Tag: Fantasy (Page 80 of 121)

BOOK REVIEW: Red Glove (Curse Workers #2) by Holly Black

March 4, 2015 / / 0 Comments
BOOK REVIEW: Red Glove (Curse Workers #2) by Holly BlackRed Glove (Curse Workers #2)
by Holly Black
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

The cons get craftier and the stakes rise ever higher in the riveting sequel toWhite Cat.

After rescuing his brothers from Zacharov’s retribution, Cassel is trying to reestablish some kind of normalcy in his life.

That was never going to be easy for someone from a worker family that’s tied to one of the big crime families—and whose mother’s cons get more reckless by the day. But Cassel is coming to terms with what it means to be a worker, and he’s figuring out how to have friends.

Except normal doesn’t last very long. Soon Cassel is being courted by both sides of the law and is forced to confront his past—a past he remembers only in scattered fragments, and one that could destroy his family and his future. Cassel will have to decide whose side he wants to be on, because neutrality is not an option. And then he will have to pull off his biggest con ever to survive….

The smell of Lila’s skin, the way her eyes shine with mischief, the low rasp of her voice. It hurts to think of her, but I can’t stop. It ought to hurt.
After all, hell is supposed to be hot.

Hmmm. Well, I just have to say it-If you, for whatever reason, have to put a book on pause and you come back to it and feel like you are still strongly a part of that book’s world…then you have an excellent book in your hands, folks. I have had a busy few weeks, book wise. Blog tours, catching up on a favorite series for said blog tours, keeping up with ARCs…and now here I am with a little bit of ‘me’ time on my hands. So why not pick up where I left off in this wonderful little story?? It was so much easier than I ever expected and I didn’t once feel like I didn’t know what was going on. It’s such a fun, wonderful, dark story with loads of heart seeped onto every page-you can’t help but to fall in love with Cassel and all his shenanigans.

I jump up and take off toward her, yanking the panty hose down over my face. That slows me down some, because there is no way in hell these things are sheer. I can barely see.
People start yelling. Yeah, because a guy with hose over his head is never the good guy. He is, in fact, the stereotype-maybe even a archetype-of a bad guy.

I can’t say this was better than the first, yet I rated it a solid 5. Why is that??? I think it’s because my enjoyment level skyrocketed after my hiatus from the series. As soon as I began to read from where I’d left off, my mood was instantly uplifted and I felt a sense of peace and contentment. I started to laugh and smile like a deranged loon. Reading about Cassel never gets old and certainly never gets boring. He’s a sweethearted con who only wants to do good…but always ends up doing bad. But he’s getting better! Or, at least, he’s trying to.

I wonder if that’s my future. Bad choices. It certainly feels a lot like my present.

And that’s where we are in this book. Something terrible has happened in the first book. (view spoiler) Which means that no matter how tangible, how wonderful, how real it seems…it isn’t. It’s a con. And there lays the dilemma: How can Cassel possibly fight the one good thing he’s wanted his whole life?? It’s right there on a silver platter….All he has to do is reach out and take it. But he can’t. He won’t. And that’s why he is, ultimately, good. It wouldn’t be right and it wouldn’t be fair, but it’s sure hard to fight.

I should stop, but there’s no point in stopping. Because I’m not strong enough-eventually, I won’t stop.
I thought the question was “Will I or won’t I?”
But that’s not the question at all.
It’s “When?”
Because I will.
It’s just a matter of time. It’s now.

That’s why this book is so so heartbreaking. I love Cassel. He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s sarcastic, and he just wants to be accepted for who he is. And I love him for it. He has lived a fucked up life surrounded by fucked up people, yet he tries to stay above it. And, more than that, he would do anything for them. He’d cover up any number of their crimes just because he loves them. Yet, they still try to hold him under their thumb even though he’s 50 times more powerful than they’ll ever be. It tore me to pieces each and every time he would resist (view spoiler) because how could that ever really be true?? How could (view spoiler) It broke my heart.

At the window to my room, I catch my reflection in the glass. Shaggy black hair. Sneer. I look like a hungry ghost, glowering at the world I am no longer fit to be part of.

The relationships formed in this book were probably my favorite part-it was so heartwarming to see Cassel embrace his new friendships he began to form at the end of the last book and to begin to trust them enough to accept their help. But, then the writing is a close second favorite thing about this story. Black’s writing leaps off the page and sucks you in so you don’t ever want to stop reading. Simplistic, witty, and sarcastic tones seep off of every page and you can’t help but to smile at how dire the situations are that Cassel gets himself into. I don’t know how he does it, but somehow he is always in trouble and it is always funny, for some reason. I don’t quite know why I find such humor in this dark little series, but I do and I love it.

I sink down to the grass. It’s damp with dew. I feel sick, but self-loathing has become a familiar sickness. I was a monster before. A monster with the excuse that he didn’t know details so he didn’t really have to think about it.

So….There’s much more I can say but it would be very spoilery to do so. Do you know how hard it is to write a review for such a mysterious series without spoiling anything? Well, I’ll tell ya-it’s hard. So I will stop here and let you make your own judgements. Cassel is a wonderful character to follow: flawed, insecure, but somehow cocky, we have quite the enigmatic character. I only hope you can give this wonderfully weird series a chance-it’s excellent.


Only a monster would do this, but I already know I’m a monster.

BOOK REVIEW: The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) by Brandon Sanderson

March 2, 2015 / / 0 Comments
BOOK REVIEW: The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) by Brandon SandersonThe Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2)
by Brandon Sanderson
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

They did the impossible, deposing the godlike being whose brutal rule had lasted a thousand years. Now Vin, the street urchin who has grown into the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and Elend Venture, the idealistic young nobleman who loves her, must build a healthy new society in the ashes of an empire.

They have barely begun when three separate armies attack. As the siege tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

It may just be that killing the Lord Ruler was the easy part. Surviving the aftermath of his fall is going to be the real challenge.

Vin frowned, then glanced at Elend. He seemed…distracted. “I don’t like her,” she said.
Elend smiled, stacking up the books on his table. “You don’t like anyone when you first meet them, Vin.”
“I liked you.”
“Thereby demonstrating that you are a terrible judge of character.”

Weeeellll peeps, it’s official. I am in love with Brandon Sanderson. It isn’t simply because he has some of the most unforgiving battle scenes ever, and it isn’t because his books make me laugh more than they probably should, though those are great big bonuses-humor in such a long story is so refreshing, don’t you think? No, I love Sanderson because, despite how many characters we have to follow throughout the whole story, he makes me fall in love with all of them. Not just the good guys or the middle guys or the sidekicks-I fall in love with those characters you can’t be sure are loyal or that are bound to betray you. I fall in love with each and every moment all these mismatched friends share. And, most importantly, I fall in love with the stories he weaves.

Ham turned back, still smiling. “You make it sound so desperate, El.”
Elend looked over at him. “The Assembly is a mess, a half-dozen warlords with superior armies are breathing down my neck, barely a month passes without someone sending assassins to kill me, and the woman I love is slowly driving me insane.”
Vin snorted at this last part.

Again, I get so nervous every time I pick up a fantasy novel. I repeat it so much that it has to be annoying, but I just am so picky about what I read-especially with fantasy. So, while I adored the last book (I gave it a 4), I still didn’t label it as a favorite. Why? Well, it’s simple-I was a tad overwhelmed. It’s a lot to take in when you never really read anything this long or complex. There was a lot to learn and a lot of people to keep track of-and, simply, I’m a newb. I don’t read this stuff often because I do like a simpler story-sue me. But, even with all the difficulty of the first, I found so many things to love and obsess over: Elend, for instance. Vin. Elend and Vin. They were absolutely precious together. And then there was Kelsier and Breeze and Spook. I loved them all. I loved the action and the bonding scenes-it was a stupendous story.

But in this book? Oh yeah. There was literally nothing I couldn’t handle. I knew it all, ya know?? So, instead of all that learning and world-building, we got a full-fledged story!! I was ecstatic. It started out with a bang-Vin in the mists doing what she does best. But even better than that??? Elend. Elend on every freaking page-if not physically, then spiritually when they would mention him and his plans for the kingdom. Did I mention my dear, dear Elend was King?? Well, he is. And that’s one of the best parts of this story-it’s so flawed!! Or, at least, the characters are.

“But you had others before her,” Spook said. “Noble girls.”
“A couple,” Elend admitted.
“Though Vin has a habit of killing off her competition,” Ham quipped.
Elend laughed. “Now, see, she only did that once. And I think Shan deserved it-she was, after all, trying to assassinate me at the time.” He looked down fondly, eyeing Vin. “Though, I do have to admit, Vin is a bit hard on other women. With her around, everybody else looks bland by comparison.”

Elend is still, as ever, in love with Vin. But he also has a kingdom to watch over and keep from being taken over. Such a huge task for someone who is so pure, so good. And here is the problem: Elend is so invested in making a fair government, he doesn’t see or, presumably, care. He wants to be good to his people. He doesn’t want to be a dictator like the Lord Ruler and oppress his people like that evil man did. But there’s a fine line, and we get to see his journey throughout the book on whether it’s worth becoming a man he doesn’t want to be so he can keep his crown or whether his wits and cunning can keep his kingdom safe-but possibly lose his rule for doing the right and fair thing.

“My dear man,” Breeze noted. “When you told us you needed to ‘go and gather a few important references,’ you might have warned us that you were planning to be gone for two full hours.”
“Yes, well,” Elend said, “I kind of lost track of time…”
“For two hours?”
Elend nodded sheepishly. “There were books involved.”

Elend is a character I could go on and on and on about. He’s sweet, kind, caring, and would do anything for Vin-and his kingdom. And that’s why he’s such an amazing and loyal character. He’s shy and unsure of himself, he doesn’t see how Vin could love a man like him when they are so different-And here is another plot I’ll mention later. But, with Vin by his side, he brings all the con-men into his inner circle and together they strategize and try to do what’s best for the kingdom….it’s quite hilarious to see all these completely different men try to figure out a cohesive way to mix all their ideas together.

“Do you know what I hate, kandra?” she whispered, falling to a crouch, checking her knives and metals.
“No, Mistress.”
She turned, meeting OreSeur’s eyes. “I hate being afraid.”

And then, Vin. Wonderful, un-trusting, insecure little Vin. She is their Mistborn now, so she watches over Elend and the welfare of the kingdom. She works herself to the bone because she knows if she slips up even once, Elend will be killed and it will be all her fault. Except it won’t…but she feels that way. And more often than not, lately, she has been experiencing doubts about her and Elend. He’s too good for her, he’d never be happy with someone so different….and she couldn’t be more wrong. He adores her and would never abandon her like everyone else in her life has before-but it doesn’t stop her from being terrified about such things, anyway. See the problem, though? They both are on that same path, worrying that they aren’t good (or good enough) for each other….let the misconceptions commence.

The study’s small ventilation window bumped open, and Vin squeezed through, pulling in a puff of mist behind her. She closed the window, then surveyed the room.
“More?” She asked incredulously. “You found more books?”
“Of course,” Elend said.
“How many of those things have people written?” she asked with exasperation.
Elend opened his mouth, then paused as he saw the twinkle in her eye. Finally, he just sighed. “You’re hopeless,” he said, turning back to his letters.

And now there are new threats to the city-someone, presumably another Mistborn, is following her. At every turn she senses a dark figure standing menacingly above her on the rooftops, but he never makes a move. And every time she tries to chase him, she loses him. There are worse things, though. Now the mists are spreading into the daytime, seeping out from the night. And, more than that, the mists are producing palpable shapes that resemble something…sinister. And Vin feels it. When she attacks one, it numbs her arm causing shock she never could have imagined…and to top it all off?? Two armies are waiting outside the gates ready to attack the city, steal the throne…..and execute Elend. Poor Vin. Oh!! And did I mention a spy has infiltrated their inner circle?? But there’s no way to know who….

So, to say this book was amazing and tremulous and action-packed would be an understatement-in fact, this book is an understatement. Let me explain-It all unfolds so beautifully, so simply. Every little plot twist builds and builds, both out in the mist with Vin and inside the inner circle with Elend. While it’s quiet and strategic with our dear King, things are hectic running around with Vin. Even when we could get bored, we don’t. Sanderson switches, and mixes, Elend and Vin’s problems so seamlessly that you can’t get bored. Or I didn’t, at least. And then it all comes to a head. It’s all that simple. We wait, we wait, we see, we see, and then mix the potion a little and BAM! We have a wonderful 5 star story!!

“And our differences?” Elend asked.
“At first glance, the key and the lock it fits may seem very different,” Sazed said. “Different in shape, different in function, different in design. The man who looks at them without knowledge of their true nature might think them opposites, for one is meant to open, and the other to keep closed. Yet, upon closer examination, he might see that without one, the other becomes useless. The wise man then sees that both lock and key were created for the same purpose.”

I didn’t skim. I wasn’t bored for even a moment. And this heartbreaking tale tore my heart out more than once. I cried so hard near the end it bordered on hysteria. I didn’t think ‘ol Sanderson had it in him, frankly. Betrayals and lies, friendship and love, we see this hodge-podge group fight their hardest battle yet-they just thought things were difficult with the Lord Ruler. I am so nervous for book three because there is no way I will come out of this without more than a few tears…but when that time comes, I’ll have to be strong. That’s all there is to it.

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GOD DAMN IT, SANDERSON. THAT WAS NOT FUCKING FUNNY.


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Review to come

BOOK REVIEW – Emperor of Thorns (The Broken Empire #3) by Mark Lawrence

February 25, 2015 /
BOOK REVIEW – Emperor of Thorns (The Broken Empire #3) by Mark LawrenceEmperor of Thorns (The Broken Empire #3)
by Mark Lawrence
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

To reach the throne requires that a man journey. Even a path paved with good intentions can lead to hell, and my intentions were never good.

The Hundred converge for Congression to politic upon the corpse of Empire, and while they talk the Dead King makes his move, and I make mine. The world is cracked, time has run through, leaving us clutching at the end days, the future so bright that those who see it are the first to burn. These are the days that have waited for us all our lives. These are my days. I will stand before the Hundred and they will listen. I will take the throne whoever seeks to thwart me, living or dead, and if I must be the last emperor then I will make of it such an ending.

This is where the wise man turns away. This is where the holy kneel and call on God. These are the last miles, my brothers. Don't look to me to save you. Don't think I will not spend you. Run if you have the wit. Pray if you have the soul. Stand your ground if courage is yours. But don't follow me.

Follow me, and I will break your heart.

Sorry guys. I thought about some fancy way to write this review and it seems that I just – couldn’t. Maybe, one day, when I’ll reread it because of course I’m going to reread it, I mean, JORG for Pete’s sake, maybe this day I’ll be able to find, I don’t know,
a) A travel map review of his journey through Europe, because YES, I totally sought the places out during my read, frowning at the name slightly altered of a city, a river, a land… By the way, UK, the drowned Isles? I might have laughed at that. But I’m French, so, well. Okay I’m kidding! I love you British, don’t throw me anything!
b) A sketched review of Jorg’s best moments, because who doesn’t want to see someone …. Oh, well, it would be spoiling if I told you right? Don’t worry, I’d have to learn to draw for this and somehow I’m pretty sure it won’t happen in this life. Sigh.
c) A trial review to state on Jorg’s faith, but then, I guess that I’d have to be objective and where would be the fun if I couldn’t cry my love for him, I’m asking?

So. Someday. Maybe. Who knows. Certainly not me. It seems that you’re bound to suffer my not-so-fancy review, that is to say, let me purr my feelings for crying out loud.

“No half measures. Some things can’t be cut in half. You can’t half-love someone. You can’t half-betray, or half-lie.”

First of all, I can’t express how much this story drew me in. From the first time my eyes met Jorg’s thoughts (yes, I know, last week, shush) I knew that I wouldn’t be able to let go of this world before knowing the entire story. I tried to hold on because come on, have you tried to binge read fantasy? Usually I prefer to let my thoughts sink a bit before opening the next book and here? I couldn’t. I had to know. I felt like obsessed, so much that I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I wasn’t reading. So, yeah, I read them three way too fast for my own good because now I don’t know what to do with myself. Except writing this review-not-so-fancy, of course.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I wanted to stress how much these books enthralled and captivated me – they weren’t really page-turner but then, they were even better. Because sometimes I had to put my book aside and think about it a few minutes. Sometimes I needed to reread some sentences because dumb me! I didn’t get it. Sometimes I chose to reread some sentences because damn, that made me laugh. This was long at times, but trust me, this was worth it.

“My father taught me not to love or to compromise, the thorns taught me that even family bonds are fatal weaknesses, a man must walk alone, bide his time and strike when the strengh is in his hands. Sometimes, though, it seemed all that bound me to those lessons were the scars they had left on me.”

Jorg now. I’m craving for talking about him, of course. I mean, these books are really character driven and I’m almost sure you can’t really enjoy them if you don’t like him. Now, I can be wrong, and I would be really happy to be. If you have read my review of Prince of Thorns, then you know that this anti-hero fascinated me from the beginning. And young Jorg was something to handle, I’m telling you. I’ll borrow Chelsea’s words here, and say that he was our little killing machine. Yeah, that’s completely affectionate, and if that makes us crazy, so be it. I’m not going to re-explain how he was because there’s a lot of chance that if you read this you already know him.

✘ Do you want to know if he’s going to evolve? Yes he will.
✘ Will he become some white knight? No he won’t.

And that’s what I adored in Emperor of Thorns : the fact that Mark Lawrence managed to offer us a realistic evolution in his character, making him complex, multi-layered, without never travestying him in some unbelievable shadow of himself. He is bad, stubborn, terrible, and he knows it. He is human, flawed, and won my heart. I said it before, but I can’t help but feel ruined for the future heroes I will meet, especially in fantasy. As it is, I struggle to let him go. No more Jorg. Sigh.

“When you’re in a dark place, and your light is going to run out before too long, you get on with things. It’s a wonder to me how few people apply that same logic to their life.”

Finally, of course I won’t talk about the plot, because you should go blind into this last journey with Jorg – but I wanted to say :
1) I don’t know if I was supposed to, but I guessed some major twist way before Jorg. Now, it didn’t bother me because I enjoyed so much my read nothing could have spoiled it. And feeling more clever than Jorg? Best feels, guys.
2) The ending was epic and satisfying and above that, surprised me. Hours after finishing it, I find myself both happy and disturbed, truly amazed.

“At the sharp end of things there is only room for ourselves.”

BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY + INTERVIEW – Dark Debt (Chicagoland Vampires #11) by Chloe Neill

February 24, 2015 / / 12 Comments
Here is my review for this wonderful story...it might be the best in the series, yet!  Be sure to also check out my interview with Chloe Neill and the two giveaways below!

BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY + INTERVIEW – Dark Debt (Chicagoland Vampires #11) by Chloe NeillDark Debt (Chicagoland Vampires #11)
by Chloe Neill
Add to: Goodreads

Review:
“If you touch her again, come near her again, I will tear you apart with my own bare hands, Master or not.”

There are so many things I love about this series. So many things I hold back after finishing a book because, really, how many times can you repeat all the same things you love about a consistently excellent series? I always do a mini-review, letting people know the main reasons I loved the story, and I hardly put all I truly feel into the review. Well, 7 mini-reviews later and I think it’s time I finally let all these built up emotions out-this book was excellent and people deserve to hear about it.

Ethan sighed. “It has nothing to do with pretty.”
“Not according to your brain,” I agreed. “But once again-”
Ethan held up a hand. “No need to repeat the point.”
“When I’m four hundred, do I get to date a twenty-five-year old?”
Ethan narrowed his gaze. “If you date anyone other than me at any point in your hopefully long and fruitful life, there will be trouble for both of us.”

I keep saying that these stories continue to get better, and it’s true, mostly, but there is something refreshing about a more sinister plot. Like, it’s known that when you pick up a Chicagoland Vampires book that there will be a mystery to solve, Ethan and Merit will have to conquer a new threat to their relationship, and there will be lots of love and snark exchanged between them. It’s a fact. It’s an inevitability. And I always get so excited to pick up the next new story. But this time there was something new. Sure, there’s always something new-But not like this.

