Ash and Quill (The Great Library #3), by Rachel Caine – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Alternate History, Fantasy, LGBT Relationships, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available Now

368 Pages

Synopsis: Hoarding all the knowledge in the world, the Great Library jealously guards its secrets. But now a group of rebels poses a dangerous threat to its tyranny…

Jess Brightwell and his band of exiles have fled London, only to find themselves imprisoned in Philadelphia, a city led by those who would rather burn books than submit. But Jess and his friends have a bargaining chip: the knowledge to build a machine that will break the Library’s rule.

Their time is running out. To survive, they’ll have to choose to live or die as one, to take the fight to their enemies–and to save the very soul of the Great Library…

The third installment in the Great Library series, Ash And Quill picks up immediately where Paper And Fire left off. To quickly sum up the mythology of the series: The Great Library of Alexandria exists in this alternate reality. Sadly, this isn’t a good thing. You see, they insist they’re there “to contain the knowledge of the world in the name of the greater good.” What this really means is no one outside of The Library is allowed to possess actual print books. If they want to read they’re given “blanks”, into which stories can be temporarily downloaded. There are all sorts of other rules and restrictions, but the biggest and most serious offense is possession of a real book. It’s not only a serious crime, it’s one that may cost you your life.

This is shaping up to be one of my favorite YA series, which isn’t a huge surprise as I’m a huge fan of Rachel Caine’s previous books. While I found the last book a little slower paced, here the action began on the very first page and never stopped. And what I really liked was that everything that unfolds in this book is obviously setting things up for the last two. 

What truly stands out though are the characters. In the previous two books there were times where I felt somewhat disconnected from Jess and his friends. Here, they literally spring to life. The dynamic between them is wonderful and they each contribute something vitally important to their mission. Although romance understandably takes a backseat in this eventful story, what is there is lovely, whether it’s between Jess and Morgan; Wolfe and Santi; or Dario and Khalila. And best of all, there is no angst and no annoying love triangles!’

The world-building continues to be spectacular and with Jess and his fellow rebels spending a majority of the story with book “Burners” in Philadelphia, you get to see what The Great Library has done in a different light. The ending is a heart-rending cliffhanger and I can’t believe we have to wait an entire year for the next book! I swear this series is going to kill me before it comes to a close! 

Ash And Quill is definitely my favorite of this series thus far. Full of magic, adventure, friendship, and of course–BOOKS!–this is a series not only for teens, but adult book lovers as well, and I really can’t recommend it highly enough! 

 

 

 

Dragon’s Green (Worldquake Sequence #1) by, Scarlett Thomas – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Alternative Fiction, Books, Fantasy, Middle School Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: Available Now

384 Pages

Synopsis: Effie Truelove believes in magic, as does her grandfather Griffin (although he refuses to do any magic, let alone teach Effie how to use it). After a mysterious incident leaves Griffin close to death, Effie is given an unusual silver ring and told she must look after her grandfather’s library of rare and powerful books. But then the books fall into the hands of shady scholar Leonard Levar, and Effie is propelled into the most dangerous adventure of her life.

Now, Effie and her friends–nerdy Maxmillian, rugby-mad Wolf, helpful Lexy, and eccentric Raven–must discover their true powers if they are to get the books back. And Effie alone will have to travel to the Otherworld, she will discover the true meaning of the strange old book called Dragon’s Green…

Dragon’s Green is Scarlett Thomas’s first book written for children, and what a marvelous beginning it is! Effie Truelove is a heroine in the same vein as Harry Potter. She’s courageous, loyal, and determined to do the right thing. But her true strength comes from the support of friends, who are just as well-developed as Effie. They’re an entertaining mix of kids who are always willing to come to each other’s aid. The dialogue between them is clever and funny, which further adds to the enjoyment of the story. The world-building is simply phenomenal. The story is set in an alternative London after a catastrophic earthquake has destroyed the majority of technology and seemingly, magic. You can probably guess from the cover and premise, that books play a central role here, which makes this even more appealing. The only reason why I haven’t given this a perfect 5 star rating, is because except for Effie’s grandfather and Maxmillian’s mother, who both seem to know more than they’re willing to share with our intrepid heroes, most of the adults are at best, uncaring, and at worst absolutely horrible. They’re very reminiscent of the way adults are depicted in Roald Dahl’s books. I was left wishing they were a little more original, but the rest of the story is so wonderful that this is a minor complaint. Dragon’s Green is a fantastic and creative beginning to this new middle grade series, and I highly recommend it to fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. I can’t wait for the next book!

Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault, by Candace Robinson ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Romance, YA Fiction

Thanks to both Candace Robinson and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Today

242 Pages

Synopsis: Some see it…Some don’t…

People in the town of Deer Park, Texas are vanishing. There is a strange museum, known as Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault, that appears overnight. Perrie Madeline’s best friend and ex-boyfriend are among the missing. Perrie, along with her friend August go on a pursuit to search for them in the mysterious museum. Could the elusive Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault have anything to do with their disappearances?

And another fellow blogger makes her mark! If you haven’t checked out Candace’s blog at https://literarydust.wordpress.com please do. You won’t be disappointed! As for Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault it’s a quite a promising debut. The plot is very imaginative and unique. It begins in an ordinary enough way with Perrie dealing with family and romance issues and worrying about college. She’s someone readers can instantly relate to. She can be unforgiving and obstinate, but overall she’s a compassionate and caring person, even when it comes to Neven, her ex-boyfriend who she believes cheated on her. One of my favorite parts of the book is the relationship between Perrie and her quirky cousin Maisie. The girls are inseparable, so when both Maisie and Neven go missing, naturally Perrie is not going to sit back without jumping into the investigation herself. On her dangerous journey she brings her new love interest August. Once they set foot in the sinister museum of the mysterious Quinsey Wolfe, things get crazy very quickly. While the glass exhibits are beautiful, there’s also something deeply disturbing about them, which unfortunately Perrie and August soon discover. I’m not going to go into further details because you really need to read this for yourself. My only two complaints are that I thought some of the scenes were a little too rushed, which I think is the result of the book being too short, and there were some instances where there was more telling rather than showing. Otherwise, I thought this was an absolutely brilliant debut that’s unlike any other YA horror/fantasy that I’ve read. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this for older teens and adults who enjoy this genre and are looking for something different. Seriously guys. You need to read this! It. Is. That. Good! And look at the pretty cover. Doesn’t it just call out to you? The ending is a humdinger of a cliffhanger, so I can’t wait for the second book in this duology which I’m hoping will be a little longer!

True North (True Born Trilogy), by L.E. Sterling – 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

400 Pages

Synopsis: Abandoned by her family in Plague-ridden Dominion City, eighteen-year-old Lucy Fox has no choice but to rely on the kindness of the True Borns, a renegade group of genetically enhanced humans, to save her twin sister, Marot. But Nolan Storm, their mysterious leader, has his own agenda. When Storm backtracks on his promise to rescue Margot, Lucy takes her fate into her own hands and sets off for Russia with her True Born bodyguard and maybe-something-more, the lethal yet beautiful Jared Price. In Russia, there’s been whispered rumors of a Plague Cure.

While Lucy fights her magnetic attraction to Jared, anxious that his loyalty to Storm will hurt her chances of finding her sister, they quickly discover that not all is as it appears…and discovering the secrets contained in the Fox sisters’ blood before they wind up dead is just the beginning.

As they say in Dominion, sometimes it’s not you…it’s your DNA.

I’ve been looking forward to True North since I finished its predecessor, True Born, and although I think it suffers a slight case of the dreaded “sequelitis”, there were still parts I enjoyed. I think my biggest problem was that there just didn’t seem to be as much action in this as there was with the first. After the exciting conclusion in True Born, I assumed that in addiction to more action-packed fight scenes, we’d also get a better picture of Russia and how it differs from Dominion. I was also expecting more information regarding the different societal factions, as well as more revelations about the Fox sisters. While there are some more answers given about Lucy and Margot, they don’t come until near the end, and there is nothing new imparted about the Preachers or the True Borns, which left me a bit frustrated. My last complaint is in regards to Lucy and Jared’s romantic relationship, or rather the lack of one. Jared drove me absolutely up the wall with his hot and cold attitude toward her, and even when he finally explained himself, I just didn’t buy it. He reminded me too much of Edward Cullen in Twilight, (which is a whole other topic for another day). But, there were also some positive aspects to balance the negatives. Lucy, who I really liked in the previous book, continued to grow and find herself here. She was more self-confident and willing to rely on her own instincts even if it meant going against what others were telling her. I have a feeling that she’s truly going to be a force to be reckoned with. There was also a new character named Alistair who I thought was intriguing and likable, and I hope there’s much more about him in the next book. Nolan Storm, the enigmatic leader of the True Borns, came across even more interesting here, and left me wondering what his true motivations are toward Lucy and Margot. Thankfully the action did pick up a little in the second half and the ending was a satisfying set-up for the third book. While True North was a little disappointing, I’m still hopeful that the next book will regain all the excitement that True Born was filled with. 

