romance Archives - Page 11 of 14

Yzabel / June 18, 2014

Review: Reckoning

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

In the village of Martindale, hundreds of miles north of the new English capital of Windsor, sixteen-year-old Silver Blackthorn takes the Reckoning. This coming-of- age test not only decides her place in society – Elite, Member, Inter or Trog – but also determines that Silver is to become an Offering for King Victor.

But these are uncertain times and no one really knows what happens to the teenagers who disappear into Windsor Castle. Is being an Offering the privilege everyone assumes it to be, or do the walls of the castle have something to hide?Trapped in a maze of ancient corridors, Silver finds herself in a warped world of suspicion where it is difficult to know who to trust and who to fear. The one thing Silver does know is that she must find a way out . . .

The heart-stopping first book in a new trilogy by UK author Kerry Wilkinson, Reckoning is the story of one girl’s determination to escape the whims of a cruel king, and what she must do to survive against all odds.

Review:

(I got an ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

2-2.5 stars. In itself, it was a decent enough read, only I couldn’t help but be reminded of many other dystopian YA stories… and after a while, those start to blend together. Among other things, it felt quite reminiscent of The Hunger Games and similar stories, except that the people involved weren’t actively trying to kill each other, but were doing so in underhanded ways, notably being cowards and telling on others.

I was drawn towards this story because of its setting (post-war UK, or rather England/Wales—Scotland, well, nobody talks about Scotland, there must be something fishy with Scotland) and the promised mix of technology and mediaeval buildings/structures. However, such a mix is usually kind of hard to achieve, and I’m not sure it always worked here. The idea of a King totally fits the United Kingdom (much more than it would a US setting, for sure), and I think oppression resting on the ashes of a lasting civil war might be believable for a time. I can see people being so wary that they just want to close their eyes and ignore their current predicament, because at least they don’t have to fight anymore.

On the other hand, I’m not sure that “oil ran out” could be used as the sole justification behind wars on the world level; I keep wondering what else should’ve been involved to make the situation as desperate. Also, the class society in the novel didn’t really convince me: it remained too vague. What do Elites do, except being “the upper class”, with the Members and Inter being, let’s say, “upper-middle” and “lower-middle”, and the Trogs being the “working class”? It seemed to me that no matter their status, those people kind of did the same jobs: an Elite guy and a Trog girl both end up working in the kitchens, for instance, and this system seemed to clash with how the Offerings were assigned to their jobs depending on skills (Silver ends up in a technology-related environment, because she was picked a tech-savvy during her Reckoning, but whether she was a Member or a Trog didn’t seem to matter at this point). So in the end, I didn’t really understand the point. I suppose it would’ve made more sense if I had seen society as a whole depicted here, with non-Offerings going about their work. Whenever I saw some, those were people who hadn’t gone through the Reckoning (like Silver’s mother, or the Head Kingsmen, who were already there before Reckonings first took place). They were outside the new class system, so to speak, and it didn’t help me understand the latter.

Another problem was that I found a lot of things predictable. It might be just me, it might be due to similar stories I’ve read before, I don’t know. It was obvious from the beginning that the King was completely mad, to the point of killing Offerings on a whim, which sure explained why nobody ever heard of them again, hah. The “let’s try to escape” part was obvious as well, just like the romance part, and what actually happened to the families of those who didn’t keep a low profile.

Silver Blackthorn: let’s not dwell on that name; I still can’t stand it. I had mixed feelings about her. In some ways, she came off as a coward, but at the same time, this attitude was also clever: don’t get noticed, so that you live longer, and if you live longer, you have a chance of actually doing something. She limited her interactions with, and therefore her understanding of, other characters, who mostly remained bland and stereotypical. On the other hand, she also kept other people in mind: her family, Opie’s, as well as the other Offerings. She’s not planning a selfish escape just for herself and The Boy (OK, she does at first, and then she considers the bigger picture). I think what bothered me was that I would’ve expected her to do more tech-related stuff. Well, she does, but… in such a way that it’s only seen afterwards.

