Tag: Magic/Supernatural (Page 27 of 29)

BOOK REVIEW – Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (Eon #1) by Alison Goodman

BOOK REVIEW – Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (Eon #1) by Alison GoodmanEon: Dragoneye Reborn (Eon #1)
by Alison Goodman
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads


“No one can ever truly know what is in another man’s heart.”

Okay….it so doesn’t feel right to give this such a low rating when I loved the beginning and really liked the end but….why push up a rating when I don’t even know what to say?? I can’t hide behind a three or four every time I have trouble deciding what to rate something. It’s come to that time where I’m reading a wide array of books and different genres and the lines are starting to blur-I’ve had to start rating (not always) more harshly and, unfortunately, this book has fallen into this current time period where I’m done sugar coating my ratings.

There was a saying that a man’s true character was revealed in defeat. I thought it was also revealed in victory.

The thing is, it’s quite unfortunate that I wasn’t more enthralled with the story. It went a little something like this: The beginning-Loved. Eon/Eona? Loved. The secret she was hiding in a horrible society? Loved. The middle of the story? Began to lose interestquickly. The end? Finally what I’d been waiting for. Now, see, call me stupid (again), but I really, really trusted the reviews. When I see someone say they were on the edge of their seat the entire time I guess I envisioned a ton of action and peril and fighting aaaaaannddd….that was minimal, at best. There was deception, which I loved, but then hardly any action to follow these new found errors in people’s demeanor. I kinda thought that was the whole point of their society? If you are deceptive, there is punishment or pain….yeah? Clearly I went in with my eyes wide open and I really needed to…close them a bit. Because when it came down to it, not that much happened. Sorry, but there it is-my glaring problem with the story.

My dragon was the Keeper of Truth. The irony made me shift in my chair.

I suppose, aside from lack of action, my other problem was the replacing of action with dialogue. Dialogue and more dialogue and more more more talking. Jeeeeezzzz, just…I don’t know. I had to skim quite a bit. And, okay, call me (again) stupid, because I know their culture and how harsh they are, but when View Spoiler » it really pissed me off and sickened me. I knew stuff like that could happen, but, when it actually happened I was just totally turned off by it. It’s like, you don’t take that action the whole story and then it happens in that particular fashion??? Sickening. And, sadly, that’s probably quite common.

“Are you frightened now?”
I nodded, shame flushing my skin.
“Is it going to stop you?”
“No.”
“That is the courage of a warrior.”

Now, I must say, generally if I don’t love or connect with a book I don’t continue onto the next book. But. But. I really liked Eona. I loved her, in fact. I also really enjoyed the Prince (when he was in it). There is more action and peril to come (again, trusting those dastardly reviews) and, *GASP*, romaaaannnccceee….so I will continue on. And I think that says something, the fact that I want to finish the series. I liked it just enough and have went through the same thing with other series, so I know there’s a chance I just might fall in love with the next book…and I sure hope that happens.

BOOK REVIEW – Rebel Belle (Rebel Belle #1) by Rachel Hawkins

BOOK REVIEW – Rebel Belle (Rebel Belle #1) by Rachel HawkinsRebel Belle (Rebel Belle #1)
by Rachel Hawkins
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts. Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him--and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

Review:

This book was just what I needed! It seems like the last few books I’ve read are overly emotional or had me holding my breath because I was scared for what was going to come next. I was in need of an easy read that was going to make me giggle and smile and that’s exactly what Rebel Belle gave me! While I definitely didn’t feel everything the main character felt – such as being nervous during times of danger – it didn’t bother me. Usually that is a huge sign implying I’m not a fan of the book because I’m not connecting with the main character but that was not the case in this book. Rebel Belle was so entertaining, constantly had me smirking, Harper and David were great characters and I liked how the story progressed, so the fact that I didn’t connect with Harper didn’t bother me in the least!

All superheroes have origin stories, like how Bruce Wayne’s parents get killed and he goes to Tibet or whatever, and Superman is an alien, and Spider-Man had that radioactive spider. Me? I kissed a janitor in the school bathroom.