About the Author:

L.E. Sterling had an early obsession with sci-fi, fantasy and romance to which she remained faithful even through an M.A in Creative Writing and a PhD in English Literature–where she completed a thesis on magical representation. She is the author of two previous novels, the cult hit YA novel The Originals (under pen name L.E. Vollick), dubbed “the Catcher in the Rye of a new generation” by one reviewer, and the urban fantasy Pluto’s Gate. Originally hailing from Parry Sound, Ontario, L.E. spent most of her summers roaming across Canada in a van with her father, a hippie musician, her brothers and an occasional stray mutt–inspiring her writing career. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.

 

 

 

 

 

Castaways – By Jessika Fleck – 4.0 Stars

Tags

Bullying, Fantasy, Friendship, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing and eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

320 Pages

Synopsis: The Castaway Carnival: fun, mysterious, dangerous.

Renowned for it’s infamous corn maze…and the kids who go missing in it.

When Olive runs into the maze, she wakes up on an isolated and undetectable island where a decades-long war between two factions of rival teens is in full swing.

Trapped, Olive must slowly attempt to win each of her new comrades’ hearts as Will–their mysterious, stoically quiet, and handsome leader–steals hers.

Olive is only sure about one thing: her troop consists of the good guys, and she’ll do whatever it takes to help them win the war and get back home.

The Castaways is a clever novel that is a combination of Mean Girls and Lord of the Flies. As the story begins, Olive Maxi Gagmuehler is being tormented by three high school classmates. A couple of the things they do to her are definitely cringe-worthy, so beware. Everything comes to a head one night when after being once again attacked, at a carnival, Olive runs into a corn maze and suddenly finds herself trapped on an island with teens from different time periods. the only thing they have in common is they were all running away from something or someone, when they landed n this mysterious island. Olive is someone that many teens will relate to, especially if they’re victims of bullying. While she’s clearly terrified of her attackers, she also fights back against her tormenters. Once she’s on The Island, it quickly becomes apparent that this is no oasis of safety. While the teens and two young children in her group are for the most part welcoming, there’s another group that seems determined to wipe them out. But one of the best parts about this story is that nothing and no one is what they seem. Olive is the one constant, and she not only becomes the catalyst for change on the Island, but she goes through a journey of self-discovery that leaves her a stronger person by the end of the book. There were a couple of things that prevented this from being a perfect read for me. While I liked Will, Olive’s love interest, I never really bought into their romance for some reason. I’m not sure if it was just me, but there just didn’t seem to be any sparks. It almost seemed like they were forced together because of the circumstances, rather than there being real emotion behind their relationship. And, there were a couple of plot holes, particularly in regards to Olive’s tormenters that weren’t filled in enough for me. For the most part though, I thought The Castaways was imaginative and unique. It also does a good job at tackling the subject of bullying and sends a strong message that running away is never a positive solution to solving problems. It’s a book that should hold wide appeal for teens and I think it would also make an excellent selection for book discussion groups.  

A Crown Of Wishes (Star-Touched Queen #2) ~ By Roshani Chokshi – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Mythology, Romance, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: March 28th, 2017

352 Pages

Synopsis: Gauri, the princess of Bharata, has been taken as a prisoner of war by her kingdom’s enemies. Faced with a future Of of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. Hope unexpectedly comes in the form of Vikram, the cunning prince of a neighboring land and her sworn enemy kingdom. Unsatisfied with becoming a mere puppet king, Vikram offers Gauri a chance to win back her kingdom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together, they’ll have to set aside their differences and team up to win the Tournament of Wishes–a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor.

Reaching the tournament is just the beginning. Once they arrive, danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans and mischievous story birds, a feast of fears and twisted fairy revels.

Every which way they turn new trials will test their wit and strength. But what Gauri and Vikram will soon discover is that there’s nothing more dangerous than what they most desire.

A Crown of Wishes is the “companion book” to last year’s The Star-Touched Queen and while you needn’t have read the first book to enjoy this, I recommend that you do because it completes the magical world-building that was first introduced in TSTQ. I enjoyed the previous book, but this was even better, thanks to its two main characters, Gauri and Vikram. They’re both feisty and stubborn and lock horns on more than one occasion, and the banter between them is clever and funny. Their romance develops slowly but believably and it seems that the reader is aware before the two of them, that they are made for each other. There’s a third character introduced, Aasha, who is quite intriguing and while quite a bit of her background is revealed I’d love to see a book or even a novella devoted solely to her. The mythology and world-building is absolutely magnificent! Chokshi really has a beautifully descriptive and vivid style of writing that draws you into the story. The competition itself is exciting and makes this a fast-paced book. My one complaint is that I thought there were a few things that fell into place a little too easily for Gauri and Vikram. Otherwise, A Crown Of Wishes is a lush adventurous tale full of magic and humor and I highly recommend it. This duology has left me eagerly looking forward to Roshani Chokshi’s next venture, The Gilded Wolves, which is due out in 2018. 