And here’s where I must touch upon something that really hindered the novel in my opinion: the first person point of view. There’s a moment when a big twist unfurls, and the reader is led to believe something, while something else altogether is brewing. However, I think that the first person narrative is problematic in such cases, because once the twist is revealed, the reader immediately thinks: “Hey, the character knew about it, so how come s/he withheld the information, both from me and from him/herself?” This is what happened here. Before that point, the narrative was all right. After it, I couldn’t get back into it anymore. For those who’ve already read the book: I’m talking, of course, about how we’re led to believe Imrin has betrayed Silver, but in fact this was all part of an act, and the other boys and girls were plotting in the background so that everybody could escape. Which Silver knew, yet deliberately “withheld” from herself, and therefore from me, reader. Tough there are a couple of hints here and there, they’re not enough. In any case, what followed was a recap of who did what, and then only Silver’s role was made more apparent… but by then, I felt cheated.

I would add to this a mild case of convenient chains of events, such as this or that character forgetting to lock a door on a regular basis. It didn’t sit so well with me when it came to a place where paranoia was a rule.

Bonus point, though, for the romance, in that:

1) It doesn’t dwell too much on a potential love triangle. This might come back in the next book, but for now, I’m going to ignore such a possibility, because I can and I want to.

2) The characters are attracted to each other while they do and think of other things. They mostly meet to find a way out, not merely to kiss and grope in the dark. The attraction comes later—and it doesn’t take too much space, contrary to what I’ve seen happen in too many other stories.

I somewhat enjoyed this novel; I’d probably have enjoyed it more if it didn’t feel and taste like many others in the same genre.

Yzabel / May 27, 2014

Review: Hexed

Hexed by Michelle Krys

My rating: [rating=1]

Summary:

A stolen book. A deadly plan. A destiny discovered.

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world, she learns that her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie is about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

Review:

(I got an ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

I really can’t say I enjoyed this book. It reads easily, and there were a few good ideas, and a particular twist that was clever (though extremely cruel, too), but mostly I found the characters bland at best, and the plot weighed down by the romance.

The good things:

* Cheerleader-turned-witch. I found this specific idea amusing, because it could have led to a lot of interesting situations. You expect the goth girl to turn witch. But the popular cheerleader, under everyone’s scrutiny, the one for whom the slightest faux-pas looks like committing social suicide? There’s some potential, I say.

* Witchcraft. I like witches. And magic. Simple as that.

* Bishop’s take on life: “Might as well joke, rather than dwell on the bad things and mope.” I like that.

But.

Indigo:

I had absolutely no sympathy for that character. I’d like to say I warmed up to her after a while, but at best, I must’ve felt some vaguely lukewarm sensation, somewhere in that thing people call heart. I found her incredibly self-centred, insensitive, callous, and condescending. She fancied herself a “decent” person, compared to Bianca, the jealous so-called best friend turned frenemy; however, to me, this was just one big delusion on her part. So she wasn’t a Bianca, but she was just as bad in many other ways, especially in the way she treated Paige. Paige, her neighbour who for years tried to be her friend; alas, poor Paige, you’ve always been too nerdy to Indie’s taste, and so she kept giving you the slip. Until, of course, Indie realised her friends weren’t friends, her boyfriend was a douche, and so she turned to Paige—with all the condescension she could muster, that is:

Paige shakes her head. “Where’s Bianca? Why isn’t she helping you?”
Oh. It’s like that now? You’d think the girl would recognize a bone when one was being thrown.

Except that Paige had started making other friends. The gall! The nerve! How dare you, Paige?

Tears prick my eyes. Of course she has a friend now. Of course she has plans. What did I think, that I could push and push her away and she’d always be there, waiting for me in case I ever got bored of Bianca?

At least she somewhat acknowledges it, but it’s going to take much more to make you a good girl, Indie.

Douches and doormats:

Bianca’s a douche. Stupid Boyfriend Is Stupid, I mean Devon, is a douche. When Indie finds him cheating on her with Bianca—that was so predictable, by the way—and finally stops looking at him as if he was the best thing in the world since cheesewire, Devon is devastated, because, you see:

“You still up for homecoming?”
[…]
Don’t mean to be pushy. I asked around, but everyone good already has a date now.”

Yeah, ditch the guy. At least that was one good decision.

I wish Paige had given her the finger, too. Looks like Paige’s the most decent one in the bunch, and with an ability to forgive. Only to be treated, I wouldn’t say like crap, but as expendable.

Jezebel, too. Way to let people die because you can’t be bothered saving just one more person when you have the upper hand, and are holding your enemy by the balls. If all witches are like her, I’m almost tempted to cheer on the bad guys instead.

Bishop… Not so much a douche, he was actually fairly decent, after a while. Nevertheless, the constant creepy-joker act slowed things down.

