Tag: Fantasy (Page 79 of 121)

BOOK REVIEW – Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by Robin Lafevers

April 18, 2015 /
BOOK REVIEW – Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by Robin LafeversDark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2)
by Robin LaFevers
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

When Sybella arrived at the doorstep of St Mortain half mad with grief and despair the convent were only too happy to offer her refuge - but at a price. The sisters of this convent serve Death, and with Sybella naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, she could become one of their most dangerous weapons.

But her assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to the life that nearly drove her mad. Her father's rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother's love is equally monstrous. But when Sybella discovers an unexpected ally she discovers that a daughter of Death may find something other than vengeance to live for...

There’s a fangirling Gremlins in me who’s lurking to spread his love. Picture the mohawk one ← Always been my favorite. You’ve been warned.

☠ Possible side effects :
– Irrepressible squeals (Yes. Like fucking mice. You got it)
– Overuse of the words love/like/enjoy/swoon/…
– I’ll stop here otherwise I’ll scare you away if that’s not already too late anyway

“There is a wild, frantic energy in this part of town that fits my mood perfectly. I raise my head and dare any of the dangers lurking in the shadows to try to match its skill against mine.”

▒ Why all this love, you’re asking? ▒

➊ A fast-paced plot. Forget the tedious wanderings of Grave Mercy and get ready : the story here starts on page one. Indeed I was hooked from the beginning, enthralled in Sybella’s life like I never was in Ismae’s. Her ultimate goal? To protect Anne de Bretagne from the multiple dangers that threaten her, first of all the Count of Albret, wicked and twisted as always. In the city of Nantes which has been previously taken by him, Sybella must use all her training skills, sometimes at her own expense. Nothing is more blissful than revenge, but she had yet to succeed without losing herself.

This book was dark, oh so dark at times. As it is, I must warn you here that the story deals with difficult issues, including sexual violence and incest, and several kind of abuse.

“But it is no holy light, simply me, whole and unafraid of who and what I am, eager to do the work I was born to do”.

➋ A real assassin as a heroine. As you can guess, I was able to care about Sybella because she’s everything but perfect, and much more than our average female lead. To be frank, I kind of want to throw adjectives and call it a day : flawed, multi-layered, sarcastic, loyal, smart, fierce, tortured, and straight-on awesome. Not to mention,  deadly (I KNOW! An assassin who actually KILLS! Often!). But it wouldn’t do her justice, would it? Sigh.

“Someone is happy this morning,” he smirks.
“Someone is eager to feel the kiss of cold steel before he’s even broken his fast.”

Since her childhood, Sybella had to rely on herself to survive, and as it was, the choice she was given didn’t always let her the opportunity to be in harmony with herself. She’s no innocent, and she knows it. Does she regret some decisions? Yes, she does. Has she doubts? Oh, many. Does she whine or let her doubts eating at her? Never. On the contrary, she knows where lie her strengths and how to use them to fulfill her quest – yet she is seeking approval and the growth of her character was fascinating to follow, realistic and gradual as it was.

➌ An ugly and fascinating love-interest partner in crime. What can I say about Beast, except that he’s everything you don’t expect from a male-lead? Well, just that. ← By Mortain, I want more men like him in my books.

“What in the names of the Nine Saints was that? Throwing your sword? Is that some special trick of Saint Camulos?”
He grins, and I am startled by how feral he looks, all gleaming white teeth and pale eyes in a blood-splattered face. Indeed, I do not believe he is quite human in that moment. “It slowed him down, didn’t it?”

God I love him. Did I say that?

➍ Peril and feeeeeels. Remember how Grave Mercy let me numb? Don’t worry, Dark Triumph is nothing like his eldest. Indeed whereas Ismae’s book dragged on the underwhelming side, nothing could have prepared me for the kaleidoscope of emotions I felt while following Sybella and Beast in their battles. Betrayal. Anger. Hope. Despair. Acceptance. Hate. Love.

➎ A gradual, very light romance, which never overtakes the plot. Anyway, you just can’t help but root for them, because to see the growth of their relationship makes you remember why it’s sometimes fucking great to insert a bit of romance in a book.

