Author: GoodeyReads

The Demon King (Seven Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Young adult, no language, violence, lots of kissing
Length: 506 pages
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: Hyperion
Release Date: October 6th, 2009
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for his family. The only thing of value he has is something he can’t sell—the thick silver cuffs he’s worn since birth. They’re clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he’s never been able to get them off.

One day, Han and his clan friend, Dancer, confront three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to keep him from using it against them. Soon Han learns that the amulet has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Raisa ana’Marianna, princess heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She’s just returned to court after three years of freedom in the mountains—riding, hunting, and working the famous clan markets. Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But her mother has other plans for her…

The Seven Realms tremble when the lives of Hans and Raisa collide, fanning the flames of the smoldering war between clans and wizards.

WHY HAVEN’T I HEARD OF THIS SERIES TIL NOW?!

Y’all I was loving everything this book was putting out. It did begin slow and dragged through some sections, but the tale it set up for the next three books…I am SO EXCITED. 

Raisa is a strong female character who is the sassy princess heir I need. She is a lover of flirting with the boys, but who can blame her? Got some endgame choices to decide upon. I love that she refuses to set aside her ideals to be a better Queen and refusing to marry “just because”.  Raisa holds her own and is a smart fun character to watch.

I have a soft spot of reformed characters. Han gives the story some edge, but his heart is in the right place. His sections do drag more than Raisa’s, but his story line built over time. The plot twists involving Hanson did surprise me. I had surmised most information, but now I’m wondering where this all ends.

Raisa and Han are endgame though…right? If not, I have already chosen wrong which may affect my view points later on, we’ll see. They’re quite a few suitors (on both sides) that haven’t formed defined love triangles, so I’m still on board. Though, I do love Amon. He’s a precious cinnamon roll who I want love forever. DON’T BETRAY ME AMON. BUT ALSO, FIND HAPPINESS PLEASE. K, thanks.

This story progressively gets faster and more convoluted. The side characters are throwing so much into the mix that I’m sitting here debating who’s good, bad, or just in the book for fun. 

It was somewhat silly that these kids are 16-ish and so grown-up. Han was a previous streetlord, Raisa is taking on tasks befitting someone older, and is already trying to be married off. And the same goes for side characters. Though, the world is built in the concept of children as adults, so it’s not glaring if you’re okay with that concept. 

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult fantasy
  • No language
  • Handful of kisses, nothing more
  • Violence (burnings, knives, pummelings, magic)

Review: A Sorrow Fierce and Falling (Kingdom on Fire #3) by Jessica Cluess

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Rating: some intdeterminate number between 3 & 4
Audience: Young adult, no language, violence, a quad-love
Length: 432 pages
Author: Jessica Cluess
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: October 16th, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It’s time for war.

After suffering terrible losses, Henrietta and Lord Blackwood have led their warriors to Sorrow-Fell, a vast estate where only those invited by a Blackwood may enter–and the ideal place to plan a final assault against the Ancients.

It’s time for a wedding.

Henrietta nervously awaits her marriage to Blackwood, but when the ritual to become his bride reveals a dark secret, she realizes that Sorrow-Fell is not a safe haven; it’s a trap. Convincing the sorcerers of this, however, is not easy. So with Maria, the true chosen one, and Magnus, the young man who once stole her heart, at her side, Henrietta plots a dangerous journey straight into the enemy’s lair. Some will live. Some will die. All will be tested.

In this stunning conclusion to the Kingdom on Fire series, Henrietta must choose between the love from her past, the love from her present, and a love that could define her future. While battles rage, the fate of the kingdom rests on her decision: Will she fall or rise up to become the woman who saves the realm?

It’s time for Henrietta to make her stand.

I’M AS INDECISIVE AS HENRIETTA AT THIS POINT.

I think it’s been a long time since I have been so razzled on what my rating should be (and how the review should go) as a whole. I ended up deciding to have an indeterminate number because depending on the day my opinion seems to change. I have so many thoughts over this book.  [If you’ve read this, comment/send e-mail! I’m curious what you thought of it].

First of all, I’ve probably mentioned this before…I rarely ever enjoy a love triangle; it’s probably my most hated trope. And in this case, it was a love…square? I think that’s what we’re calling it. This will be better as a list:

  • Rook — I never liked him honestly, felt he should have been a best friend, never even considered as a lover. He deserved SO MUCH MORE than he got in this book and his portions felt rushed to move the plot and Henrietta’s story along. Some pieces were meant to evoke emotion…but since I didn’t care for him anyways…I really wasn’t disappointed in what happened.
  • Blackwood — He also got the short straw in how his character behaved. I really loved him in the first two books! He’s been my endgame with Henrietta from literally book one. Then in this third book he became more than a “broody Mr. Darcy” type. He leaned towards villain and did things that I didn’t appreciate at all. By the end, I purely felt bad for him. Since he wasn’t in a good section of the book, it yet again felt hurried when he came in to settle things that I became cranky over it.
  • Magnus — the saint of boys…apparently. I’ve really come to enjoy his character over the series too. Sadly, he was a bit bland and never did anything wrong in this book. All past issues forgotten, he’s a man now *shrugs*. His portions with Hen are sweet, and I get it. I think this entire thing could have played out better.
  • Henrietta — because of all said above hills and valleys of the boys she loves because “each kind of love is different”, it really drove Hen’s personality into the ground. She was flighty and non-committal a hundred times over. I’m totally cool with a book presenting that a first love isn’t a true love, but it needs spacing. I [as well as she] need time to accept that first love for what it was THEN move on. Not hop, skip, and run to whoever was showing her the best affection at the time.