I adored Harper Jane Prince. Watching the events unfold through Harper’s eyes is a blast and amusing. She reminded me so much of Cher from Clueless and that made me like her that much more. Harper is a little obsessed with her image – making sure she looks super cute each day, getting great grades, dating the hottest guy in school and being the head of almost every organization known to man. Then when the bathroom scene from the above quote happens all of her plans for her life get thrown up in the air and she is left struggling with how to proceed from there. She gets stuck spending more and more time with David Stark and that in and of itself is hilarious!

David scowled at me over the rims of his ridiculous hipster glasses – the kind with the thick black rims. I hate those. I mean, it’s the twenty-first century. There are fashionable options for eyewear.

David Stark is the nerdy but kinda hot guy. His attire was entertaining to visualize and he is so sweet, innocent and a tad bit bratty that you don’t know if you want to pinch his cheeks or kick him upside the head. He is insanely smart and he’s constantly giving Harper a run for her money to become Valedictorian. Those aren’t the only strikes he has against him. He seems to know how to get under Harper’s skin and it doesn’t help that the two of them have been bickering since Kindergarten. They had this innate way to make me feel like a High Schooler all over again and that I was knee-deep in the middle of their drama.

I didn’t knee him in the groin, although I didn’t rule that move out. Instead I…ugh, this is so embarrassing. I head-butted him. I know, like a soccer hooligan or something.

The other characters in the book either created a meh, like or hate emotion from me. MB was one of those girls that you just love to hate. That girl drove me crazy and unfortunately we’ll probably be seeing more of her in the future books. Overall, I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would. It was such a cute, sweet, easy read and I enjoyed being in Harper’s life.  While I originally thought I’d continue the series, not connecting with Harper has made me second guess that decision.  I think I’ll pass on finishing the remaining books on Rebel Belle but I hope you enjoy them if you continue on!

BOOK REVIEW – The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1) by Julie Kagawa

BOOK REVIEW – The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1) by Julie KagawaThe Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1)
by Julie Kagawa
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

Review:

***Spoilers if you haven’t read The Iron Fey Series***

I’m not going to lie, one of the main reasons I wanted to read this book was so I could catch glimpses of Ash. Pathetic? Umm yes! Unfortunately, I didn’t get my fill of Ash because he is only in a snippet here and a snippet there BUT I did enjoy Ethan and his journey. I enjoyed being in Ethan’s head, watching Kenzie try to wiggle her way into Ethan’s life, meeting Keirran who is Meghan and Ash’s son and seeing what our old favorite characters are up to. It was thoroughly entertaining, made me smile and laugh and I’m interested to see where this series goes.

“And…you blame them for taking her away. That’s why you hate them.” My throat felt suspiciously tight. I swallowed hard to open it. “No,” I growled, clenching my fist against the windowsill. “I blame her.”

Ethan is definitely not the sweet little boy we all adored and remembered from The Iron King. He has morphed into a bad boy who is VERY angry and bitter at the world. He is angry at the fey for making his life a living hell, angry at Meghan for abandoning them and angry at Ash for being the one to take his sister away. He loathes the fey and while he tries everything in his power to keep them at bay, fate unfortunately has other plans for him and he slowly becomes inundated in their world. He’s definitely not Ash but I adore Ethan and who knew that knife wielding skills could be so unbelievably sexy?!

I’d never met someone who could he so relentlessly cheerful in the face of such blatant jack-assery.

And then we have Kenzie, ohhh Kenzie. Girls that are overly cheerful usually drive me crazy but shockingly Kenzie didn’t make me want to strangle her. She is happy go lucky, doesn’t back down, is utterly relentless and sometimes says and acts in strange ways but she is so endearing. She is the breath of fresh air that Ethan desperately needs and as I became attached to her I was rooting for Ethan to fall for her also. Kenzie and Ethan’s interactions didn’t make me all giggly or fall all over myself like Meghan and Ash did but again it was still entertaining and I enjoyed it. My only qualm about their interactions is the nickname Kenzie uses for Ethan. ‘Touch Guy’ just sounds so ummm lame lol. It annoyed me every time Kenzie used it and it reminded me of being annoyed every time Puck would call Meghan “Princess’. Ugh.

For a second, I couldn’t look away. My heartbeat picked up, and my mouth was suddenly dry, watching the girl in the center of the winking cloud, smiling as the tiny lights landed in her hair or perched on her arm. She was beautiful.

