Tag: Fantasy (Page 59 of 121)

BOOK REVIEW – A Book of Spirits and Thieves (Spirits and Thieves #1) by Morgan Rhodes

June 8, 2016 / Anna

A Book of Spirit and Thieves (Spirits and Thieves #1)
by Morgan Rhodes
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Modern-day sisters discover deadly ancient magic in book 1 of this Falling Kingdoms spin-off series!

Worlds collide in this suspenseful, page-turning Falling Kingdoms spin-off series, which explores a whole new side of Mytica—and an even darker version of its magic.

Crystal Hatcher, Modern-day Toronto: It’s a normal afternoon in her mother’s antique bookshop when Crys witnesses the unthinkable: her little sister Becca collapses into a coma after becoming mesmerized by a mysterious book written in an unrecognizable language.

Maddox Corso, Ancient Mytica: Maddox Corso doesn’t think much of it when he spots an unfamiliar girl in his small village. Until, that is, he realizes that she is a spirit, and he is the only one who can see or hear her. Her name is Becca Hatcher, and she needs Maddox to help get her home.

Farrell Grayson, Modern-day Toronto: Rich and aimless Farrell Grayson is thrilled when the mysterious leader of the ultra-secret Hawkspear Society invites him into the fold. But when he learns exactly what he has to do to prove himself, Farrell starts to question everything he thought he knew about family, loyalty, and himself….

Fate has brought these young people together, but ancient magic threatens to rip them apart.

“As she passed him without even glancing in his direction, he caught the scent of strawberries.
Strawberries were his favorite fruit.”

Well, then. Here’s my first (and probably last) strawberry review (you’re welcome, dickhead) –

Note : please bear in mind that 2 stars from me means that it’s okay, and it definitely is, I guess. Not nearly enough to create a great book, but okay. Yet there’s nothing in Morgan Rhodes‘s writing, plot or characters that makes me want to go further than the 50% I read. So damn flat, the whole of them. Good ideas, failed execution.

BOOK REVIEW – The Impostor Queen (The Impostor Queen #1) by Sarah Fine

May 27, 2016 / Anna

The Impostor Queen (The Impostor Queen #1)
by Sarah Fine
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Elli was only a child when the Elders of Kupari chose her to succeed the Valtia, the queen who wields infinitely powerful ice and fire magic in service of her people. The only life Elli has known has been in the temple, surrounded by luxury, tutored by magic-wielding priests, preparing for the day when the queen perishes—and the ice and fire find a new home in Elli, who is prophesied to be the most powerful Valtia to ever rule.

But when the queen dies defending the kingdom from invading warriors, the magic doesn’t enter Elli. It’s nowhere to be found.

Disgraced, Elli flees to the outlands, home of banished criminals—some who would love to see the temple burn with all its priests inside. As she finds her footing in this new world, Elli uncovers devastating new information about the Kupari magic, those who wield it, and the prophecy that foretold her destiny. Torn between her love for her people and her growing loyalty to the banished, Elli struggles to understand the true role she was meant to play. But as war looms, she must choose the right side before the kingdom and its magic are completely destroyed.

The only one that matters is : Would I’ve liked this novel more if Ellie had stopped ONE FUCKING SECOND with her endless inner questions? Because it drove me nuts? But I guess we’ll never know? Yet again, I seem to be the only one who was bothered by this? Perhaps because once I first noticed it I couldn’t unsee it? Finally, why do her questions always come by pair?

Let’s write this review that way because apparently that’s a thing?

What’s better than discovering who you are when everything you knew was a lie?
Does the wonderful fact that she’s flawed can make up for the annoyance?

What IS it with all the growling lately?
I’m sorry because you’re nice and all but – After promising first impressions you were such a bore and I’m already starting to forget you? (such a long question which isn’t really a question, sorry?)

Can we have more of this –

“The fire wielder has a wide grin on his face. “Can you see it? Can you feel it?” He lets out a shaky chuckle. “Chaos,” he mouths.”

PLEASE? View Spoiler »

Can we savor the fact that there’s neither love triangle nor instalove?
Can I shed a tear because I didn’t really care for it?
(Why is lust always referred as “this low pull in her belly“? ← Can I unsee that word once and for all?)

Why is Ellie so easily and conveniently saved every freaking time she needs it?
Can we stop using that annoying I Know Things But I Won’t Tell device to bring more angst in the story? View Spoiler »

Why was it so hard to get through the beginning?
Is it me or the pacing is a little off, jumping from rushed scenes to dragged out ones?

How something that seems so detailed at first glance can be so very vague at the same time?
Are we going to learn more about the villains and the rest of the world at some point?

What’s up with the generic (and roll eyes worthy) romantic lines as “and though he is made of ice, he sets me on fire” (wow, didn’t see that one coming) or “when you look at me, I’m suddenly warm”?
WHAT’S UP WITH ALL THE QUESTIONS?