“I glance up at Beast’s face, which is contorted with – horror? Despair? I cannot guess what he is thinking or feeling. He looks down at his enormous, scarred hands. “How you must hate us all,” he said.”

Nowadays, it’s more and more difficult to find a romance which can warm our heart without making us rage because sexism, control, stalkers. Beast and Sybella’s story is one of them, and because it’s believable, smile-inducing and adorable, it reminds me if needed why I’m a sucker for a good romance in the first place.

➸ Now, love is not blind people. Although I’m willing to give it 5 stars still, I have to admit that this book isn’t flawless.

☠ Historical inaccuracies, here we go. The truth is, if I’m completely aware that it’s a work of fiction, I fail to understand why authors keep choosing well-known individuals as characters if they don’t respect the historical facts. Now, the book was really good so I chose to blind myself but come on. Please don’t underestimate readers.

☠ Lack of details in the settings : I don’t know if I’m more aware of it because I know the cities and the landscapes where the story takes place here, but I was slighly disappointed by the (lack of) description of the background. Indeed I would have loved to see Morlaix, Nantes, and the Breton country, and it sadly wasn’t the case. Not enough, anyway.

…

► Can you believe it? I can’t blame this book for anything else. This was just fucking awesome, that’s all.

BOOK REVIEW – Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers

April 16, 2015 /
BOOK REVIEW – Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFeversGrave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1)
by Robin LaFevers
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

۩ This is the kind of book you eat and forget most of the details just after reaching the last page, because if there’s a new event at each chapter, you quit on the feeling that nothing happened. Actually if Grave Mercy is by no means a bad book, I wasn’t impressed either. What surprises me the most is how an original concept as Assassin nuns can lead me to feel slightly underwhelmed.

I guess that expectations are everything.

“So,” she says, looking back up at me. “You are well equipped for our service.”
“Which is?”
“We kill people.”

My biggest fear before starting it? To be bored to death. And yet, strangely, the biggest – only one? – compliment I can offer it is the fact it was so compulsively readable. Weird right?

► First of all, how can we not be interested in the original concept on which Grave Mercy relies?

Undeniably, what could be more fascinating than the discovery of the daughters of Death, more known as St Mortain’s nouns, whose purpose is to learn an incredible amount of ways to be a deadly assassin? Tell me? Therefore I wasn’t bored, but interested, hooked, even – political calculations always draw me in, and I must confess that the settings immensely pleased me. As a great fan of Dumas, I always had a soft spot for intrigues taking place at Court, especially when the Kings aren’t the most famous (please stop talking about Louis XIV and Henri IV, not to mention Louis XVI). Indeed there’re so many periods which have not yet been explored by the literature!

However, I’m sorry, but what was this obvious twist? For real, I was waiting and waiting and waiting for the characters to get to the same conclusion as me and Oh. My. They took their time for sure. As a result, I can’t say that the mystery was compelling. Indeed while the writing, the details of the political complots enthralled me, I didn’t care much about the big revelation of the villains’ identity, for it was pretty obvious since the beginning.

Moreover, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of accuracy in the historical facts – I don’t know if that’s supposed to be accurate, but in case you’re wondering, that’s not. Oh, yes, the big events are “true”, but except from them, every character is pictured in a wrong way. Take Alain d’Albret, for example. Yes he was betrothed to Anne de Bretagne, but he never had 6 wifes (only one, actually). As for Fedrik de Nemours… he didn’t exist. And so on. To be fair, even Dumas was known for romanticizing grandly his characters, so I’m not sure that it can be considered as a flaw. I thought I’d point it, anyway, because I’m an History nerd (sorry about that). Finally, why in the world are they travelling via Quimper when they intend to go to Guérande? Seriously, lost enough, aren’t you?

Okay, I’m annoying. I stop here. Sigh.

✐ Generally speaking, I quite liked the writing, which was pleasant and flowed smoothly. But then, I must point that I have not the sufficient knowledge to judge if the way the characters speak can be considered as accurate for 1400s (I have to admit that I have many doubts, because it appeared rather modern to me). Now, what I can judge are the mistakes when French language is used. Of course it was rare – Thanks Mortain! – but come on, don’t you think that it would be greatly appreciated if, I don’t know, some French speaker checked before publishing? There are grammar mistakes (“entré” instead of “entrez”) and a weird use of interjections (“mais bon”, in that sentence, doesn’t make any sense. At all.) One might argue that I make grammar mistakes in English as well, and it’s true (sorry about that). But the fact is, I’m not publishing a book, but writing a review.

But let’s talk about the characters, shall we?

▧ Ismae, who has a special talent for poison, is sent on an assignment in the Guérande court. Her mission? To protect the Duchess, Anne de Bretagne, while unraveling the layers of treason the young ruler faces. In a word : Ismae must use her talent to figure out who is plotting against the duchess, including her closest support, Gavriel Duval. Well, I haven’t much to reproach her, to be fair. Indeed I could understand her decisions, and contrary to some (many?) readers I didn’t feel like she gave up her mind for the sake of her love for Duval. On the contrary, she thinks before acting, and if she IS long to realize some facts (DUH), I can’t say that she’s blinded by love, as she wonders why and who and how is right all the freaking time. She didn’t trust Gavriel on sight for Mortain’s sake! Yet… I didn’t care so much about her either. In my opinion her monologues lacked of sincerity and believability, as I often found myself wondering… Who thinks like that? Every thought is too neat, and I never really felt her struggle, question – I was told so, but never get the feeling, you know?

▧ Gavriel, now. He is nice, kind, but has the bad habit to order Ismae around. Yet he is nice. And, you know, he is … he IS …

Well, okay, mostly dull.

♥ That’s why even if the romance didn’t bother me, it never made me swoon either, as I never really saw any chemistry between Ismae and Duval. As the rest of the story, everything felt too
mild
 to me, and no, my heart never missed a beat. Lack of strong feelings indeed.

▧ The so-called villains. Yes, so-called, because we are told that they are the villains in this story, but never really shown, or not enough, in my opinion. Take d’Albret, for example. Oh, yes, he seems really disgusting, but what does he really do? Nothing. To me, the only real villains are Ismae’s father and her previous husband.

▧ What bothered me the most was the lack of involvement of the secondary characters. Indeed even if they exist, except for the beginning, the other characters fall into the background pretty fast, unfortunately. Personally, I’m eager to learn more about Beast (how awesome is that name, by the way?) and Sybella – Annith I don’t care about.

► See, when I weigh the pros and cons….

… It’s pretty obvious that the cons overtake the pros by far. Now, as I did enjoy my reading still, I decided for a three that I can’t help but find quite generous.

BOOK REVIEW – Stolent Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1) by Danielle L. Jensen

March 28, 2015 /
BOOK REVIEW – Stolent Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1) by Danielle L. JensenStolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1)
by Danielle L. Jensen
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

What I loved in Stolen Songbird can be summed up by the sentence above. Indeed, what’s better than a book which shows the ability to surprise you?

“I think it is our nature to believe evil always has an ugly face,” he said, ignoring my question. “Beauty is supposed to be good and kind, and to discover it otherwise is like a betrayal of trust. A violation of the nature of things.”

✘ What you expect : Regular Trolls
✔  What you get : WIN! Absolutely not the ugly and stupid creatures Trolls are known to be.

Now, I know a big amount of readers were annoyed by the fact that the Trolls aren’t like we could expect but come on. COME ON. Regular Trolls? They’re so fucking lame and stupid. I mean, how in the world could I have been interested in the story if the Trolls were what we’re told they are in other fantasy books? How? During what I love to call my “fantasy days”, when the only books I read except for the classics I studied in Uni were fantasy books, I met a lot of Trolls, and let me tell you, I never ever felt a spark of interest toward them. Never. The guys are morons big ugly creatures used as villains more often than not, and damn, I grew tired of this shit. The “Special Guy” (yes, guy, because have you noticed that Special Girls aren’t that frequent in Fantasy?) must fulfill the World Saving mission he’s been asked to? He met fucking Trolls in the journey. And let’s the battle begin. Sigh.