Never has there been something that made me feel so icky about what could happen to Merit-or Ethan, for that matter. But when the return of an old figure from Ethan’s dark past reemerges, things begin to get….foggy. Merit’s defenses are down, Ethan isn’t (and can’t be) quick to save Merit, and no one can understand why, or how, this person is getting past their wards on the house. How does one protect another person’s mind? Is there even a way? And what happens when Ethan isn’t there to break the trance, and the next time he’s too late? What then?

There was nothing equivocal in his gaze, in the steadiness of his green eyes. “He was my nightmare, Merit. You are my miracle. He will not touch you again. Yes?”

Ethan, as always, was beyond words. He is so loyal to Merit and would do anything to keep her safe. And when Merit has a close run-in with this dangerous and mysterious enemy, it guts him that she recoils from his touch. She becomes withdrawn and so unlike herself, leaving everyone scrambling to keep the wards in place…even when there isn’t a break-anywhere in sight. It makes him moody, protective, possessive, and more than a little bit nervous (Waaaaiiittt, yeah, my bad he’s always like that-but, hey, it was a little more intense this time). Ethan likes to be in control, to be the alpha, to know he’s keeping the love of his life (and his house) safe. So, when bad things begin to surround his house, he’s more than unsettled.

“I like to think I’m more than the sum of my training.”
“You are,” Luc said. “There’s at least some hot beef or deep dish in there.”
“I am also more than Chicago foodstuffs.”
Ethan grinned at Luc. “Pumas? Diet Coke? Smart-assery?”
Luc snapped his fingers, pointed at Ethan. “Yes. And, like, three percent medieval literature.”
“You’re both hilarious. Really and truly. Comedy geniuses.”

And Merit. I adore this girl. She’s snarky, she’s funny, and she always has the best comebacks-I could be best friends with her. And, to top it all off, she can take care of herself. It’s not often you find a female lead with all the bells and whistles. But in this story, Merit feels violated, like she can’t defend herself even in her own home, in her own apartments, and with the man she loves sleeping right beside her. It’s a new kind of challenge for her and she spends the book doing everything she can to defend herself with no way of knowing what will work and when he’ll strike next….and what he’ll do to destroy the forever relationship she and Ethan have worked so hard to build.

Which was why Ethan returned to the apartments to find Mallory and me lying on the bed, television on, pooched stomachs taking a much needed breather.
“Oh, this is quite a sight,” Ethan said with obvious amusement, then spied the empty box of Mallocakes. “A vampire and sorceress done in by chocolate snack cakes.”
“Mallocake ‘splosion,” Mallory said weakly. “Pew, pew, pew.”
“I think there’s one left.” I moved just enough to skim fingers against the box, tip it up. “Yep. One. You can have it.”
“Wait,” Mallory said, and put a hand on my arm while she deliberated, as if there was a chance she might be able to squeeze in one more. “No.” She waved me off. “I can’t. Go ahead.”
“This scenario isn’t really selling the Mallocake concept to me,” Ethan said.
“We’re having girl time.”
“Not the girl time I prefer to imagine, but so be it.”
“Perv,” Mallory said with a grin, rolling off the bed and trundling toward the door. “I’m going to roll myself downstairs.”
“Take care,” Ethan said. “And thank you for the ward.”
She burped indelicately.
“And that’s our powerful sorceress,” Ethan said, locking the door behind her.

I think the reason I liked this story so much was because of how it all progressed. There was a lot more action and it mixed really well with the banter and strategizing. I am so picky when it comes to this and I couldn’t have been happier with how it was all handled. There wasn’t a moment when I was bored or rushing to get past anything-every moment was important and every moment mattered. It was fast-paced and the love scenes were electric. Every minute was a rush as we tried to catch whoever was behind the sinister threats and when they were trying to defend the house. And, as always, the humor helped get us through every single moment.

I looked up at him. “Are you wooing me?”
“I’ve been wooing you since the moment our eyes locked on the first floor of this house.”
I gave him a flat look. “No, that’s when you accused me of being spoiled.”
“Details,” he said lightly, mouth drawn into a crooked grin.

So, I know that I gush a lot about these characters, but they are very dear to me and I am fully invested in whatever may happen to them. I want nothing more than for the prophecy to come about and for happy things to occur regularly for Ethan and Merit. Their love is tangible and it leaps off every page-every look, every touch, every embrace-they were made for each other. I cannot wait to see where the rest of the stories go, because this series has my heart. If you haven’t tried, you need to go and start these books now. You won’t regret it!

 

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 Interview:

Very rarely do we get the opportunity as readers to get inside the mind of our favorite authors, but Chloe Neill has offered to answer a few questions for the blog tour! Take a peek at what she had to say:

 

1. Just as your books inspired other authors to write, what authors inspired you to write?

When I started writing, I’d been reading a lot of Rachel Caine, Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris, and Stephanie Laurens, among others. I really loved reading stories in series, because you got to know the characters, the setting, and the little inside jokes and references that really made the book feel like a comfortable place to rest.

2. Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than others? Love? Action? Emotional upset?

Action scenes are definitely the hardest for me to write, so the last scene I usually write in the book is an action scene that I’ve put off. 🙂 It’s difficult for me to imagine a three-dimensional fight, and then translate that into words for the two-dimensional page.  Banter is the easiest thing–I can write characters chatting all day long. But it doesn’t make for a very interesting scene.

3. Which of your Chicagoland Vampire characters would you most like to spend extended amounts of time with?

Probably Merit. I think we’d get along very well.  Or Damien, because I think he has a lot of interesting stories to tell. 🙂

4. If you could cast Ethan and Merit in a Hollywood adaption of your books, who would you choose to play their
characters?

David Beckham isn’t an actor, but he’ll always be Ethan for me. I don’t really have a specific girl in mind who epitomizes Merit, so I’m certainly open to suggestions!

Thanks for having me today!

 

dd_tour

 

I am so honored here today to be able to represent one of the most hilarious, sexy, and addictive series I’ve ever read. Not often do I, or we as a blog, stick with such long series. But since the beginning, Ethan and Merit have stolen my heart and and I am so happy I came across this wonderfully delicious series. If you have never read these stories, that’s a shame. But if you’re even a little bit curious, pick up the first book in the series, Some Girls Bite, and I swear you’ll be enthralled from page one. Thanks so much, Courtney Neill!

 

Dark Debt will be available on March 3rd.

Preorder Here on any of these sites!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Powells | Books-A-Million | Audible |Kobo | Indiebound

 

Giveaways:

Us Star-Crossed Ladies are ecstatic to have a special little giveaway of our own, courtesy of Chloe Neill! Hurry and ENTER TO WIN!

Packet includes:

    • Cadogan House cotton tote bag
    • Cadogan House keychain
    • An autographed international Chicagoland Vampires or Dark Elite novel
    • Swag, including Chicagoland Vampires bookmarks and pens, and Cadogan House lanyards

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 The fun doesn’t stop here. Want more chances to win? You can also enter the Dark Debt Grand Prize Giveaway, which runs February 23 through March 6 on Chloe’s web site.

What is the Grand Prize Giveaway prize?

      • An engraved Cadogan House medal necklace
      • A Kindle Paperwhite
      • Cadogan House cotton tote bag
      • Cadogan House keychian
      • Chicagoland Vampires bookmarks, pens, and lanyard

 

And here is a full list of all the other blogs participating on the tour:

Week One

Monday, February 23 – Finding Sanity in Our Crazy Life | Lore Lush Books
Tuesday, February 24 – Star Crossed Book Blog | Little Miss Book Addict’s House of Books
Wednesday, February 25 – Once Upon a Twilight | Krista’s Dust Jacket
Thursday, February 26 – Goldilox and the Three Weres | Angel’s Guilty Pleasures
Friday, February 27 – Feeling Fictional | Rabid Reads

Week Two

Monday, March 2 – Booklovers for Life | Bad Bird Reads
Tuesday, March 3 (Release Day) – Saucy Wenches Book Club | Nomi’s Paranormal Palace | Fangs, Wands & Fairy Dust | Vampire Book Club
Wednesday, March 4 – Ceres Book World | Book Infatuation Reviews 
Thursday, March 5 – Consummate Reader
Friday, March 6 – Little Read Riding Hood | Three Chicks After Dark

BOOK REVIEW – King of Thorns (The Broken Empire #2) by Mark Lawrence

February 21, 2015 /
BOOK REVIEW – King of Thorns (The Broken Empire #2) by Mark LawrenceKing of Thorns (The Broken Empire #2)
by Mark Lawrence
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

To reach greatness you must step on bodies, and many brothers lie trodden in my wake. I’ve walked from pawn to player and I’ll win this game of ours, though the cost of it may drown the world in blood…

Do you know what I love in these books? Picture the perfect hero. Kind. Skilled. Supported by all kind of prophecies. See this guy, the perfect Gary Sue of fantasy? Well, here, you root for the other guy who wants to kill him.