Don’t get me wrong, I still think that the premise was interesting but in the end, The Impostor Queen – while entertaining – is pretty generic and I felt meh about it?

BOOK REVIEW – City of Stairs (The Divine Cities #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

May 26, 2016 / Anna

City of Stairs (The Divine Cities #1)
by Robert Jackson Bennett
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Years ago, the city of Bulikov wielded the powers of the Gods to conquer the world. But after its divine protectors were mysteriously killed, the conqueror has become the conquered; the city's proud history has been erased and censored, progress has left it behind, and it is just another colonial outpost of the world's new geopolitical power. Into this musty, backward city steps Shara Thivani. Officially, the quiet woman is just another lowly diplomat sent by Bulikov's oppressors. Unofficially, Shara is one of her country's most accomplished spymasters — dispatched to investigate the brutal murder of a seemingly harmless historian. As Shara pursues the mystery through the ever-shifting physical and political geography of the city, she begins to suspect that the beings who once protected Bulikov may not be as dead as they seem — and that her own abilities might be touched by the divine as well.

► What a cruel, marvelous, surprising little thing.

STEP 1 : Be intrigued by this complex, original and fascinating world-building whose layers still hide so many gems (I’m sure of it).

STEP 2 : Let the stupefaction stun you when you discover how all the threads are carefully weaved, bringing together… Well : politics, opression, a murder mystery, religion, tolerance, identity, fanaticism, racism and the ever controversial question of the Greater Good whose relevance is never a sure thing (for whom, decided by whom, see)… etc etc etc. And you are not even bored (if you are, let it be known that I don’t do refunds).

STEP 3 : Be so fucking surprised that all this religious talk is not driving you nuts (okay, this one might be only for me) – actually, not that surprised : I’m interested in religion, as in : history and culture. I am not interested in being preached to. Guess what path the story took.

STEP 4 : Be amazed and a little in love with these FEMALE LEADS who put to shame every traditional Fantasy story which let us think that women are either queens or whores (tell me I’m wrong). Strong female leads can also be smart and fierce and driven and not the regular warrior either. Thank you Shara for showing us that we can be badass with our brain. (I love you too, Mulaghesh)

STEP 5 : Do not be fooled by thinking that these characters will be perfect or chosen or you know, heroes. Yet they’re not anti-heroes either : indeed all of them show their realism through the slow reveal of their flaws. You just wait.

STEP 6 : Go meet Vo, because you need to (also, I said so). View Spoiler »

STEP 7 : Bottle the laughs and smiles (and IN YOUR FACE, ASSHOLE! ← of course that’s a thing) whenever they’re thrown at you, because you’ll need them.

STEP 8 : Do not think for one second that your heart is safe. Conceited me, who thought that I could go through Bulikov without threatening my well-being. ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.

STEP 9 : Be compelled to keep reading because really? It’s not like you have a choice.

STEP 10 : Be aware that I overlooked some flaws, and I’m not even ashamed : mostly, a little too much telling in some parts and a deus-ex-machina-like character View Spoiler ». I DO NOT CARE.

THIS BOOK IS WORTHY.

Art by John Petersen (source) – Thanks Kat for the idea 🙂

BOOK REVIEW: The Impostor Queen (The Impostor Queen #1) by Sarah Fine

May 26, 2016 / Chelsea / 2 Comments

The Impostor Queen (The Impostor Queen #1)
by Sarah Fine
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Elli was only a child when the Elders of Kupari chose her to succeed the Valtia, the queen who wields infinitely powerful ice and fire magic in service of her people. The only life Elli has known has been in the temple, surrounded by luxury, tutored by magic-wielding priests, preparing for the day when the queen perishes—and the ice and fire find a new home in Elli, who is prophesied to be the most powerful Valtia to ever rule.

But when the queen dies defending the kingdom from invading warriors, the magic doesn’t enter Elli. It’s nowhere to be found.

Disgraced, Elli flees to the outlands, home of banished criminals—some who would love to see the temple burn with all its priests inside. As she finds her footing in this new world, Elli uncovers devastating new information about the Kupari magic, those who wield it, and the prophecy that foretold her destiny. Torn between her love for her people and her growing loyalty to the banished, Elli struggles to understand the true role she was meant to play. But as war looms, she must choose the right side before the kingdom and its magic are completely destroyed.

He smiles, one of those rare smiles that makes his eyes crinkle. “When I first found you, I wasn’t affected by it, but every day, its hold on me grew stronger. And nowadays, your laugh makes me feel like I’m falling. When you look at me, I’m suddenly warm. The sight of you makes my heart speed. Do you really think the only magic in this world comes from fire and ice?”