▶ Excuse me if I prefer BY FAR the way Trolls are portrayed here : clever, designed to rule the world, filled with magic, not sexist (yes, that’s important), and, yes, “handsome”, because it seems to be the major problem for a lot of persons. Not for me. Oh, wait. Am I the only one who think that a lack of symmetry can be completely freaky? Okay, Tristan is handsome. And I’m not complaining because let’s face it : I don’t ship overly beautiful male-leads but come on : a troll like I used to read about in fantasy would have been an awkward love interest, I must admit, because they are STUPID MORONS, remember. Is it bad if I hope that Tristan had more scars, though? Yeah? Well, sue me.

✘ What you expect : A conceited Troll Prince who’s going to fall in love at first sight.
✔ What you get : WIN! The incarnation of what I love in male-leads, no less.

Let me tell you, Tristan is THE guy, as he is *take a huge breath* sarcastic, strong-minded, protective but not creepy, sexy, adorable and selfless. He is Ash’s material, and I’m weighing my words here. One could say that he’s far too perfect, but in my opinion he’s not, because he does have flaws. The thing is, his flaws are the kinds that I love. He hides the truth and doesn’t give his trust easily? Thanks god he doesn’t! He’s a master of deception? I ship that. In life and in books, I often find myself hating when people tell stories about themselves, about the way they are, so special, little things, while their acts say otherwise. In my opinion, Tristan shows bravery, the real courage that is to accept to show a sick image of himself to protect those for whom he cares, as Jérôme says. Oh, and he made me laugh. And swoon. And ache.

“The one, the only, as they like to say,” Tristan said affably, brushing off his coat where I’d bumped into him.
“Which ‘they’ would that be?” I asked.
“Oh, you know. Them.” He waved a hand in the air, dismissing the question.”

Annnnd I’m leaving it at this otherwise my review would only be more and more declarations of love for Tristan, and you don’t want to read this, do you?

✘ What you expect : A TSTL heroine with no other purpose that falling in love
✔ What you get : WIN! A brave and funny female-lead we can relate to.

▶ Cécile is full of awesomeness. Oh, look at this : Cécile. I still don’t understand why all the names are French in this book but that cracked me up at the beginning, because what is supposed to look exotic feels just … random to me. But then, I agreed with a friend the other day because as a fantasy reader I’m sometimes appalled by the names which are chosen, Terkana, Urkira, Putrok (I’m totally creating these), so the way they used French names here is somehow refreshing. French’s exotic, guys. Or not, buuuut that’s another story.

“Oh? And what feelings, pray tell, does this represent?”
I lifted my chin and looked him straight in the eye.
“My feelings for you, dear husband.”

So, Cécile. Let’s make a little list of what I loved in her, shall we?
• Be careful, because that might astonish you, but the girl has a life she doesn’t want to leave behind, and her opinion doesn’t change when she meets the magnificent Tristan. I know, I know, how fierce of her, right?
• She’s never TSTL in my opinion. I mean, yeah, she does make mistakes and knows some instant-jerk reactions, but even if I was worried and mad at some point, never, at any moment, wasn’t I able to understand why she reacted in such way. Actually, she reminds me of Megan from The Iron Fey series, and although I realize that a lot of readers didn’t like her, I always thought that her mistakes were understandable and above that, fucking realistic. Have you never react without thinking of the consequences because you were upset? Nope? Ha, if that’s the case, you’re far better than me in a lot of ways.
• She’s not straight-on bitchy to other women, and she manages to develop girls friends. Fuck YEAH!
• She knows how to defend herself from sarcastic comments *rubs hands*

✘ What you expect : Instalove & Instalust, if you’re lucky like that.
✔ What you get : WIN! A realistic, cute and adorable romance.

▶ Indeed I absolutely loved how their feelings gradually increase, without the sudden trust that never fails to annoy me in several YA books, nope. They’re bonded together? Correct. Do they trust each other first time they meet? Oh, Fuck no, because you know what? Trust must be earn, as in real life : how amazing is that? Moreover, the “I’m going to let everybody think that I hate you” trope? I’m such a sucker for that shit!

