Tag: Young Adult (Page 95 of 159)

Synopsis:

In the action-packed sequel to Rebel Wing, Aris battles for life and love . . . and not everyone will survive.

Aris Haan gave up everything to join the Atalantan Military: her family, her boyfriend, even her identity. In the end, though, it didn’t matter that she was a war hero. When the all-male Military discovered that she was actually a woman, she was sent home and erased from history.

Now she has a chance to go back to the battlefield—as herself. But as hard as it was to be a soldier in disguise, it’s even more difficult now. The men in her unit undermine her at every turn. The Safaran army has spies everywhere, perhaps even on Aris’s stationpoint. And she’s falling for her mysterious superior officer, Milek. But their relationship is forbidden, just stolen moments between training sessions and missions. There’s no room for love in war.

Then Aris discovers that Safara’s leaders have set their sights on her, Atalanta’s hero. And she must find them before they find her . . .

Review:

*Spoilers for Rebel Wing #1*

Storm Fall was an action packed, fast-paced sequel that had me flying through the story.  Again, we find ourselves in a world that is easy to visualize, with characters that pop off of the pages.  And all of that is surrounded by war, love, fighting, friendships, sacrifice and hope.  This sequel was so much fun, and I can’t wait to see how this series ends.

“I’d rather die fighting for my dominion than sit at home watching it burn.”

With Aris back at her parent’s home, she is trying to work through the courage to fly again.   Flying was once something she loved with her whole heart, yet now it’s shrouded by the horrors she faced while at war.  But after a visit from Major Milek Vadim, that was just the push she needed.  But upon rejoining her unit, military life has become vastly different since she is now herself, as a female.  She is sexually harassed and so many times I wanted to reach my hands into the book and punch the asshole that was tormenting her.  Yet there’s many reasons why I love Aris, and one of them is that she is tough as nails.  She tried her hardest to rise above their sexism and hatred and show them that she deserved to be there just as much, if not more, then they did!  Her first flight into a war scene was epic!

“I keep trying to remind myself you’re my superior officer, that nothing could ever happen between us, and then you look at me like . . . like you care, too. And you talk to me, all gentle understanding, and I . . . I—”
Milek pulled free of her grip, grabbed her face with both hands, and kissed her.

Definitely one of my favorite aspects about this series is the relationships that unfold.  Especially the one between Aris and Milek.  Both are so deserving of something good in their lives, when so many things around them are tragic.  And I am so happy that I can finally talk about how I fell madly in love with Milek in the Rebel Wing!  Especially the cave scene, he’s so sexy, tough and charming without even trying.  And in Storm Fall, he becomes a force to be reckoned with!  I respected how he treated everyone, especially when he put people in their place.  But most importantly, I respected how he treated Aris.  He has such a huge heart and the decisions he made were admirable and warmed my heart.

Specialist Contas’s eyes wandered along her body, his hands clenched at his sides. “The kind of dress you can rip right off.”
Aris stood, drawing herself to her full height, aware of Dysis moving behind her. “You need to walk away. Now, Specialist.”
“Or what? I’m on a transjet out of here tomorrow, thanks to you.” His handsome face twisted. “You can’t touch me, bitch.”
Dysis stepped forward. “You’re right. She’s too polite.” She grinned, adding, “But I’m not” as she punched him in the face.

Another one of my favorite relationships in this book was between Aris and Dysis.  Dysis was Aris’ bunkmate who also disguised herself as a man in Rebel Wing.  So I am beyond ecstatic that we get to see this true friendship again.  This is how female relationships should be written!  Dysis and Aris’ friendship was strong, honest, and they loved and protected each other.  It warmed my heart seeing it flow throughout the pages.

Like Rebel Wing, we find ourselves following many different people throughout the story, where Aris is still the main lead.  And while it makes a well-rounded story, there were some situations where it made me pause.  For example, there were moments that I also wanted to be with Aris and Milek, when instead we were with Dysis.  And here is where I get a little lost because I still wanted that scene with Dysis.  Yet I wanted a little bit more of Aris during those times too.  A few of those situations flitted throughout the story, and while I was happy to be reading what I was, I also wanted to be elsewhere at the same time, which left me a little confused with my feelings.

Against his lips, against her better judgment, she whispered, “Is this allowed?”
“I don’t care.” Milek stroked her cheek with his thumb and kissed her harder.