DAWWWWW

Anddddd here we are again-middle ground. I can’t say this was on the lower end of that middle ground, but I still wanted something….more. Is it too much to ask for excellence?? Or have I just become a spoiled brat? I think it’s the latter, to be perfectly honest, since everyone ADORED this story from beginning to end. And I must say this story had a lot of wonderful things that made me very happy…..but I’ll give you one guess as to what the common theme was in these parts.

That’s right-my favorite thing, and what had me coming back for more, about this story was Oskar. Again, it all comes down to a boy. What is it with these stories that don’t touch my soul…yet the male leads make a mark on my heart? I know I’m an easy target when it comes to male leads, but I like to think that I don’t easily forget that there is supposed to be a story that surrounds said male lead. Come on now…just because my multiple (MULTIPLE x a TRILLION) 5 stars this year have had a lot of gushing about boys does NOT mean it’s ONLY about the new bbf meat. Hot male lead does not a 5 star make…but it certainly doesn’t hurt ;).

“To be honest, even if it didn’t, there was no way I was letting you go.”
“Why?”
He lets out a hard, hollow bark of laughter. “Why did you leave?”
“Why are you answering a question with a question?”

No, for those mistakenly thinking that I have fallen head over heels for all my favorites this year only because of who I’ve fallen in love with (Glass Sword being a wonderful example-I ADORE MY CAL BOY and he certainly would have raised the rating had I hated it, but I LOVED that book even though everyone hated it and NOT ONLY because of Cal. He merely enhanced it. I can see the confusion there, though), you would be wrong. And I have been saying this a lot lately and stressing the importance, because I feel like I have went from people seeing all 5 stars on my feed to a very drastic, sudden, and out of nowhere turn where I have blasted everyone’s feeds with a string of 2 and 3 stars….so unlike me.

“Elli,” Raimo whispers, “what did you do to Oskar?”
I glance over to see Oskar standing next to the roan, looking at me in a way I feel low in my belly like a long, slow pull. “You told me to stick close to him.”
“I never told you to take the boy’s heart-or to offer him yours.”

And the novelty of my low ratings will wear off shortly, I’m sure, seeing as the happy train couldn’t last all year-that’s impossible. But I still feel I need to preface all my reviews in this way because it feels so foreign to be bashing book after book just because they weren’t for me. *Shrugs* I guess there just isn’t anything I can do about it….so I will make this short and sweet with a few paragraphs about what I liked, didn’t like, and only mildly liked.

The story: Ehhhh….Super good idea??? Just kind of…blah. Now, I will say this story had many spurts where my heart beat faster and my eyes became glued to the page, but they were few and far between and not as drawn out as I’d like them to be. The beginning, to me, wasn’t boring like people said, more just…hard to connect to. Not because the idea wasn’t cool, but because I didn’t connect to Elli much…or her struggles. So, great ideas and nuggets of epic lost in a sea of could-be’s and ‘I wish’s (how the hell should that be spelled because wishes isn’t right…).

The writing: Addicting, flowed well, not a problem at all. I really enjoyed this author’s style of writing. I just wish there were more perilous scenes…or like my Snake said-That they were a little longer.

The main character, Elli: I did like her-really. I really did. But I didn’t FIGHT for her in my head. I didn’t OBSESS about what was to come for her. All I really cared about concerning Elli….was when Oskar would be coming back. And I think that applies in the ‘story’ category, as well. Oops.

Oskar: Annnnnnd another wonderful, tortured, self-sacrificing male lead who stole my heart, slowly but surely. I loved him from the moment I met him….but it wasn’t until a certain, ahem, moment that I was all heart eye emojis and screaming his name in caps to anyone that would listen (I lie, I text it anyway). He was fierce, loyal, protective, and totally worth this read. And hey, I can’t say my slump is completely gone, but he did a WONDERFUL job of making me squee and taking my breath away. His love for Elli was absolutely ADORABLE (little blusher, he be) and his determination to keep his family and her safe was something to behold…I just wish there had been more of it. I would have had a lot more to say about this whole book, had there been.

So, yeah, I’d say this book was a predominant win mostly because of my dear Oskar, and that’s honestly okay with me. Sometimes it bothers me, but other times it is just what I need-and here?? A hot male lead to obsess and highlight and obsess (twice. I said this TWO times) about is just what I needed to start my week off right. So….onto the next book. It’s a finale of a favorite series of all time. And we all know how THAT has been going this year. Lord, help me.

********************

Another book where my only love stems from the male lead….though, Oskar was hard not to raise a star for. I ADORED HIM AGHHHHHHH OSKAR <3

RTC!!!!

*******

Part three… with other Hufflepuff motherfuckers, as well 😀

View all my reviews

BOOK REVIEW – Rise (The Order of the Krigers #1) by Jennifer Anne Davis

May 17, 2016 / Jen / 4 Comments

Rise (The Order of the Krigers #1)
by Jennifer Anne Davis
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
The people of Nelebek live in fear of persecution from the evil Morlet, who reigns with a dark and destructive magic. The kingdom's only hope lies with the Order of the Krigers--twelve warriors with mysterious powers linked to magical weapons.