✘ What you expect : A story focused on the main characters
✔ What you get : WIN! Interesting and well-portrayed secondary characters

✘ What you expect : A slow-paced, about 500 pages read
✔ What you get : WIN! Such a page-turner that you wonder how in the world it could really be 500 pages.

To say that the story was captivating would be an understatement : the plot is well-wrapped and the ending brings just the right amount of closure and angst, making you want to read the sequel immediately.

✘ What you expect : Miscommunication driven angst
✘ What you get : FAIL! Miscommunication driven angst

▶ Lack of communication driven angst never fails to piss me off, and Sigh. There was a moment where I was both worried and mad, because while I could understand Cécile’s instant-jerk reactions, I was appalled at the same time because never before she let her temper drive her actions. What? I wasn’t expecting that, dammit, she didn’t make me accustomed to such behavior!

Annnnd that’s where I’m feeling unfair because let’s face it, if she had made me used to this kind of stupid (sorry, but it WAS stupid) behavior I wouldn’t have loved her but she didn’t so I did like her and then I felt stabbed in the back. Oh, well. I’m just going to accept that sometimes I’m worse than a spoiled child. There.

Moreover, as much as I appreciate the fact that the secondary characters were multi-layered (Anaïs included), I failed to understand some of their reactions at some point, reactions that I found out of character.

✘ What you expect : Unoriginal plot and world-building
✘ What you get : I can’t say that the plot isn’t original, it wouldn’t be true. However I can’t deny either that the world contains many similarities with The Iron fey series. As it is, I can’t really complain because hell, I loved this series, but I would feel dishonest if I didn’t bring this issue.

• A human MC in a world ruled by magic
• These people can’t lie, and their promises are unbreakable, because you’re bonded by them
• A hero who isn’t who he seems at first, and acts as he hates the heroine to protect her
• The Trolls can be wounded by iron.
• There is a Summer and a Winter Court.

There. The similarities ARE here. Now, did they prevent me from enjoying the story? Of course not. Writers always take inspiration in other works, and that’s for the best, if they don’t end copying another book’s plot and calling it their own. Here it’s far from plagiary, therefore I’m completely okay with that.

PS : A friend just told me that some readers thought that the Trolls here might be Fae in disguise. That’s a smart theory, which would explain a lot of things. I guess we’ll see 🙂

“Correct again. Remind me to choose you for my team if we ever play charades. I like a stacked team.”
Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
stolen songbird danielle jensen
Stolen Songbird #1
Reviews:
Jen
Chelsea
Anna 		hidden huntress danielle jensen
Hidden Huntress #2
Reviews:
Jen		warrior witch danielle l jensen
Hidden Huntress #3
Reviews:
Jen

BOOK REVIEW: The Winner’s Crime (The Winner’s Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski

March 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments
BOOK REVIEW: The Winner’s Crime (The Winner’s Trilogy #2) by Marie RutkoskiThe Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy #2)
by Marie Rutkoski
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

“Sometimes you think you want something,” Arin told him, “when what you need is to let it go.”


photo crushing-my-heart_zpsbeca2230.gif

Fucking seriously? Is this series incapable of not crushing my heart into a thousand tiny pieces after each installment ends?? A whirlwind of angst, heartbreak, heartache, doubt, and self-sacrifice to the FULLEST extent, I could barely breathe through most of this story. It was harsh. It was evil. There wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t sitting on the edge of my seat….Agh. Who am I kidding? I fucking loved it.

Like she had broken her own heart. Kestrel felt the pieces of her heart suddenly, as if love had been an object, something as frail as a bird’s egg, its shell an impossible cloudy pink. She saw the shock of it’s bloody yolk. She felt the shards of shell pricking her throat and lungs.