We also get to meet Keirran who is the son of Meghan and Ash. Strangely, I’m left with an unknown feeling when it comes to him. He made me smile, he is just as loyal as his dad but at the end of the day I feel as though my knowledge of the supposed future tainted my view of him. The last interaction with him was off somehow and although I have some speculations I still don’t know what to think of him. Only time will tell.

I knew that if I remembered anything about this night, it would be this moment, right now. With Kenzie less than a breath away, the moonlight spilling down on her as she danced, graceful as any faery.

Overall, this book has great characters, lots of action, and conversation and situations that will make you smile and laugh. I loved getting to see so many of the old characters we cherished in The Iron Fey. I wanted to see MORE of them but I understand this is Ethan’s journey, not theirs. While I didn’t love this book, like I did The Iron Fey, I still enjoyed it and can’t wait to see where Ethan and his friends go.

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
the iron king julie kagawa
The Iron King #1
Reviews:
Jen
Chelsea
Anna
winter's passage julie kagawa
Winter's Passage #1.5
Reviews:
Jen

Chelsea
the iron daughter julie kagawa
The Iron Daughter #2
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
Anna
the iron queen julie kagawa
The Iron Queen
#3

Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
summer's crossing iron fey novella julie kagawa
Summer's Crossing #3.5
the iron knight julie kagawa
The Iron Knight #4
Reviews:

Chelsea
iron's prophecy julie kagawa
Iron's Prophecy #4.5
Reviews:

Chelsea
the lost prince julie kagawa
The Lost Prince: Call of the Forgotten #1
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
the iron traitor julie kagawa the iron fey
The Iron Traitor:Call of the Forgotten #2
the iron warrior julie kagawa the iron fey
The Iron Warrior:Call of the Forgotten #3

BOOK REVIEW – The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa

BOOK REVIEW – The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3) by Julie KagawaThe Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3)
by Julie Kagawa
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

Review:

I laughed, I cried and I even clapped out loud and I’m not a clapper while reading, or so I thought. I loved this book! I can’t believe how much this series just keeps getting better and better. The love and history between the characters, the action that makes you read faster and faster, the new characters we are introduced to that integrate seamlessly into the story-line, and the development of the story all make for a magical book.

Summer and Winter were supposed to be enemies. We were not supposed to cooperate, we were not supposed to go on quests together and, most important, we were not supposed to fall in love.

Meghan and Ash have been exiled from the Nevernever. They chose love over their loyalty to their courts and because of this they have been banished to the mortal realm. While they are returning to Meghan’s home, to see her family, the Iron fae intervene. They try to capture Meghan to bring her back to the false king of the Iron Kingdom. Meghan realizes she can’t sacrifice her family’s safety and that she will never truly be free until she faces the false Iron king. She becomes resonate that she needs to destroy the false king so she can finally start to live her life. The journey they embark on is even more eventful then their other journeys in the past. The faery fates lay in Meghan’s hands and regardless of what happens nothing will ever be the same again.

He sighed, framing my face with his hands. “My life…everything I am…belongs to you.”

It’s hard to imagine I know BUT Ash is even more magnificent in this book. Meghan has fully melted his ice facade and we get to see ALL of him. He’s sarcastic, heartfelt, protective, loyal, trust worthy and he knows in his heart that his world and future are Meghan. Ash’s heart still bleeds from past events but with the help of Meghan’s love he is trying to overcome it.

Despite everything I felt and the crazy emotions churning inside me, it all came back to him.

Meghan grows up so much in this book. She realizes what her duties are and she gives her all and then some. She speaks her mind and doesn’t allow anyone, no matter their rank, to walk over herself or the ones she loves. She is strong, determined, and a force to be reckoned with. She is the epitome of who you want to read about if you love a take charge, kick-butt female lead!

Gods forgive me if I was being selfish, but I wanted nothing more than to stay with him forever.

One of things that I love about this series is that each character we know and are introduced to is so unique. Their personalities, their words and their actions are SO each their own. Each one stands out by themselves and each one ads so much to the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the constant reappearance of Grim and I enjoyed two newcomers that really stood out, Razor and Glitch.