But thankfully this time around, I never had an issue with names.  Even when old faces made a reappearance.  And I was happily surprised with how much action Aris and her fellow friends found themselves in.  It made for a thrilling ride again and again.  I love when a book finds the perfect harmony of mixing smiles with sweaty palms, and Storm Fall definitely hit it!  So now I’m off to read the final installment, and I can’t wait to see how this group will fare.  Keeping my fingers crossed for enemies defeated and some happily ever afters.  I know it’s war, but a girl can still wish.

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Rebel Wing #1 Review: Jen	Storm Fall #2 Review: Jen	Torn Sky #3 Review: Jen

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Synopsis:

The Dominion of Atalanta is at war. But for eighteen-year-old Aris, the fighting is nothing more than a distant nightmare, something she watches on news vids from the safety of her idyllic seaside town. Then her boyfriend, Calix, is drafted into the Military, and the nightmare becomes a dangerous reality.

Left behind, Aris has nothing to fill her days. Even flying her wingjet--the thing she loves most, aside from Calix--feels meaningless without him by her side. So when she's recruited to be a pilot for an elite search-and-rescue unit, she leaps at the chance, hoping she'll be stationed near Calix. But there's a catch: She must disguise herself as a man named Aristos. There are no women in the Atalantan Military, and there never will be.

Aris gives up everything to find Calix: her home. Her family. Even her identity. But as the war rages on, Aris discovers she's fighting for much more than her relationship. With each injured person she rescues and each violent battle she survives, Aris is becoming a true soldier--and the best flyer in the Atalantan Military. She's determined to save her Dominion . . . or die trying.

Review:

Rebel Wing was spellbinding, intricately crafted, and I became completely addicted.  A rich picture of countries at war was painted, and I found myself being pulled in by the moments of hope, betrayal, torture, alliances, and friendships.  While the twists that played out where surprising or hopefully expected, they had me jumping up and down!  And don’t even get me started on the dangerous butterflies that danced around in my stomach.  I can’t wait to see how the rest of this series proceeds!

But she’d never given up, never backed away from a challenge.
Aris straightened her shoulders.
And I won’t this time either.

As the story unfolded, we got to hear the tale in three voices.  While Aris Haan is the main person we follow, the other two are integral for learning the politics and the events surrounding the war.  Usually I’m not a huge fan of multiple perspectives, unless it’s a couple and we hear their alternating voices, but I actually loved the way this story was told.  Being able to see from the town’s people, military, and government views made for such a well-rounded story.  I found myself becoming as invested in the politics and back story as I was in Aris’ life.  The two other people who you’ll follow and won me over are Ward Nekos Pryalus, who is Atalanta’s current leader where Aris resides, and Ward Galena Vadim who is the current leader of the neighboring country Ruslana.

But she wasn’t a hero. She was a romantic. A foolish one, probably, giving up everything for the boy she loved.
But you’re a flyer too, a voice whispered deep inside.

Aris quickly became a favorite heroine of mine.  She takes challenges head on, was tenacious and brave while having a huge heart and I loved that she grows up as the story proceeds.  When we first meet Aris, she laughs off being recruited to fly for war, since women aren’t allowed in the military.  She’s one of the best pilots in her town, yet she truly doesn’t see that as an option until her boyfriend is sent to war.  The boyfriend whom she was supposed to be Promised to.  So she enters the military, disguised as man, in hopes of being able to be closer to her boyfriend.  To be honest, I struggled with Aris giving up everything to be near her boyfriend, Calix Pavlos.  There was so little time of them together that I never felt a connection to their relationship or Aris’ plight.  But have faith, because as the story progressed, things started to click into place.  And the path that was taken was perfection.  I wish I could say more…..

“I don’t care what anyone says. I want to believe things will work out. I’ll be with Calix. You’ll find your brother—”
“We’ll win this war.” Dysis voice was quiet, her face serious.

Another thing that was perfect in my eyes, was the strong female friendship.  Aris meets Dysis down the road, and it was so refreshing to see two women support one another!  They trusted one another, helped each other, and when push came to shove they could count on the other to have their back.  But one aspect I did struggle with was the names.  We got introduced to a lot of characters with unique names in the beginning of Rebel Wing, and it took me to 30% to have a good grasp on the secondary characters.  I am horrible with names at times, so this definitely could be my issue alone.  Also, while the very beginning was a tad slow, it quickly picked up its pace and held for the rest of the book, yay.

Now I am off to start Storm Fall!  I can’t wait to see how all of the pieces fall into place!

*ARC kindly provided by Author via a Facebook Giveaway in exchange for an honest review*

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Rebel Wing #1 Review: Jen	Storm Fall #2 Review: Jen	Torn Sky #3 Review: Jen