Decisions that make absolutely no sense:

Mum’s uber important Witch Bible has been stolen, and Indie promises she’s going to get it back. OK. She has no idea where to start looking. OK again. There was that shady guy, earlier, who helped her with her Mum after a bookshelf fell on her, and who seemed to know about the Bible… Hmmm, shady, all right, but at least it’s a lead: let’s drive around trying to find the guy, who anyway seems to have a knack to stalk Indigo. Might as well use the stalker’s skills against himself, right? So Indie drives around, with Paige in tow. They find the guy. And…
… Banter. Banter, semi-flirting, banter. Pointless dialogue. LOL-I-ain’t-telling-you-much. Followed by “well, let’s go to Jarrod’s party.” I thought retrieving the Bible from the bad guys’ hands was important. I must’ve been mistaken.
I might have forgiven it, if only it hadn’t been one blatant plot device, just for Indie to walk on Devon sleeping with Bianca and make her realise what an idiot Mr. Boyfriend was. Couldn’t this happen in a different way?

They drag Paige along when it comes to attacking the Bad Guys. Because bringing the human girl, the one without any powers, to a fight between witches and sorcerers is the best way to ensure her safety. It’s not like collateral damage could happen. It’s not like someone could notice her and, I don’t know, take her hostage later.

There’s also lot of wandering around, because they need a “quiet place” to talk. The Hollywood sign at night is sure a quiet place, but, again, wasn’t time of the essence?

And it may just be me, but I thought the Priory wasn’t so… active. It was quite nice of them to give Indigo one whole week to mourn her mother, but frankly, since they were the ones who took said mother hostage and then killed her, why waste time? Go hit Indie while she’s down.

Powers and training:

Well, yes, I’d have wanted to see more “witch in training”, more moments when Indigo would grow into her powers, do something with them. I wasn’t asking for anything spectacular, but she really doesn’t do much at all, and so she ends up as the whiny Damsel In Distress throughout the second part of the book.

Romance:

Not played well here in my opinion. I’ll appreciate a romance that develops… when characters have time for that. Here, the situation was kind of urgent, Indie could’ve been attacked at any moment, yet so much time was wasted on flirting and such. In turn, I felt that the plot was being held back in order for the romance to take place. The contrary would’ve been more interesting, and more believable.

So, well… I wish I had liked this one. I was really eager to read it. In the end, unfortunately, it just didn’t work at all for me.

Yzabel / May 18, 2014

Review: Dollhouse

Dollhouse by Anya Allyn

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Dress-up turns deadly. . .

When Cassie’s best friend, Aisha, disappears during a school hike, Cassie sets off with Aisha’s boyfriend Ethan and their best friend Lacey, determined to find her. But the mist-enshrouded mountains hold many secrets, and what the three teens discover is far more disturbing than any of them imagined: beneath a rundown mansion in the woods lies an underground cavern full of life-size toys and kidnapped girls forced to dress as dolls.

Even as Cassie desperately tries to escape the Dollhouse, she finds herself torn between her forbidden feelings for Ethan, and her intense, instinctive attraction to The Provider, a man Cassie swears she has known before…

Because Cassie’s capture wasn’t accidental, and the Dollhouse is more than just a prison where her deepest fears come true—it’s a portal for the powers of darkness. And Cassie may be the only one who can stop it.

Review:

(I got a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

A likeable story—on the creepy side, that is, but if I didn’t want creepy, I wouldn’t have applied for this book, right? I liked the atmosphere conveyed through the book, at least when it came to the house itself and its inhabitants (this isn’t a spoiler; the title gives it away, after all). It was oppressive, left little doubt as to the stifling nature of the place, and the toys as well as Jessamine’s behaviour were definitely elements of unease. I was never scared, to be honest, but this doesn’t necessarily means “Dollhouse” won’t be scary to other other people. In any case, in terms of imagery, those were themes I could relate to.

The plot is kind of strange. It’s both a good and a bad thing in my opinion. On the one hand, it fits the overall atmosphere; on the other, sometimes things were a little confusing. At first I thought it may be a purely horror/mystery story, then different supernatural elements creepeed in. I was all right with that, though: it may be part of what the book was meant to achieve, depending on how one considers it, and it also contributed to the characters’ confusion. So, for me, it worked.