There were some twists in this book, THAT WERE SO COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. Alright, I’m really referring to one I am struggling to accept as a good piece of the story, but there were a few others that weren’t fun either okay? I saw them as a push to complete character arcs that had already burned to ashes in the first place, and adding such tid-bits only frazzled me more.

Note for the entire book: THE CHOSEN ONE DIDN’T DO A DANG THING. [also, if I heard one more character say that…] Y’all we’ve been learning about her for three books. And when it all came down to it, she was there, and did some stuff, but nothing “the chosen one” status. 

I felt like I was reading a hodge-podge of about a hundred different books I’ve read just this year. If you’re paying attention they’re so many elements that are in other current YA series that were thrown in here all willy-nilly!? Nothing was fleshed out because so much crap was added that they were only in the book for a page at best.

Now my ranting may seem like I hated it. Yet, in this weird way that I can’t figure out, it’s what made it a decent book too. The writing is pretty and the concept is different. The overall execution was a whole other story (see all paragraphs before this). I really think most people with LOVE it or HATE it.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult, Victorian-era fantasy/historical fiction
  • No language (a feminine derogatory comment is made though)
  • Violence (mostly in the forms of magic; fire, wind, etc.)
  • One love scene, a little descriptive; some kisses and plenty of declarations of love for everyone

Review: The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

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Rating: ☆☆☆.5
Audience: Young adult, some language, love scene/kissing, very little violence
Length: 310 pages
Author: Shea Ernshaw
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: March 6th, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

I AM A BAG OF MIXED EMOTIONS.

I’m not sure how I feel. On the one hand, yes, solid ending, made sense, okay cool. On the other hand…no, not quite what I was going for, am I happy about this? I’m not sure. I think I’m satisfied?

The writing, world-building and folklore surrounding Sparrow was unique. I liked the the way the current Sparrow flowed with the town 200 years ago. While totally unfortunate this secluded location is still swamped in the Swan Sisters, it made for a good story.

It’s a quick read that kept me busy. I did see the plot twist from about ten miles away, but that didn’t deter me. Instead, I was enough in the dark about the resolve of the story as a whole I surged on to the finale.

Marguerite, Aurora, and Hazel [the Swan Sisters] are really the main characters. They have clear personalities and a bond that you couldn’t help but understand. Hazel broke my heart a few times over with her personal struggles. The story flashes backward every few chapters tying in the modern tale with how the girls became who they are today. Everything fit in smoothly and I never felt lost.

I did struggle with the twist because there was such a repetitive “everything is a secret, I can’t spill my secret” nature. It would have come off better in my opinion to actually be a little more blind-sided (thus, upping the mystery factor). I started getting frustrated that Bo and Penny wouldn’t just talk to each other. Not everything has to be hidden!

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult fantasy/paranormal [witches], but set in contemporary Oregon
  • A love scene or two that are very glossed over, not descriptive; some kissing, etc.
  • Some expletive language
  • Minor violence (drownings)

Review: Smoke and Iron (The Great Library #4) by Rachel Caine

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5
Audience: Young adult, violence, a kiss or two, very little language
Length: 430 pages
Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: Berkley Books
Release Date: July 3rd, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY: 

To save the Great Library, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone, Paper and Fire, and Ash and Quill put themselves in danger in the next thrilling adventure in the New York Timesbestselling series.

The opening moves of a deadly game have begun. Jess Brightwell has put himself in direct peril, with only his wits and skill to aid him in a game of cat and mouse with the Archivist Magister of the Great Library. With the world catching fire, and words printed on paper the spark that lights rebellion, it falls to smugglers, thieves, and scholars to save a library thousands of years in the making…if they can stay alive long enough to outwit their enemies.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

HOT DANG, THAT WAS A GOOD BOOK.

I’m so glad I’ve been continuing to read this series, this installment was the best one yet! I mean, heartbreaking and anger fueled, but really good.

I love Jess. He is such a great character. I can’t get enough of his sarcastic self. And all of his wielding and dealings keep me on my toes. His relationship with Morgan is still a toss-up in my mind. The amount of time they’ve spent together is real minuscule compared to the feelings they have for each other.

On the other hand, Wolfe and Santi have allllll my love. They are so precious. And getting Wolfe’s POV just added to it!! I love how fiercely loyal they are to each other and how that makes their relationship even stronger. I hope they at least come out at the end of the series actually having a chance for some quiet time and to be together.

 Also, also, KHALILA. A strong, diverse, genuinely kind woman This whole book is filled with diverse characters of all backgrounds. I feel like Caine did such a good job combining everyone together. There’s different religions, races, appearances, etc. It creates a truly universal book.

We got the chance to hear this from Jess, Morgan, Wolfe and Khalila (plus a few others in the last chapter). This increased the amount of action and the pacing. I thought it went a lot smoother than the other books because of this. The squad was broken up into different locations and this kept plot holes from being a mile wide.

My heart definitely shattered with the ending. I have no idea where this will take us in what [I think] is the last book. Can’t wait!

Overall audiences notes:
— Young adult sci-fi/dystopian
— Very little language
— Violence (guns, torture, physical, knives)
— Some declarations of love, and a handful of kisses