This installment, to me, was more about the sacrifices we make for love. It still had the forbidden love elements, sure, but a lot of the story was centered around heartbreak for Kestrel. And, essentially, heartbreak for me. It was so hard to already be in a bad mood and try to differentiate my emotions from Kestrel’s. I think that was my biggest struggle with this story-our emotions meshed together a little too well. So maybe in a different time or place I’d have given this a five, but for my mood this weekend, I don’t feel I got that ‘5’ feeling. But I digress.

“If you won’t be my friend, you’ll regret being my enemy.”
-Kestrel

Like I said before, this story was quite vastly different from the first book. The first book was all about how Kestrel bought Arin, how Arin loathed her for who she was and how she began to open up to him. How she would take him as an escort to functions and how he began to see how cunning, smart, wise, brave she was. We got to see him break down his barriers and earlier thoughts of how spoiled and privileged she was and, ultimately, fall madly in love with her…and she him. They developed a camaraderie built on crushed hopes and unrealistic dreams, but they loved deeply, all the same. It was beautiful and magnetic and it was most assuredly a favorite of 2014, for me. And while there was still a magnetic pull to this story, it was more devastating than anything. What would it be like to give up your one true love to keep him safe? What would it be like to have him begging you to be honest, begging you to tell him what he did wrong? How would that make you feel when, in fact, he had done nothing wrong but steal your heart?

He saw her honesty with him. She offered it like a cup of clear water that he drank deep.
Her tears, glinting in the dark.
Her fierce creature of a mind: sleek and sharp-clawed and utterly unwilling to be caught.
Arin saw Kestrel step between him and punishment as if it meant nothing instead of everything.

I was so emotionally charged while I read this story. I was covering my mouth, gasping out loud, and pulling my hair out. There was never a good end to this story. I knew that. Kestrel knew that. Arin didn’t, but boy did he begin to see it that way. The King was an evil, conniving son of a bitch, and he was the main reason I couldn’t breathe through this story. He watched Kestrel’s every move. He watched Arin’s every move. He watched his son’s every move…and when Kestrel’s father came back into the story, it only added an extra layer of oh shit and me pulling more of my hair out.

“Lower your voice,” Kestrel hissed at Arin. “Stop being so-”
“Inconvenient?”
“Frankly, yes.”
His smile came: quick, true, surprised by itself. Then changing, and slow.”I could be worse.”
“I am sure.”
“I could tell you how.”

Loyalty is key. Stay loyal? Stay alive. Who’s the most loyal to the crown? A general would be, one would think. Name a general-Kestrel’s father. Name someone who isn’t truly loyal to the crown-Hmmmm, Kestrel? Add Arin to the mix. Add a little emotional angst because Arin just doesn’t know what he did wrong. Maybe add some deceit, lies, betrayals. Put them all in a palace with spies and evil knights who do the King’s bad deeds behind closed doors. Add some sneaking around and trying to help Arin out, secretly, behind the King’s back…and what do you have??? You have one of hell of a story on your hands, my friends.

Pain seared from forehead to cheek. Red flooded Arin’s left eye. He was blinking, he was half-blind, he was desperate to know if someone can still blink if an eye has been gouged out. He wept blood. His face had split. He could feel air inside the parted flesh, and his hand instinctively went to it.

Lies. Lies lies lies lies lies. Secrets and secrets and misunderstandings and assumptions and lots of heartbreak. Hope….bleak hope. And then that door closes on you, too. I still think book one was way more addicting for me, but I also think my mood was effected this weekend for my own personal reasons. I WILL be reading this series again before the final release, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to be giving this a five next time. Read these-they are beyond beautiful and the writing is still so poetic….and they’ll rip your heart to shreds, just like mine.

 

 

*****

COME TO MAMA

photo crazy-eyes-dylan-obrien-gif_zpsri9ywk7f.gif

I’ve been waiting a year for this Muaha!

BOOK REVIEW: Black Heart (Curse Workers #3) by Holly Black

March 6, 2015 / / 0 Comments
BOOK REVIEW: Black Heart (Curse Workers #3) by Holly BlackBlack Heart (Curse Workers #3)
by Holly Black
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

In a world where Magic is illegal.