I found the pacing somewhat uneven. The first chapter pulled me in, then the next ones were slower, and I think some of the scenes in the dollhouse itself dragged a little. Again, this is one of those double-edged aspects in my opinion: slowing down the story, yet also reflecting the bleak existence of the “dolls”, the day-to-day routine under Jessamine’s guidance (if one can call that guidance…), the world being narrowed down to a few rooms only, with few activities available. So, slow in pacing, but fitting in theme.

I didn’t find the characters really memorable, and was mostly interested in the atmosphere and in looking for hints about the bigger picture, I admit. Cassie was kind of bland, Ethan and Aisha as well, and Lacey was easily forgotten. This is probably one of the weakest points in this book: I kept feeling that those friends didn’t really care about each other. That they went looking for Aisha not in the hopes of finding her alive, but of removing suspicion from Ethan. That they didn’t have much in common, and didn’t look like a strong enough group to go through the hassle of camping in the mountains at night to search for the missing girl. Cassie leaves Lacey[Lacey (hide spoiler)] alone in a creepy place, then oh, surprise, she’s missing as well. Rule number one: you never, ever leave someone alone. Not in such a setting.

The romance… Meh. I wasn’t convinced. But then, I seldom am.

The book ends on a cliffhanger that may very well be quite annoying. You can somewhat imagine what will happen, but if it’s still rather abrupt, and felt more like a chapter was missing, rather than a real ending.

I’m giving it 3 stars because I really enjoyed the theme, the atmosphere, the imagery it all evoked. I found it easy to picture the rooms, the clothing, to imagine what the dolls’ life was like. If one is looking for strong characters, though, perhaps this isn’t the right book.

Yzabel / May 13, 2014

Review: The Diamond Thief

The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling

My rating: [rating=1]

Summary:

By day Rémy Brunel is a daring circus acrobat, by night she is an equally talented jewel thief currently assigned to steal a famous diamond in Victorian London–but when the theft goes wrong she finds herself allied with a young policeman as they try to find the elusive gem.

Review:

(I got a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

A fast read, and one of those books I wish I had liked more (Victorian London + circus + thief + mechanical inventions: what’s not to like in there, really?), but also one that didn’t convince me in the end, unfortunately.

Things I liked: the steampunk side, light enough to be understandable by basically everyone, younger readers included. It has a touch of Fushigi no Umi no Nadia (in that stones/jewels play an important part), though it doesn’t go further than that, and makes use of machinery whose concepts are easy to grasp, such as experimental night-vision goggles. Not the most creative I’ve ever seen, but a nice introduction nonetheless.

On the other hand, I found the backdrop fairly light, too—not a good thing. I never really got the feeling of a real circus, nor of Victorian mores. I think this could apply to several other aspects of the novel, in fact: it brushed against them, without ever diving deep enough for me to feel immersed. I could sense this most specifically with the characters. At first, I found them interesting, but they were never developed enough to hold my attention until the end, nor make me care about them. (And there definitely were interesting ideas in here, such as the unlikely trapeze artist/thief + young cop duo, the Professor with his inventions, the mysterious Lord…) Also, I didn’t like the romance at all. I couldn’t feel any chemistry within this couple, it seemed like a plot device to add some drama, and there were a few very melodramatic scenes that made me roll my eyes and want to slap those characters. Somehow, it moved too quickly, too superficially.

The plot itself seemed to rest on a lof of deus ex machina, predictable twists, and events inserted for convenience. I would’ve been more enthralled if Rémy and Thaddeus had had to really investigate, which in turn would have given them time to talk, get to know each other better; I guess this would have made the romance more palatable for me, as well as enhanced the strong points of their pairing, in terms of skills. Another thing I had a hard time with were a couple of plot points. First, the opal’s role. One of the characters says that it would allow Rémy to hear other people’s thoughts, yet I never got the purpose of that specific thread. Is there a second book in the writing? If there isn’t, then I don’t see the point. Same with the curse[the curse (hide spoiler)]: couldn’t Gustave tell Rémy about it way earlier than that, considering how involved she was, and how she was the one tasked with stealing the stone?

I suppose it could work as a very light read, or for really young readers (things never go further than a brief kiss in the romance department), but for me it didn’t.

Yzabel / May 12, 2014

Review: Shadows & Dreams

Shadows & Dreams by Alexis Hall

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

My name’s Kate Kane. And right now, I don’t know which is more dangerous: my job, or my girlfriend. My job makes me the go-to girl for every supernatural mystery in London. My girlfriend’s an eight-hundred-year-old vampire prince. Honestly, I think it’s probably a tie.

