less-than-stellar fate.. Well, I didn’t really care. I tried to – I know I was supposed to – but I just didn’t.

The only characters I loved were Roar, Brooke and Liv. And, unfortunately, we don’t get to see much of Brooke or Liv. I wish they had had bigger roles in these books. Roar just needs his own book because I completely adore him.

It saddens me that I didn’t enjoy this series more. I had heard so many amazing things from friends, bloggers and other authors. I WANTED to love it, I really did. But I’m very character-driven when it comes to the books I read and the characters really didn’t stand out or catch my attention. I didn’t care enough about them.

I would still definitely recommend this book and this series. Like I said, I seem to be a black sheep where this series is concerned. Most people loved it and felt Into the Still Blue was the perfect ending.

Review: Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

Jan18

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill
Published by Delacorte Press on January 7, 2014
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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four-stars

Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.

Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.

When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself.

Being Sloane Jacobs was an adorable, fun read with amazing characters. I had heard it described as a Parent Trap-esque type of book and I definitely agree with that statement! (Although, with that in mind, I kept picturing both Sloane Emily and Sloane Devon as Lindsay Lohan with dark hair.. O.o)

I really liked Sloane Devon. She was down-to-earth and relatable. Plus, it was extremely entertaining to see a rough/tough hockey player transform into a figure skater. There was something about her story that was more interesting and I was always eager to switch back to her POV. I loved that her love interest was someone she knew from her life, not someone she met in Sloane Emily’s life. It amped up the risk of discovery, of Nando running into someone who might reveal the truth to him – Which… Yeah, just read the book! *Zips lips to prevent spoilers*

Though I liked Sloane Devon more, I still loved Sloane Emily. One thing I really loved about her was the attitude she developed. She was tougher than she first appeared! She refused to let herself be pushed around and often stood up for herself where, in her “old” life, she might not have. I especially loved her physical description of Matt, a hockey player with a bad reputation. It cracked me up!

My absolute favorite character, without a doubt, was Andy, a figure skater Sloane Devon meets. He was hysterical and sassy, with a perfect blend of attitude and loyalty. As the book moves forward, Andy is really there for Sloane Devon, every step of the way. He pushes her and forces her to fight harder, to never give up. I just freaking loved him.

Another significant character in Sloane Devon’s life was Nando. Nando and Matt were very similar characters. Aside from being the love interests for Sloane Devon and Sloane Emily, respectively, they both ended up making false assumptions at the end, refusing to let Sloane Devon and Sloane Emily explain their side of things. That kind of lost them brownie points with me – I hate when a truth is revealed and the character learning the truth makes a dramatic exit without letting the other character explain. It’s just very frustrating! But both guys redeemed themselves in the end.

Ivy was a brat. Melody was a scary pain in the butt. Both both characters played their parts perfectly and you just loved to hate them. I didn’t care about Katinka at all in the beginning, and then she did something awesome at the end that I loved.

Both Sloane Emily and Sloane Devon had harsh family situations. Though Sloane Emily’s situation was more public, both were tragic and upsetting. And though Sloane Emily and Sloane Devon were very different characters, they reacted the same way to their family situations: by running away and trying to forget anything was wrong. They learned, throughout the book, that running away and becoming someone else won’t make your problems go away. In the end, neither family situation was completely resolved, but things were on the mend. I liked that it wasn’t a fairy tale ending with everything suddenly being okay – Family situations like that take time to heal and that was much more realistic.

The only negative with this book was the switchng POV. In the beginning, when the POV switched, the timeline back-tracked a few times so we could see things from the perspective of both girls. It was a little jarring and took me out of the story. And at the end, for the last few pages, the POV switches back and forth like crazy. Again, slightly jarring.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were moments that were fluffy and moments that were serious. The dialogue was great. Sloane Emily and Sloane Devon were both pretty hysterical. I would definitely recommend this to readers who love contemporary young adult fiction.

Guest Review: The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Jan14

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Guest Review: The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd
Series: The Madman's Daughter #1
Published by HarperCollins on January 29, 2013
Pages: 432
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-half-stars

In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.

A Message from Meredith: Hey everyone! Today, I have something really cool for you guys – something that I’ve never done before. Nikki from Fiction Freak is doing a guest review! Hope you enjoy! Don’t forget to visit Nikki on her awesome blog!

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Oh, where should I start with this fantastically thrilling book? This is possibly the best Gothic Horror book I’ve read in a while and it’s one that’s pretty much unforgettable. I blame the ending.

So, I guess we’ll start with what was so amazing about this–the horror. Even if you know what’s going to happen, what these creatures are, it’s still achingly creepy. I have no idea how she did it,, but Megan Shepherd delivers a story to match that of the original. I read this around midnight and ohmygosh. Every little thump I heard, I swore it was the monster trying to attack me and every hiss-like sound I heard made me…just a little scared. But it wasn’t just the creatures themselves, it was the way they became like that.

Leading us to Dr. Moreau. The title is definitely accurate–he’s definitely a madman. Throughout the book I sympathized for Juliet. The man she remembered from her childhood was definitely different; he was crazier, harsher, crueler, and an all around villain…well, with a parasol. Ha!

He made the perfect antagonist–but was he? What or who was the antagonist, really? The islanders? Dr. Moreau? The island itself? That’s an interesting question, isn’t it…huh.

The plot. Oh wow. There were so many twists I never expected that just made me put the book down for a second. My brain…definitely got a bit jumbled while reading! There’s definitely a sense of intrigue here that just pulls you in and makes this tale, put simply, addicting.

But, I have to say, I totally expected Edward’s twist.

Juliet was a likable character! I can’t say I loved her, but I could relate. Excusing your own parents is something that I think a lot of people do, whether they know it or not. After all, if they’re our parents, doesn’t it mean that we’re like them? Juliet was definitely a little mad herself, but it made her…let’s say, an interesting character.

The one thing I was a bit disappointed in: The romance. Oh, the love triangle. The love triangle. The love triangle. I honestly didn’t like the romantic part of this, and no, it’s not only because of the thing I repeated three times already. Okay, well maybe. I just honestly got annoyed by it. Juliet would think about one of the guys, then all of a sudden be infatuated with the other only a page later. Or, in one case, the line right after. Annoying! And there was also Edward. He wasn’t really a problem, but the speed of which he fell in love with Juliet…well. I can’t blame Montgomery since they grew up together, but having just met her, Edward seemed to be willing to risk his life. I just couldn’t understand it since their relationship didn’t really have a platform.

Although Montgomery and Edward getting jealous at each other did make me smile and laugh at times!
The Madman’s daughter is a book that really is unforgettable and will stay on your shelf of favorites for possibly forever. It’s haunting and definitely brings a new type of historical fiction to the table–one that’s not so high class. It’s incredibly unique and fascinatingly creepy, a great mix for readers of all kind!

Also, THAT ENDING!

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Review: The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz

Review: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

Review: Alpha Goddess by Amalie Howard

Review: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Review: Perfect Lies by Kiersten White

Review: The Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons (Blog Tour + Giveaway)

Review: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Review: Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Review: Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

Guest Review: The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd