Night Fall (Secret Histories #12), by Simon R. Green ~ 5 ++++++++++ Stars!

Tags

Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller

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

Release Date: Available Now 

464 Pages

Synopsis: From the New York bestselling author of Moonbreaker comes the epic final Secret Histories adventure, where the Droods will take on the most unexpected of enemies: the inhabitants of the Nightside.

The Droods are all about control, making people do what they’re told for the greater good. The Nightside is all about choice: good and bad and everything in between. The Droods want to make the world behave. The Nightside wants to party. They were never going to get along. 

For centuries, ancient Pacts have kept the Droods out of the Nightside, but now the Droods see the Nightside as a threat to the whole world. They march into the long night, in their armour, to put it under their control. All too soon, the two sides are at war. It’s Eddie Drood and Molly Metcalf against John Taylor and Shotgun Suzie. The Drood Sarjeant-at-Arms and their Armourer against Dead Boy and Razor Eddie. More groups join in: the London Knights, the Ghost Finders, the Spawn of Frankenstein, Shadows Fall, and the Soulhunters. Science and magic are running wild, there’s blood running in the gutters, and the bodies are piling up.

Is anyone going to get out of this alive?

I have such mixed feelings about Night Fall. On the one hand (as you can probably tell by my rating), I absolutely LOVED it! On the other hand, this concludes not only the Secret Histories series, but also Simon Green’s Nightside and Ghost Finders series. So if you’re a fan of the author as I am, this is like the literary equivalent of Armageddon!

*Sniff.* Okay. I shall endeavor to pull myself together. As with the other Secret Histories books I’ve reviewed I need to warn interested parties that you need to read these books in order. If you don’t you’ll wind up helplessly confused. Eddie Drood is like a science fiction/fantasy/comic book version of James Bond. His alias is actually “Shaman Bond” and the previous titles are all clever plays on Ian Fleming’s books, ie:  The Man With the Golden Torc; Daemons Are Forever; The Spy Who Haunted Me… Well, you get the idea. While Eddie physically appears so ordinary as to melt into a crowd, you do not want to get on his bad side, especially when he’s accompanied by his former archenemy, now lover, the wild witch Molly Metcalf. Together they make a most formidable team which is a good thing as in this epic finale they face off against their Nightside counterparts, John Taylor (former private investigator, now the “Overseer” of the Nightside known as Walker) and his frightening wife, Shotgun Suzie (also known as Suzie Shooter and “Oh Christ, it’s her! Run!”) 

Without revealing any spoilers, let me just say that this is a non-stop thrill ride from beginning to end. Well known characters from all three series make welcome appearances and enjoyable new ones are introduced as well. The battles between the Droods and the citizens of the Nightside are bloody and epic, and leave many fan favorites dead. Underlying the story is the theme of how war can so quickly spiral out of control and leave a multitude of casualties of good people on both sides in its wake. By the end of the book loose ends from all three series are neatly tied up, which will leave fans shell-shocked but satisfied.

While I’m upset that two of my favorite series have come to an end, Night Fall is a spectacular finale. In my humble opinion, Simon Green is one of the most brilliant science fiction/fantasy authors out there, and if you’re a fan of these genres but haven’t tried any of his books you’re missing out. I don’t know what’s next for this gifted writer, but I do know I’ll be one of the first in line waiting for it. For now, please excuse me while I grieve.

 

 

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Smoke and Iron (The Great Library #4), by Rachel Caine ~ 5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thrillers, YA Fiction

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

Release Date: Available Now

448 Pages

Synopsis: 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 mouth 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.

Smoke and Iron is the latest in a thrilling YA series that just keeps getting better and better with each installment! I know I’ve said this repeatedly, but in my humble opinion, the prolific Rachel Caine is a brilliant author, whether she’s writing for teens or adults. I’ve read everything she’s written over the years and have never been disappointed.

This picks up immediately where Ash and Quill left off. Our group of heroes are split up and each is facing more danger than ever before. As usual the story is told from multiple POVs which not only gives the reader a wonderful sense of the characters, but also adds to the fabulous world building. 

In terms of action and pacing, I think this might be my favorite book in the series. It adds further complexity to both the characters and the story yet is tightly written. There’s plenty of blood, gore and heartbreak though, so be warned!

Smoke and Iron has left me feverishly anticipating the conclusion to The Great Library series. Sadly it will most likely be a year before fans see the as yet untitled book. On the plus side this gives readers who haven’t started the series ample time to catch up. Even if you don’t normally read YA, if you like fantasy, science fiction, thrilling adventure, and you’re a bibliophile, I guarantee you’ll LOVE these books!

The Life And Death Parade, by Eliza Wass ~ 1.0 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Horror, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

256 Pages

Synopsis: One year ago, Kitty’s boyfriend Nikki Bramley visited a psychic who told him he had no future. Now, he’s dead. With the Bramley family grieving in separate corners of their house, Kitty sets out to find the psychic who read Nikki his fate. Instead she finds Roan, an enigmatic boy posing as a medium who belongs to the Life and Death Parade—a group of supposed charlatans that explore, and exploit, the thin veil between this world and the next. A group  whose members include the psychic…and Kitty’s late mother. Desperate to learn more about the group and their connection to Nikki, Kitty convinces Roan to return to the Bramley house with her and secures a position for him within the household. Roan quickly ingratiates himself with the Bramleys, and soon enough it seems like everyone is ready to move on. Kitty, however, increasingly suspects Roan knows more about Nikki than he’s letting on. And when they finally locate the Life and Death Parade, and the psychic who made that fateful prophecy to Nikki, Kitty uncovers a secret about Roan that changes everything. From rising star Eliza Wass comes a sophisticated, mesmerizing meditation on the depths of grief and the magic of faith. After all, it only works if you believe it.

As you can tell by my rating, The Life and Death Parade just wasn’t for me. I enjoyed the author’s previous book The Cresswell Plot and I was so excited about this when I first read the premise, but instead, it took me almost two weeks to push myself through it and at 256 pages, that’s not good.

The characters are all very one-dimensional and try as I might I was unsuccessful in connecting with any of them. Kitty and Nikki’s romance didn’t come across as believable and her love/hate relationship with Roan was annoying. While I liked the setting, the plot was sort of all over the place, leaving me confused much of the time. Adding to my confusion was that the dialogue just melded together, so half the time I didn’t even know which character was speaking. There were a couple of twists near the end that piqued my interest, but by then it was too little too late.

What I found so frustrating is that I think the concept of The Life and Death Parade had loads of potential. As is often the case with a book I wind up disillusioned with, I can’t help but wonder where the editor was. Although this was a disappointment for me, there are several glowing reviews on Goodreads, so as always, I encourage you to check them out if the premise intrigues you.

Furyborn (Empirium #1), By Claire Legrand ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Suspense, YA Fiction

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

Release Date: May 22nd, 2018

512 Pages

Synopsis: When assassins ambush her best friend, the crown prince, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing her ability to perform all seven kinds of elemental action. The only people who should perform this extraordinary power are a pair of  prophesied queens: a queen of light and salvation and a queen of blood and destruction. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven trials to test her magic. If she fails, she will be executed…unless the trials kill her first.

A thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a mere fairy tale to bounty hunter Eliana Ferracora. When the Undying Empire conquered her kingdom, she embraced violence to keep her family alive. Now she believes herself to be untouchable—-until her mother vanished without a trace, along with countless other women in their city. Eliana joins a rebel captain on a dangerous mission and discovers that the evil at the heart of the empire is more terrible than she ever imagined.

As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them will determine the fate of their world—-and each other.

Hi everyone. This is going to be a mini-review as I’m still not feeling peachy, but as Furyborn is a hugely hyped book coming out tomorrow, I wanted to be able to give all you YA fantasy lovers out there, at least a quick snapshot of what I thought.

So, I love Claire Legrand and have been breathlessly awaiting this new book. There was a lot I loved about it, namely the characters. I LOVED both Rielle and Eliana, who are both strong female characters, yet at the same time extremely flawed. I thought the alternating chapters between them worked fine and didn’t slow down the pace one iota which can happen at times. I was completely enthralled with both their stories, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be Eliana who seemed more developed as she went through a much more redemptive journey.

What made me give this only 3.5 stars was the world building, which having read the author’s previous books, really shocked me. For those of you familiar with Legrand’s writing style, this has all the originality and creativity she is known for. What’s lacking is detail. This world is complicated and from the beginning I felt as though I was thrown into the deep end of the pool and left floundering for much of the book. While there are some aspects explained throughout the course of the story, at the end I was still confused about some things.

Despite my frustrations with the world building, I still enjoyed Furyborn and I’m hoping more will be explained in the next book. I would recommend this for older teens and adults as there are some sexual scenes that are little more graphic than what you typically find in a YA novel. 

The Diminished (Untitled Duology #1), by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, LGBT, Romance, Suspense, YA Fiction

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

Release Date: Available Now

384 Pages

Synopsis: In the Alskad Empire, nearly all are born with a twin, two halves to form one whole…yet some face the world alone.

The singleborn.

A rare few are singleborn in each generation, and therefore given the right to rule by the gods and goddesses. Bo Trousillion is one of those few, born into the royal line and destined to rule. Though he has been chosen to succeed his great-aunt, Queen Runa, as the leader of the Alskad Empire, Bo has never felt equal to the grand future before him.

The diminished.

When one twin dies, the other usually follows, unable to face the world without their other half. Those who survive are considered diminished, doomed to succumb to the violent grief that inevitably destroys everyone whose twin has died. Such is the fate of Vi Abernathy, whose twin sister died in infancy. Raised by the anchorites of the temple after her family cast her off, Vi has spent her whole life scheming for a way to escape and live out what’s left of her life in peace.

As their sixteenth birthday approaches, Bo and Vi face very different futures—-one a life of luxury as the heir to the throne, the other years of backbreaking work as a temple servant. But a long-held secret and the fate of the empire are destined to bring them together in a way they never could have imagined.

The Diminished is a fabulous beginning to an as of yet, untitled duology. The chapters alternate between the two main characters, both who I found equally fascinating. I loved the way Bo being gay was depicted so matter of factly. There is no bigotry in this world regarding sexual identity. It’s an accepted part of society. Neither is there any racism. Unfortunately there is bigotry toward the “diminished”, those who have lost a twin. So, not only do they go through the heartbreak of losing their other half, but then they’re treated with abject cruelty. This is most detailed in Vi’s chapters and it can be tough reading at times. While it seems as though Bo and Vi have nothing in common, as the story continues their lives converge in the most interesting ways. 

The world building is rich in detail and I loved how the Alskad Empire shares societal issues that mirror those found in the real world. Between that and the characters, I was completely enthralled throughout the entire story. I’m looking forward to seeing where the next book takes things. I highly recommend The Diminished for older teens and adults who are looking for a fantasy that’s unique and exciting.

Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1), by Amanda Foody ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, LGBT, Suspense, YA Fiction

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

Release Date: April 10th, 2018

Synopsis:

Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every corner.

Enne Salt was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—-and her reputation—-behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—-he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn’t have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne’s offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi’s enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne, will have to surrender herself to the city…

And she’ll need to play.

Ace of Shades has been a much buzzed about books or months and while I didn’t think it quite lived up to the hype, there were aspects of it that I did enjoy.

New Reynes aka the City of Sin, is a magical version of Las Vegas. Underneath its glitzy exterior lies a far more dark and gritty world filled with violence and danger. The main character, Enne, is an interesting character, but she transforms too quickly from a prim and proper ballerina who makes some incredibly stupid mistakes, to a lethal assassin. And Levi, as a young bisexual man of color and leader of a gang, should have been so much more interesting than he was. It took most of the book for me to get a sense of who he is and what his motivations are. I did wind up really liking him towards the end though. The secondary characters definitely need more development as well if they’re to progress from mere silhouettes in the background.

The world building left me with mixed feelings. There were some parts I liked such as the lethal Game of Shadows, and the history of the families, but there was quite a bit of info dumping and for the first half of the book I found it very slow going. 

Despite my issues with Ace of Shades, I do think it has potential. The pace picked up considerably in the second half of the book and the ending was exciting enough that I’ll definitely be trying the sequel. There are plenty of readers who love this so if you’re a fan of YA fantasy and like plenty of political intrigue I’d recommend giving this a try.

Never Apart, by Romily Bernard ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, YA Fiction

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

Release Date: October 3rd, 2017

400 Pages

Synopsis: How many times would you die for love? 

What if you had to relive the same day over and over?

And what if at the end, your boyfriend is killed…

And you have to watch. Every time.

You don’t know why you’re stuck in this nightmare.

But you do know that these are the rules you now live by:

Wake up.

Run.

Die.

Repeat.

Now, the only way to escape this loop is to attempt something dangerous. Something completely unexpected. This time…you’re not going to run.

Never Apart is a YA thriller/science fiction/fantasy that checks off all the right boxes. The characters are well-developed and relatable, the romance sweet and heartfelt, and the storyline compelling.

The story is told by Grace, who I loved, and alternates between the present and the past. The only reason why I’m not giving this a perfect 5 stars is because I did find the present chapters faster paced. There are plenty of surprises and I can honestly say I didn’t see the last one coming. 

Never Apart is the first book I’ve read by Romily Bernard, but I love her writing style so it certainly won’t be my last. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

 

Moonbreaker (Secret Histories #11) by, Simon Green ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller

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

Release Date: Available Now

352 Pages

Synopsis: My name is Eddie Drood, aka Shaman Bond, the very secret agent. And I am a dead man walking.

I’ve been poisoned by Dr. DOA. There is no cure, no treatment, no chance of a last-minute miracle. So all that is left to me and my love, Molly Metcalf, is to track down my killer and stop him before he can murder anyone else.

So whether that means fighting a secret army on another world; or searching for a forgotten weapon in the Museum of Unattached Oddities; or facing off against Grendel Rex, the Unforgiven God, in the hidden heart of the Moon, for the terrible secret that is Moonbreaker…I will do whatever it takes, while I still can. Because the game isn’t over till I say it’s over–and I still have one last card to play.

Moonbreaker is another fantastic entry in the long-running Secret Histories series. If you don’t remember my reviews on previous books, this series is a magical and science fiction play on James Bond. As always I caution you that if you haven’t read the previous books you need to start at the beginning, or as what’s happened to Eddie on occasion, you may become hopelessly lost on another world or in another dimension.

Whenever a series goes on this long, there’s a danger of monotony setting in due to a lack of fresh ideas. But this isn’t the case here. Simon Green is an author who continually amazes me with his seemingly boundless imagination. The Secret Histories books are constantly fun, roller-coaster thrill rides filled with plenty of humor, snark, and sass amidst all the bloody mayhem. Each book begins with a new danger that undoubtedly will not only wipe out Eddie and the intimidating and scary Drood family, but quite possibly the world, yet Eddie, with the able assistance of his enemy turned true love, wild witch Molly Metcalf, always manages to save the day. You would think this would get old but it doesn’t. This is due to the way Green effortlessly creates new creatures, villains, magics, and science. And the powerful Drood family who has been around for millennia, has no shortage of enemies, even Eddie, who’s the moral one of the family. 

Picking up where the previous book, Dr. DOA left off, Eddie is slowly dying from a seemingly incurable poison that not even his powerful family can decipher. Even his soulmate the magic of his soulmate Molly comes up short. For the first time, it seems like this could be curtains for Eddie, who up until now, has seemed to have more lives than a cat. I was actually nervous going into this because honestly, this time I just didn’t see anyway out for him. But, in the end, and yes this is a spoiler, he perseveres. Just like all his other perilous adventures, it’s not quick or tidy, but he lives on to fight another day, although not before making my own heart stop a few times. 

I honestly cannot convey how much I LOVE this series and Moonbreaker once again proves why. If  you’re new to this series and you love exciting science fiction and fantasy mixed with tongue-in-cheek humor, you simply have to try these books. Do it for me! Please! I 100% guarantee you will not regret it. I’m both looking forward to and dreading the finale of the series, Night Fall, which is due out on 6/12/18. It looks to join with Green’s other popular series, the Nightside, so this should be the mother of all endings. I’m prepared to have a box of tissues handy because I know I’m going to have a downright impossible time letting go of Eddie, Molly, and even the those insufferable, yet likable quirky Droods.