A few weeks ago, I was hired for a simple missing person case. Next thing I know, I’m being arrested for murder, a vampire army is tearing up London, and even my dreams are out to get me. Something ancient, evil, and scary as hell is on the loose and looking for payback. The vampires are in chaos, the werewolves are culling everything, and the Witch Queen can’t protect everyone.

Which means it’s down to me. And all I’ve got to hold back the shadows is a stiff drink, a quirky sidekick, my creepy ex-boyfriend, and the woman who left me for a tech startup. It’s going to be another interesting day.

This title is #2 of the Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator series.

Review:

[I got an ARC of this novel through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

I liked this one better than the first one. Partly because I already know the characters, but also, I think, because I found it less heavy on some of the things that had bothered me in the previous volume.

Characters, first. The reader will meet known ones again: Julian, Nimue, Ashriel, and get to know more about others (such as a Eve). Kate remains a fun point of view character, with a good dose of humour even in dire situations. She has a tendency to do things that aren’t exactly good for her, but at least she acknowledges it… even though it doesn’t prevent her from getting into dangerous situations. Elise plays a more important part, being here from the beginning, this time, and I must say she’s also a character I’ve taken quite a liking to. She’s discovering life as a normal human being (well, as normal as possible in the circumstances, that is), has an interesting way of speaking and apprehending the world, and I found that her becoming Kate’s assistant actually helped with furthering the plot. In “Iron & Velvet”, I sometimes felt that Kate stumbled upon information; Elise being tasked with finding information streamlines things a bit, and makes the investigation more believable in my opinion. Last but not least, Eve: she may seem bigger than life to some, but I found her geeky, Batman-wannabe side quite funny. And she gets the job done; no comic-relief useless sidekick on her part here.

There was less romance/erotica this time, and for me, it was for the best. I guess I’m used to the Kate-Julian relatioship now, so I wasn’t bothered by insta-love or anything similar. Owing to the plot, the two women didn’t spend as much time together, which wasn’t pleasant for them, sure, but also allowed less room for the sex scenes. (I don’t have anything against sex scenes, only they didn’t work for me in book 1, in part because of the weird similes often associated with them. So, yes, less of those here meant less clunky scenes in my opinion.) Although I still think Kate should learn to keep her dick in her pants, metaphorically speaking, she wasn’t as unfocused as previously, and therefore felt more believable as a PI.

I must admit that the Patrick/Sofia routine, while funny at first (with all the drama queen antics and the woe-is-me-I-totally-shape-the-world-to-my-beliefs attitude that clearly hints at bad emo stories), became a little tiresome after a while. I must’ve rolled my eyes as often as Kate did. But then, Patrick is an infuriating character, and one that is meant to serve as a comic relief.

The bit about the Vampire: the Requiem game made me smile. No irony lost here. It reminded me a bit of the RPG bit in Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, and I wonder if this was intentional or not? On the other hand, I’m certainly not holding that against the author here, because it’s the kind of scene I like (and would probably write as well at some point).

Not the best book of 2014 for me, but definitely an improvement on the first one. I think I’ve warmed up to this world and characters.

Yzabel / May 5, 2014

Review: The Mark of the Tala

The Twelve Kingdoms: The Mark of the Tala by Jeffe Kennedy

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Queen Of The Unknown

The tales tell of three sisters, daughters of the high king. The eldest, a valiant warrior-woman, heir to the kingdom. The youngest, the sweet beauty with her Prince Charming. No one says much about the middle princess, Andromeda. Andi, the other one.

Andi doesn’t mind being invisible. She enjoys the company of her horse more than court, and she has a way of blending into the shadows. Until the day she meets a strange man riding, who keeps company with wolves and ravens, who rules a land of shapeshifters and demons. A country she’d thought was no more than legend–until he claims her as its queen.

In a moment everything changes: Her father, the wise king, becomes a warlord, suspicious and strategic. Whispers call her dead mother a traitor and a witch. Andi doesn’t know if her own instincts can be trusted, as visions appear to her and her body begins to rebel.

For Andi, the time to learn her true nature has come. . .

Review:

[ARC received through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

I enjoyed some parts of this novel, while others left me cold, so in the end, I rounded it up to 3 stars: I didn’t like the first half much, but found the second one better. (I guess this is one of those books I might have given up on in the beginning if I hadn’t requested it (with the implicit promise of a review); fortunately, after a while, it finally worked for me.)