 

Tricked (Fairy Tale Reform School #3) ~ By Jen Calonita – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Fantasy, Friendship, Juvenile Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

256 Pages

Synopsis: Things are changing at Fairy Tale Reform School.

At least, that’s what Gilly’s heard through the Enchantasia rumor mill. Word is, notorious trickster Rumplestiltskin has taken over management from headmistress Flora, and he’s locked down the school tighter than the Pied Piper’s pants. Not that this news concerns Gilly. She’s been released from the FTRS and is now suffering through attending Jack of All Trades School, where she gets to learn about different kinds of shoe leather and ways to measure feet.mTruly riveting stuff.

But when Gilly’s little sister Anna gets whisked off to FTRS thanks to her troublemaking new friends, Hansen and Gretel, Gilly knows she’s got to get Anna out of there. There’s only one thing to do; make some serious trouble and get thrown back into FTRS.

It’s time to out-trick a trickster.

Tricked is the third book in the Fairy Tale Reform series, and once again Jen Calonita has created a fantastical tale filled with action, humor, and wonderful worldbuilding. Gilly and her friends continue to evolve, making them completely relatable to tween readers. Just as in the previous two books, blended into the story are real life themes such as: standing up for yourself, making the right choices even though they may be the most difficult ones, and the value of friendship and teamwork. The storyline itself enhances the world of Enchantasia and introduces new, yet familiar faces both friend and foe. While I thought this particular quest came to an end a little too quickly, the ending is a perfect setup for the next book. I highly recommend Tricked and its predecessors: Flunked and Charmed for 9-12 year olds who enjoy action-filled fantasy.

Lifeblood (Everlife #2) ~ By Gena Showalter – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Paranormal, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 28th, 2016

443 Pages

Synopsis: My Firstlife is over, but my Everlife is only now beginning. 

With her last living breath, Tenley “Ten” Lockwood made her choice and picked her realm in the Everlife. Now, as the war between Troika and Myriad rages, she must face the consequences.

Because Ten possesses a rare supernatural ability to absorb and share light, the Powers That Be have the highest expectations for her future–and the enemy wants her neutralized. Fighting to save her Secondlife, she must learn about her realm from the ground up while launching her first mission: convincing a select group of humans to join her side before they die. No pressure, right?

But Ten’s competition is Killian, the boy she can’t forget–the one who gave up everything for her happiness. He has only one shot at redemption: beating Ten at a game she’s never even played. As their throw-downs heat up, so do their undeniable feelings, and soon, Ten will have to make another choice. Love…or victory.

Before jumping into Lifeblood, you definitely need to read Firstlife, because otherwise you’ll find yourself completely lost in this rather complicated world. To sum it up briefly, in this alternate world, humans have a Firstlife but they need to make a contract with either Troika or Myriad to spend their second lives in, or their spirits will wind up in the extremely dangerous Many Ends, which is something like Purgatory. Troika is all about love and light, while Myriad is about power and might. Both realms are continually at war with one another. So, this sequel picks up exactly where the first book left off, Ten, has just been betrayed and killed, but before dying, she declared her allegiance to Troika. Unfortunately, she’s in love with Killian, who’s from Myriad, so there’s definitely a Romeo and Juliet theme here. Ten really finds her feet in this story and fully embraces her inner warrior princess. What I love about her is even though this is a fantasy novel, Ten, and for that matter, the rest of the characters come across as very real and relatable. While she has many positive characteristics such as strength, loyalty, and compassion, she can also be naive, stubborn and impulsive, which in this case can lead to people getting killed. Showalter does a phenomenal job at character development and Ten learns from her mistakes, thereby becoming a better friend and leader. The supporting characters come with their own backstories which makes them equally interesting. The romance between Killian and Ten is wonderful and considering everything that’s stacked against them, there’s virtually no relationship drama as far as love triangles, blow-ups, etc. However, this does lead me to the one criticism I had. Ten spends a lot of the story mooning over Killian, and not only did it get a little repetitious and annoying after awhile, but it was also at odds with everything else that was happening. I understood that she’s madly in love with him and worried about him, but I didn’t need to be told this constantly throughout the story. But honestly, this is just a minor complaint. These are two people who trust each other implicitly, and will do whatever it takes to be together. The world building continually amazes, with layer after layer being added, so as a reader you’re constantly being introduced to new things. How the author does this without taking anything away from her characters is testament to her talented storytelling. There’s plenty of action which keeps the momentum up and I finished this in two sittings. The Everlife series is shaping up to be a standout series that will appeal to teens and adults alike, especially if you’re looking for something totally unique. I can’t wait for the third book which is due out next year!