I understood. This was my fate, my destiny. I knew what had to be done.

I always know that I’ve fallen for a book when I think about the characters long after the book is over. I’m shocked that this series will now be lumped in with my favorite books especially since the first book was so mundane. Now on to finding out what happens next!

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
the iron king julie kagawa
The Iron King #1
Reviews:
Jen
Chelsea
Anna
winter's passage julie kagawa
Winter's Passage #1.5
Reviews:
Jen

Chelsea
the iron daughter julie kagawa
The Iron Daughter #2
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
Anna
the iron queen julie kagawa
The Iron Queen
#3

Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
summer's crossing iron fey novella julie kagawa
Summer's Crossing #3.5
the iron knight julie kagawa
The Iron Knight #4
Reviews:

Chelsea
iron's prophecy julie kagawa
Iron's Prophecy #4.5
Reviews:

Chelsea
the lost prince julie kagawa
The Lost Prince: Call of the Forgotten #1
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
the iron traitor julie kagawa the iron fey
The Iron Traitor:Call of the Forgotten #2
the iron warrior julie kagawa the iron fey
The Iron Warrior:Call of the Forgotten #3

BOOK REVIEW – The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa

BOOK REVIEW – The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) by Julie KagawaThe Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2)
by Julie Kagawa
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Review:

I have fallen in love with The Iron Fey! I was swept away in the story and found myself becoming even more attached to Meghan and Ash and what the future had in store for them.

No matter how much I wanted a normal life, there would be a part of me that longed for this world, for the magic and wonder of it. It had seeped into my soul and shown me things I’d never thought existed. I couldn’t be normal and ignorant ever again, knowing what was out there.

Meghan has honored her end of the bargain and followed Ash to the Unseely court. She is now being held as a prisoner by Queen Mab while Ash is out searching their territory for the supposed Iron Fey. Meghan’s world gets turned upside down when Ash returns. The man she loves treats her as though she doesn’t even deserve the ability to look at him let alone speak to him. With each hurtful remark and cold stare Meghan’s heart breaks more and more. From here the story becomes even more captivating! I do not want to go into the book further than this but I’m happy to say that I had a hunch where the story was going to go from here and I was thrilled it panned out how I thought it would!

Even if I turned ninety, lost my mind and forgot everything else, the memory of the Winter prince would be a shining beacon that would never fade.

I love Meghan so much. She is strong, determined, and fierce. At the same time, she is alarmed by everything that is going on around her – whether it is the creatures that Mab is tormenting for ages or her concern if Puck will ever come back to her or her fear on whether Ash can break the stronghold the Iron Queen has on him. Her decisions and actions are admirable and I loved being in her head! There was only one part where I wanted to shake herView Spoiler », but I’m going to blame that madness on all of the stress she was under.

View Spoiler »

I love, love, love Ash. We get to fully understand the court he came from and why he is the way he is, which is heartbreaking. His struggle to become more than what the law states he is allowed to be seems even more dire now than ever before. Even when he was being the world’s biggest douche, my loyalty to him never faltered because I kept holding out hope that he would eventually let Meghan in all the way.

View Spoiler »

The end of this book was everything I wanted it to be! It was honestly ridiculous how emotional I was over the last 8 pages of this book! This series just keeps getting better and better!

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
the iron king julie kagawa
The Iron King #1
Reviews:
Jen
Chelsea
Anna
winter's passage julie kagawa
Winter's Passage #1.5
Reviews:
Jen

Chelsea
the iron daughter julie kagawa
The Iron Daughter #2
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
Anna
the iron queen julie kagawa
The Iron Queen
#3

Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
summer's crossing iron fey novella julie kagawa
Summer's Crossing #3.5
the iron knight julie kagawa
The Iron Knight #4
Reviews:

Chelsea
iron's prophecy julie kagawa
Iron's Prophecy #4.5
Reviews:

Chelsea
the lost prince julie kagawa
The Lost Prince: Call of the Forgotten #1
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
the iron traitor julie kagawa the iron fey
The Iron Traitor:Call of the Forgotten #2
the iron warrior julie kagawa the iron fey
The Iron Warrior:Call of the Forgotten #3
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