Andromeda didn’t strike me as remarkable, indeed, though not because of her place as the “invisible” second daughter, the one always wedged between her two sisters, and of whom nobody seemed to expect much. The reason why I had my qualms with her at first was that she remained mostly passive, let things happen, let her family decide to whisk her away to Windroven, and so on. Once she decided to take matters into her own hands, the dynamics shifted, and the story went onto a more interesting road. Andi made plans, thought more in terms of alliance and politics, and turned out to be more savvy than her wallflower-princess role had led me to believe. Good thing, good thing.

Annfwn was quite a fascinating place, too, and I enjoyed learning more about it, and about the mysterious Tala, with their shapeshifting abilities and their “dark” magic that may or may not be the worst thing in the world. Boundaries were continuously tested and shifted: the actual boundary between Annfwn and the Kingdoms, as well as the characters’ loyalties. Andi’s come to mind first and foremost, yet her sisters’ mettle will no doubt be tested, too. (I admit I would’ve liked to see more of this in the present novel; on the other hand, there would be a lot to show here, so I can understand that the focus here was on Andromeda—book 2’s focus will be on Amelia, from what I saw in the preview, and we might assume that book 3 will be from Ursula’s point of view?)

Throughout the story, I got to see sympathetic, antipathic, and grey-area characters. In the beginning, the court of Uorsin is shown as a place of nobility, with its “brought peace to all the kingdoms” gleam and its shiny guests (such as Hugh, overall a positive man, but not so blandly goody-two-shoes as his Prince Charming side leads people to think). Rayfe provides a rather striking contrast: dark, rough, a demanding, ruthless alpha-male who only cares about what he wants. However, the story soon points at different interpretations. The King’s suspicious attitude towards his own daughter after her meeting with Rayfe, his way of immediately considering her a potential traitor (while her only “crime” was to be assaulted during a ride), clearly show that he’s not so kind nor benevolent. There’s a lot of talk about loyalty in here—Ursula’s toward the crown, the continuous questioning of Andi’s, Amelia’s love and devotion to her family—but in the end, the most loyal ones aren’t always the ones who’re most vocal about it. Other characters are also ambiguous: Zevondeth with her mysterious demand, Dafne who may or may not hide deeper motives…

Mostly my problems with this story, and why I didn’t give it a higher rating:

1) In the first half, Andi comes off as your average YA-novel narrator, which I found a bit juvenile. This seemed to coincide with her passiveness, though, and I felt it less and less as the story went on. Kind of like having her “grow up” at some point and make conscious decisions, become a stronger person who’s been coerced once, but won’t be again, not if she can help it. (So this “problem” was soon solved.)

2) Rayfe: I usually don’t abide by dominating males who speak and act as if the woman doesn’t have a say in the matter, and Rayfe was exactly that. After all, he was ready to besiege a whole castle, take prisoners, and perhaps worse to get Andi. On the other hand, he could’ve done those things much sooner, and somehow he also appeared as wishing to wait for Andi to come to him of her own free will. But it was free will thwarted by threat. But she—not Rayfe—was the one who decided on a plan that was definitely cunning and not so kind. So, yes, I had anticipated Rayfe as a much, much worse character, and was pleasantly surprised when he actually showed himself as still somewhat decent. Ruthless, yet not a complete boor either.
(Also, I had to remind myself that in such a setting, noble people so often got married for politics and alliances rather than love. While it seems pressuring to me as a woman, of course, it still fits the theme of this story. Andi acknowledges that such a marriage would be for politics only, just like Ursula’s would have been.)

3) The romance itself: I’m definitely shared on that one. I still have no idea whether Andi loves Rayfe, or simply lusts after him. Sometimes she seemed to consider things under the “it’ll only be political, so let’s try to be friendly at least” angle, sometimes it felt like she couldn’t live without him. I really didn’t understand her in that regard, and she seems rather confused herself on the matter. As for the sex scenes, they didn’t work for me, mostly because of the vocabulary, though: the story being told from the point of view of a princess, in first person, we can’t really have vulgar words thrown in… but phrases such as “my nether tissues” just made me roll my eyes and wish the story jumped back to the magic and politics faster.

4) In my opinion, while it was great that Andromeda understood and mastered her powers, I found it came to her just a tad bit too quickly. A matter of pacing, maybe? Too much time spent on her hesitation in the beginning (and on the sex scenes as well—they were eye-candy for me, nothing more)? All in all, I suppose I was more interested in the politics here, and in how Andi would “earn” her place in the second half of the book… so it may just be me.

