Tag: young adult fantasy

Book Review: Rule of Wolves (King of Scars #2) by Leigh Bardugo

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 592 pages
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Orion
Release Date: March 30th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant #1 New York Times-bestselling King of Scars Duology.

The Demon King. As Fjerda’s massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king’s gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.

AMAZING CONCLUSION.

WOW. This book was fantastic!! I didn’t know how things were going to shake out and I felt like everything wrapped up beautifully (and left the perfect opening for SIX OF CROWS 3).

“Because I am greedy for the sight of you. Because the prospect of facing this war, this loss, without you fills me with fear. Because I find I don’t want to fight for a future if I can’t find a way to make a future with you.”

I LOVE Nikolai and Zoya. LOVE THEM. The only thing I could have asked for in this book was more romance. I wanted it allllll. I love Nikolai and his banter (it only got better, I couldn’t help but laugh). His strength and ability to see himself and the things he wants and needs for his country. I love Zoya and her resilient nature. Coming to terms with all before her and making the ulitmate decision in the end. WHAT A QUEEN. I don’t think any of this could have gone any better.

I also liked Nina’s story line much more in RoW compared to KoS. I got to see some real development between her and Hanne. I love the roles both of them played and how they took Fjerda into their own hands. It was STELLAR.

“His life had been stolen from him, and Matthias had never had the chance to find his own purpose. I served it, my love. I protected you. To the very end.”

The twists towards the end how things worked out with the Darkling was nothing I imagined, and yet exactly what this duology needed. I loooooved this ending and wrap-up. I had my answers, my sweet moments, plenty of hopefulness and this gorgeous writing accomplished it all.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses & make-outs
  • Violence: battles, skirmishes, physical altercations, magical weaponry, magical creatures

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Book Review: The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus #2) by Rick Riordan

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Urban Fantasy / Mythology
Length: 513 pages
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Books
Release Date: October 4th, 2011
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

PERCY IS CONFUSED. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn’t know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn’t ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth.

HAZEL IS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD. When she lived before, she didn’t do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem—when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her “gift” for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn’t say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wishes she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.

FRANK IS A KLUTZ. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn’t see it. He doesn’t even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery—although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially in front of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely—enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the “other” camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.

GLAD TO SEE PERCY.

A good read! That’s how I feel about these books. I don’t want to shout at everyone that they need to read them now, but I also enjoy the ease of the writing and story. I love the characters and am excited that this one still includes some of my favorites from the original series.

It’s a bit of a slow start because it felt like a rehashing of what essentially happened to Jason in book one. After that point things picked up and I loved the additions of Frank and Hazel!

I remember chuckling a few times whenever new gods, muses and other mythological characters arrived. I love the antics and banter that come about. It’s definitely humorous and fits the younger crowd these books initally are set for. I feel like I don’t have a lot to say (like I mentioned at the beginning). This was a good one, needed more, but still would like to continue the series.

Overall audience notes:

  • MG/YA Urban Fantasy / Mythology
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: skirmishes, battles, attempted murder
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones (including parents), amnesia

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Book Review: Dark of the West (Glass Alliance #1) by Joanna Hathaway

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Rating: ☆☆ ☆☆
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 480 pages
Author: Joanna Hathaway
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: February 5th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He was raised in revolution. She was raised in a palace. Can their love stop a war? Code Name Verity meets The Winner’s Curse in Joanna Hathaway’s Dark of the West, a breathtaking YA fantasy debut.

Aurelia Isendare is a princess of a small kingdom in the North, raised in privilege but shielded from politics as her brother prepares to step up to the throne. Halfway around the world, Athan Dakar, the youngest son of a ruthless general, is a fighter pilot longing for a life away from the front lines. When Athan’s mother is shot and killed, his father is convinced it’s the work of his old rival, the Queen of Etania—Aurelia’s mother. Determined to avenge his wife’s murder, he devises a plot to overthrow the Queen, a plot which sends Athan undercover to Etania to gain intel from her children.

Athan’s mission becomes complicated when he finds himself falling for the girl he’s been tasked with spying upon. Aurelia feels the same attraction, all the while desperately seeking to stop the war threatening to break between the Southern territory and the old Northern kingdoms that control it—a war in which Athan’s father is determined to play a role. As diplomatic ties manage to just barely hold, the two teens struggle to remain loyal to their families and each other as they learn that war is not as black and white as they’ve been raised to believe.

HERE FOR THIS.

What a great start to a series. I’m glad I picked this one up, and enjoyed it as an audio version too!

I’ve heard this had some World War vibes and I can definitely see that. It was really interesting to match that up with a fantasy world (but with no magic). My only issue was that the world was a bit confusing. I had a hard time remembering which nation was which and who was mad at who. By the end that was mostly cleared up, but I’m hopeful that book two expounds further.

I also want to mention that I’ve seen some comparison to The Winner’s Curse (which is one of my favorite series FORRRREVERRRRR) and I can see some semblance. Competing nations, forbidden romance, a princess. So yes, if you enjoye that series, I’d give this one a try.

Smitten with the romance. I was worried there would be some insta-love based off of how the plot was rolling, BUT ALAS, there was not. Just some genuine attraction and burgeoning feelings. I love that Aurelia and Athan wrote letters to each other. It made the fact that they were in different locations not seem as big of an issue since I still got those connections over the letters.

I’m genuinely thrilled to see where this goes. There’s a lot here. Plenty of things to still happen. I love the action and pacing of this first book.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy romance
  • Language: some
  • Romance: kiss
  • Violence: airplane battles (and crashes), physical altercations, gun violence
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a parent, depictions of wartime

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Book Review: Blood Sworn (Ashlords #2) by Scott Reintgen

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 400 pages
Author: Scott Reintgen
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 16th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Three cultures clash in all out war–against each other and against the gods–in the second book of this fantasy duology that’s sure to capture fans of The Hunger Games and An Ember in the Ashes.

The Races are over. War has begun.

Ashlord and Longhand armies battle for control of the Empire as Dividian rebels do their best to survive the crossfire. This is no longer a game. It’s life or death.

Adrian, Pippa, and Imelda each came out of the Races with questions about their role in the ongoing feud. The deeper they dig, the clearer it is that the hatred between their peoples has an origin point: the gods.

Their secrets are long-buried, but one disgruntled deity is ready to unveil the truth. Every whisper leads back to the underworld. What are the gods hiding there? As the sands of the Empire shift, these heroes will do everything they can to aim their people at the true enemy. But is it already too late?

I’M HERE FOR THE COVER.

Shamelessly read this duology based off of the covers because they’re GORGEOUS. Yes yes, I’ll also discuss the book too.

This one surprised me! Based off of how Ashlords went down I was imagining many scenaries for book two. And pretty much none of those happened. Blood Sworn turned in a different direction and plot then expected. I was confused at first if I was going to like it, but by the end was happy with how things worked out.

I love the multiple POV’s here. Getting an angle from each different group in the empire. This is a HIGH action book where every chapter something is going on. Whether fighting gods, kinsmen, or arguing over how to save the world. I really enjoyed this on audio and was able to keep pace with everything happening.

The romance was a bit of a let down. If you’re going to add it then it needs more than a few pages in the entire series dedicated to it. Otherwise the focus could be placed in other ways. It was cute at the end seeing some HEAs. Even if I wanted to see more of their connections throughout.

This duology wrapped up well. I don’t remember any specific things that were left too open-ended. Those got what was coming to them, and things seemed to be looking up at the end.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult fantasy
  • Language: some
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: skirmishes, battles, war, murder

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