 

 

 

 

 

The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1) ~ By Rin Chupeco – 2.0 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: March 7th, 2016

400 Pages

Synopsis: When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with and older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training. 

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha–one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.

Memoirs of a Geisha meets The Name of the Wind in this brilliant new fantasy series by Rin Chupeca!

How gorgeous is that cover? Naturally that’s what intitially captured my attention, but I also enjoyed Rin Chupeco’s The Girl From the Well and The Suffering, so when I heard all the buzz about The Bone Witch, I knew I had to try it. I was really expecting to become completely enthralled but instead was for the most part bored, which made this a difficult book to finish. I actually did like the beginning which tells the reader how young Tea, pronounced “Tay-uh”, becomes a Bone Witch. Unfortunately though, this interesting storyline is quickly overtaken by overly descriptive world building which slows the pace down to a crawl. For any of you who have been following me for awhile, you know that I think world building is a very important part of any novel, especially fantasy. But when you have interesting characters whose story fades into the background because there’s so much detail being given in regards to the setting, it can make for a tedious read. For example every outfit that Tea wears receives at least a paragraph of description, yet once she’s a teenager, all you’re really told is that she’s being instructed how to dance, sing and wear clothes, be a servant, and every once in a while use black magic to battle monsters. Somewhere buried in all this there’s a romance. I think there is anyway, because while I don’t remember it, suddenly she winds up running off with this guy. To be honest there’s some things I may have missed because by the time I was halfway through the book, I found myself starting to skim some of the pages in a desperate attempt to reach the end. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that The Bone Witch wound up not being for me, because I really liked the characters of Tea and Fox in the opening chapters. I’m basically giving it 2 stars because of the cover, and the beginning, as well as its diversity. This is definitely going to be either a trilogy or series, so if my library winds up carrying it I may take a peek at the second book. As always, if you’re intrigued by the premise, please don’t base your decision of whether you want to read this solely on my opinion. There’s quite a few reviews already up on Goodreads and some of them are quite positive. 

Simon Thorn And The Viper’s Pit (Simon Thorn #2) ~ By Aimee Carter – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Family Relationships, Fantasy, Friendship, Juvenile Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children’s for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

304 Pages

Synopsis: Simon Thorn’s life is almost unrecognizable from a few months ago. Along with a surprise twin brother and an uncle he never knew, Simon has also found his first real friends to hang out, train and, study with at the secret Animalgam Academy. The only piece missing is his mother, held captive by his evil grandfather Orion, who’s bent on taking over the five kingdoms.

To rescue his mother, Simon sets off cross-country with his friends to the reptile kingdom, battling rogue Animalgrams and their own doubts along the way. But if he’s going to stop Orion, Simon will need to keep him from gathering together the fragments of a terrible weapon, or the lives of everyone Simon loves will be at risk.

When I reviewed the first book in this series, Simon Thorn and the Wolf’s Den, last year, my chief complaint was that although I loved the character of Simon as well as the world building, I thought the secondary characters were shallow and need more development. Well, this is one of those instances where the sequel far surpasses the first book. I can honestly say not only were the previous shortcomings addressed, but Simon himself shows tremendous growth. Just to catch you up on things, Simon and his new friends at the Animalgam Academy can communicate and transform into animals. While this theme is similar to others who use magical schools and “chosen one” themes, there’s plenty here that makes this stand apart. Although I wish there was a little more diversity with these characters, I connected to them much more in this story. As they embark on their quest, they have to not only find their way in the real world, but battle Animalgams that have been sent to capture them. There are many different sides in play here which Simon and his friends are just beginning to discover, and as a result they can really only trust and rely on each other. And this is my favorite part of the book. Watching them not only learn how to trust and be honest with each other, but also start working together as a team to reach their goals is pure pleasure. While Simon is definitely the leader, the others don’t just blindly follow him. When he loses sight of what needs to be focused on, they speak up while still being supportive. This is all done in a realistic fashion that I think many kids will relate to. The world building continues to expand and you see even more Animalgam communities as well as there being more at stake. There’s plenty of action from beginning to end which also makes this a quick read. I think this is shaping up to be a fun and enjoyable series for children in the 9-12 age range who enjoy authors like J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. I’m definitely hooked and am looking forward to the next book in the series.