Cassel Sharpe has the most deadly ability of all. With one touch, he can transform any object - including a person - into something else entirely. And that makes him a wanted man. The Feds are willing to forgive all his past crimes if he'll only leave his con artist family behind and go straight. But why does going straight feel so crooked?

For one thing, it means being on the opposite side of the law from Lila, the girl he loves. She's the daughter of a mob boss and getting ready to join the family business herself. Though Cassel is pretty sure she can never love him back, he can't stop obsessing over her. Which would be bad enough, even if her father wasn't keeping Cassel's mother prisoner in a posh apartment and threatening not to let her leave until she returns the priceless diamond she scammed off him years ago. Too bad she can't remember where she put it.

The Feds say they need Cassel to get rid of a powerful man who is spinning dangerously out of control. But if they want Cassel to use his unique talent to hurt people, what separates the good guys from the bad ones? Or is everyone just out to con him?

Time is running out, and all Cassel's magic and cleverness might not be enough to save him. With no easy answers and no one he can trust, love might be the most dangerous gamble of all.

Girls like her, my grandfather once warned me, girls like her turn into women with eyes like bullet holes and mouths made of knives. They are always restless. They are always hungry. They are bad news. They will drink you down like a shot of whisky. Falling in love with them is like falling down a flight of stairs.What no one told me, with all those warnings, is that even after you’ve fallen, even after you know how painful it is, you’d still get in line to do it again.

Awwwwwwww!! I cannot believe how perfectly perfect that ended. I really wanted to write this super long review and make it an absolutely amazing ending to my reading spree of this series but…I dunno. It kind of feels right to just put down a few quotes and call it a day. After all, I don’t want to beat a dead horse, right?

A few closing thoughts:

–Cassel is unbelievably, undeniably, without even the slightest doubt the cutest conman ever. Loyal, in love, terrified to make the wrong decision….and utterly hopeless. I would follow his story anywhere-he’s adorable.

“I thought you wanted us to be good guys.” He grins a too-wide grin. He’s enjoying needling me, and my reacting only makes it worse, but I can’t stop.
“Not if it means hurting her,” I say, my voice as deadly as I can make it. “Never her.”

–The perilistically (my new word, you like?) pleasing ending. WOW. I did NOT expect that. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move, I was paralyzed because of how scared I was for Cassel. I couldn’t see any possible positive outcomes for my favorite little liar at the end of this one.

If I have to die tomorrow when the Feds come for me, then this is the last request of my heart. This. The sight of her lashes brushing her cheek as her eyes flutter closed. The pulse in her throat. Her breath in my mouth. This.

–Cassel…oooohhh errrr awkward….But wait! His heroic actions were amazing and they made me fall in love with him even more. I’m utterly obsessed with him, the unreliable little shit.

I think of not knowing what compelled me to strike a gun out of the hand of a killer. Of how satisfying it was to hit Kevin. Of how I want to do it again and again, want to feel the bones snap and blood smear. Of how it felt to stand over him, my skin on fire with rage.

–The Romance. Ahhhh not much to say, but can I just express my undying shipping of Lila and Cassel?? ‘Cuz I caaan’t stooooop, I wooon’t stooooop… Hmmmm….anyway….

I love love LOVED this installment and I am so sad it’s all over. It’s beyond depressing that I will never read about Cassel and his fucked up life again. I put my Ipad down last night and felt a pang of sadness after I finished this story because I was smiling so big and so overwhelmed with happiness and it was just over. But it ended where it should have and all is right in the world. I won’t mess with that. I am so glad I picked up this random series, because it was amazing and so unlike anything I’d ever read. I will never forget it and I hope you give it a chance, too. 🙂

Now I know why people are afraid of transformation workers. Now I know why they want to control me. Now I get it.
I can walk into someone’s house, kiss their wife, sit down at their table, and eat their dinner. I can lift a passport at an airport, and in twenty minutes it will seem like it’s mine. I can be a blackbird staring in the window. I can be a cat creeping along a ledge. I can go anywhere I want and do the worst things I can imagine, with nothing to ever connect me to those crimes. Today I might look like me, but tomorrow I could look like you. I could be you.
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