 

 

 

 

Everlife (Everlife #3), By Gena Showalter ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Romance, Suspense, YA Fiction

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

Release Date: Available Now

304 Pages

Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter comes book three in the unique and exhilarating Everlife series. Tenley “Ten” Lockwood knows the fate of the Everlife rests on her ability to unite the realms and destroy the Prince of Ravens. When betrayal leads to defeat and Ten finds herself bonded to the enemy, an unthinkable choice may be the only answer.

I do hope you guys don’t mind, but this is going to be another short review. I’m actually stealing this idea of “quickie reviews” from my friend Dani over at https://touchmyspinebookreviews.wordpress.com She’s been having a rough time of it healthwise as well and came up with this idea of posting shorter reviews, which is definitely better than no reviews. So, as you can guess by my rating, I loved Everlife. What I’ve really liked about this trilogy is that each book has gotten progressively better, and this conclusion is 100% perfect! It’s got a star-crossed couple you can’t help but root for, an outstanding cast of secondary characters, incredible world building, and a pace that never lets up. You definitely need to read these in order though. If you don’t you’ll be completely lost. And, this trilogy is definitely for older YAs and up due to violence and some slightly steamy scenes. Otherwise I highly recommend it. It’s a prime example of why Gena Showalter is such a popular author, whether she’s writing for adults or teens.

The Queen’s Rising (Untitled Trilogy), by Rebecca Ross ~ 2.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, YA Fiction

Thanks to Edelweiss and HarperTeen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now 

464 Pages

Synopsis: When her seventeenth summer solstice arrives, Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron.

Growing up in the southern Kingdom of Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her for such a life. While some are born with an innate talent for one of the five passions—-art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—-Brienna struggled to  find hers until she belatedly chose to study knowledge. However, despite all her preparations, Brienna’s greatest fears come true—-the solstice does not go according to plan and she’s left without a patron. 

Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, and with no other choices, she accepts. But there is much more to his story, and Brienna soon discovers that he has sought her out for his own vengeful gain. For there is a dangerous plot being planned to overthrow the king of Maevna—-the arch rival kingdom ov Valenia—-and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the northern throne. And others are involved—-some closer to Brienna than she realizes.

With war brewing between the two lands, Brienna must choose whose side she will remain loyal to—-passion or blood. Because a queen is destined to rise and lead the battle to reclaim the crown. The ultimate decision Brienna must determine is: Who will be that queen?

I must confess that I was originally attracted to The Queen’s Rising because of the gorgeous cover. But the premise also had me excited as well. Although I finished it in three days, I wound up being disappointed.

I liked Brienna but there’s nothing about her that makes her stand out except for the mystery surrounding the identity of her father who has been kept hidden from her. However, that mystery is spoiled by the family tree that’s displayed at the beginning of the book. While it’s handy, it spoils several reveals. She also struggles with her mixed race heritage which adds a little more depth. And she has a dog, Nessie, who I loved. Otherwise, she’s your typical feisty, loyal, courageous, etc. fantasy heroine. I loved the sisterhood that was predominantly displayed between the the girls studying at Magnalia House. 

There’s not much in the way of romance, but the developing relationship between Brienna and Master Cartier made me uncomfortable. Given that he’s been one of her professors since she was ten-years-old, even though she’s of age when things turn more romantic, the whole thing just made me squirm. It’s something that continually bothered me and I was unable to let it go.

The world-building is very descriptive and reminded me somewhat of 16th century Scotland. I thought the the author’s writing style to be quite lovely. The pace was a little slow in parts, but it it never devolved into tediousness. Although this is being billed as a trilogy, the ending perfectly wraps everything up so it could actually work as a standalone.

In the end, The Queen’s Rising left me with mixed feelings. I saw flashes of brilliance, but they just never really panned out. That coupled with the off putting relationship between Brienna and Master Cartier, has me thinking I probably won’t be continuing with this trilogy. The book has received many positive reviews though, so if the premise intrigues you, please don’t let me put you off. If you do decide to try it though, DON’T READ THE FAMILY TREE! I would have enjoyed the story a little more if I had waited until the end of the book.