Because Jorg is some kind of anti Gary Sue.

“I don’t play by the rules you choose.”

✿ Hello, Gary Sue : Prophecies see you rule the world because you’re the One.
♠ And Jorg? Prophecies see you rot in Hell and witches bet against you. Screw you. Well, now, there’s this Necromancer who’s dying to have you as ally, but is it really a good thing?

“If he told me something about the glories ahead for the Prince of Arrow I would have trouble restraining myself. If he suggested I might be born in the year of the goat then there would be no restraint!”

That doesn’t work. Too long. Let’s nickname our heroes, shall we?

✿ GS : Everybody loves you, because you’re that merciful.
♠ J : Nobody should love you because the only way to live for you is merciless. Now, there are fools everywhere. People who love you don’t know why though.

✿ GS : If you’d earned a medal each time you won a great battle, their weight would stop you from walking.
♠ J : If there’s something I learnt, it’s that you know when to run. And when to come back.

✿ GS : You lead an army which is formidable in many ways : in numbers, in courage, in skill… Damn you’re exhausting me here.
♠ J : Well, you can be dazzling, but a trick is a trick. By the way, you own the best ideas and made me giggle like crazy at times. You surprise me. And with surprises, I’m like a little child : Aww thank you, and can I have some more?

“As Maical would say, it helps to have the elephant of surprise on your side.”

✿ GS : Yes, but you are good.
♠ J : Don’t care, you’re funnier, little smart-ass.

✿ GS : You follow some kind of rules in your life. In the best case you even have a book where they’re written just for you. Lucky you!
♠ J : Rules? What are you talking about? There’s no such things as rules in this world!

✿ GS : You do what is right.
♠ J : You do what is good … for you

“Sensible, honest. I don’t even know how to pretend those things.”

✿ GS : You’re fucking handsome and you stay it.
♠ J Well… Hmm… No offense Jorg, but I might find you scary in the real life.

✿ GS : Professional savior is your full-time job.
♠ J : There was a moment in this book when you save someone you didn’t even know! I was so proud of you, Little Jorg. Careful though, don’t go all weak however.

✿ GS : You want to rule because you want to bring justice in this world
♠ J : You want to rule because you can, DUH.

“I wonder if we don’t all go stamping and crashing, crashing and stamping in our own little circles going nowhere. And I wonder who it is that laughs at us.”

✿ GS : You wear your kindness on your face.
♠ J : Damn, you’ve got so many secret failures hidden in your heart it took a whole book to unravel them – but that was worth it, because above all we already know about you, in this book you become more – a complex King who’s growing up, acquiring maturity and who perhaps, perhaps will learn to be better, yet can never forget what he truly is, his devil inside and his wickedness.

Flash news! Gary Sue is in this book! Luckily that’s not Jorg.

Meanwhile? Damn you, Jorg of Ancrath, to make me care so much I almost cried for you. We can follow a good hero and feel his pain but what happens when a flawed bastard we love is hurting and lets go of his shell to show us his vulnerabilities? We cry, plain and simple.

“We’re not memories, Katherine, we’re dreams. All of us. Each part of us is a dream, a nightmare of blood and vomit and boredom and fear. And when we wake up – we die.”

I think I’m kind of ruined for future heroes now. Sigh.

PS : One thing to know ➸ the rhythm is way slower than the first one and if it didn’t bother me because I honestly thought that the story needed it in order to develop Jorg’s characterization, I think it would annoy some readers. Voilà, that was my only complaint toward the book. But then, the back and forth between past and present was worth it. Even if I was frustrated more often than not.

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