For over a century, Morlet has been annihilating the Order, picking them off one by one. Eleven Krigers have been hunted down, tortured, and imprisoned in his dungeon. Now only one remains.

Sixteen-year-old Kaia survives by keeping her head down and minding her own business. But when she finds herself in the middle of a public execution where the mysterious Morlet is in attendance, an odd compulsion she can't resist comes over her and she looks into Morlet's eyes.

Soon an ancient power awakens and Kaia can no more blend into the scenery. Will she heed the call of the Krigers or will Morlet's dark magic destroy the last of the Order?

Review:

The idea behind Rise was so much fun! An evil ruler who tracked down and imprisoned warriors who were in the Order. And only one remained, Kaia, a sixteen year old girl who took care of her ailing father. Of course I was glued to the pages in the beginning! But I started to struggle connecting to some of the characters as the book progressed. Especially when I learned that there were three love interests. So while I loved the idea behind Rise, I wasn’t that huge of a fan of some of the characters and the love square (ohhh that word totally exists!).

Rise focuses so much attention on the characters, so here they are:

“Why are you running away?” He slid a knife from his boot and cut my bindings.
“Why?” I shrieked, shoving him away from me. “You’ve killed at least six men tonight. Six. You’re crazy.”
His eyes narrowed. “I saved you.”
“By killing people. You’re no better than the king.”
Anders growled and took a step toward me, making my back hit the wall.

Anders – There was only one clear winner, of the love square, in my eyes. Even though Anders was a little dark and disturbing at times. He was an assassin, who helped out Kaia, and he seemed to kill without a conscious. Yet all of the times he killed people throughout the book, and there is a lot so be prepared, he was doing it to protect Kaia. But that little thought would disappear out of my head from time to time because he was SO talented at being an asshole. I adore those types of males in a book, because you hope that a nicer/softer side is going to sneak out from time to time. And I loved seeing that other side of Anders when we got tiny peaks here and there. He was definitely my favorite character in the whole book!

I had no idea what I’d gotten myself into. – Kaia

Kaia – I adored Kaia in the first part of the book, but I struggled with her in in the latter part. While she was always determined, I started to disagree with some of her thoughts as the story progressed. You see, Kaia started to become friends with Anders and another guy you’ll meet, Victor. They saved her. They protected her. They warned her about the King Morlet, heck she had been warned by her local townspeople about him. Yet that knowledge would fly out of the window and she would trust the King from time to time. And those situations made me frustrated with her.

“Do I need to torture a child in front of you in order for you to cooperate?”
It sounded as if he was discussing what to have for dinner, not threatening me. – Kaia & Morlet

Morlet – Morlet was the evil King that ruled over their Kingdom and had been trying to hunt down all of the Krigers. He screamed tortured bad boy, which I usually love, but he was just a true psychopath bent on power in my eyes. Although I’m sure that many will disagree with me for thinking this *hides face*. His first strike against him was when he ripped a toddler away from his mother, with the vocal intention of torturing the poor child, just to obtain information from the town’s people. Even if he was bluffing, which we never learned, it still deeply bothered me. His second and third strikes I can’t talk about. But know that he hurts others while he claimed that it pained him. Oh please. Unfortunately, Morlet was a front runner, to be a possible love interest in book two, and it made me want to shudder and shake the ever living life out of Kaia.

Vidar – Vidar is Anders friend who also helped protect Kaia. I had no qualms about him in the beginning, other then the fact that he was a tad creepy – you must sleep in my bed so I can protect you *rolls eyes while laughing*. I just started to warm up to him, and get past his different ways, and then he spouted out a fact. After that fact was out, he was soooo annoying and demanding. He didn’t seem to give much thought to Kaia’s wants and needs, and he came off a little cold and yes still very creepy. Vidar was the final love interest, and I can’t imagine re-warming back up to him.

He shook his head. “I’ve been around for so long that I forget what it’s like to care for someone.” He turned to face me, a small smile spreading across his face, softening the lines around his eyes and forehead. “You remind me of that.” He reached out and squeezed my hand. – Anders

So I am conflicted. If I hear that she will eventually wind up with Anders, by the end of the series, then I will definitely continue. If she is going to end up with Morlet or Vidar, then I can’t finish this series because I know that my heart will be broken. But on a side note, I will say that I was happy to figure out one of the plot twists. Hmm just know that it involved a prophecy we learn from Vidar, and I knew it! But here’s hoping you end up liking this series WAY more than I did, because the story itself was really fun! Good luck!

*ARC kindly provided by Month9Books in exchange for an honest review*