What is and isn’t a problem: I wanted to learn even more about Annfwn and its magic. For instance, a lot of it revolves around blood. Blood purity taken too far and producing weak offspring. Having enough Tala blood to get back into their home country, or remaining stranded outside. The whole deal with the blood phials: Salena’s one, of course, but also that innocuous little phial Zevondeth asks from Andromeda… and I’m sure that one will get to bite our princess in the back at some point! The fact that Tala royalty seems to be linked to queens rather than kings, in spite of Rayfe’s position. And let’s not forget the dichotomy between the rumours about Annfwn, and the country Andi discovers: are the rumours totally wrong, or are there darker secrets yet to be revealed? Lots, lots of fascinating aspects, that I hope will be developed in the next book, because I wanted more.

Conclusion: enjoyable story, not more than a “Like” due to the reasons mentioned above, but still interesting enough that I’ll consider picking Amelia’s story once it comes out.

Yzabel / May 4, 2014

Review: Arms of Anu

Arms of Anu by Christina Mercer

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

Blood of body, blood of soul,
Entwined for life, then unfolds;
If blood still runs when magic binds,
Soul is never too far to find.

In ARMS OF ANU, Lia and Kelven battle through a land of tyrants, war and magic.

Can Lia escape the foes who ensnare her?
Will Kelven’s love withstand the darkness taking root inside Lia?
Is freedom too high a crown to reach, or will they forever remain in the hollows?

Review:

[I received a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

I read Arrow of the Mist in 2013, and I was interested in knowing how Lia’s story went on. Like its predecessor, Arms of Anu is a fast read that makes you want to get to the next chapter to see what happens, and how the characters will solve the problems at hand. In this one, Lia also remains a strong person, true to her beliefs, as well as willing to act and use her powers to protect her people and country; however, she also has to contend with another threat, one she hadn’t sensed coming, and this time, the battle is as much with herself as with external forces.

The writing was flowing and consistent—not too complex, since fit for a younger audience, but still able to carry good descriptions. I only found a couple of misprints, nothing more, and no sentence struck me as particularly odd. As with the first book, I had no problems picturing my surroundings in this story; it had just the right amount of descriptive language to make me feel immersed, without drowning me under too much.

I enjoyed the first part of the novel more than the second one, though, probably because the later chapters involve travelling, and I tend to be more at ease with fantasy that happens in more constricted settings, such as cities. (I have to mention this; another reader may not have the same qualms in that regard.) I absolutely loved the part in Anu, where Lia and Wynn had to face the king’s wrath, and find a way to escape a certain death. Lia’s magic was involved in useful ways, she managed to find an unexpected ally, and I was glad that she wasn’t cast in the Damsel In Distress role.

The second half, on the other hand, left me wanting for more (partly because Kelven was rather too passive in it in my opinion). While interesting—it deals more deeply with Lia’s predicament regarding Brume—it seemed both too slow (travelling) and too rushed, especially when the ending came in sight. There was potential for a lot more in this story, for a more complex type of narrative, but once the threads came together at the end, I still wanted more. This is mainly about the plot with the Hawks and what happens in Anu while Lia and Kelven are away. We see those two a lot, whereas the rest of the cast is totally forgotten for a while… yet is definitely doing something, since the Hawks have seized power, and are now wielding it in less than wise ways. This plot and those characters deserved more spotlight. As a result, I thought Wynn, Holly, and a certain ally were left on the side. Subsequently, Wynn’s and Murdina’s relationship came just out of nowhere. It would have been so interesting to see it develop, and to see how they fared in the castle while the Hawks seized power. Why did they abided by Lia’s wish to treat Murdina so kindle, when they were so ruthless otherwise, and could have spared her without giving her much comfort? So Wynn was thre, sure, but if he was captured a first time, what ensured he couldn’t be taken by surprise again, in spite of his weapons? There could’ve been such a strong parallel plot here, but to me, it appeared as brushed over at the end, as a kind of afterthought to explain what happened in the meanwhile. I regretted not getting to know those characters more, and I would’ve wished for more development when it came to the Hawks’ motivations. (And I doubt that a MG/YA audience would be too young to follow such a plot, anyway.)

I’d give this book a higher rating, if not for the characters and subplots that were put on a bus at some point, because overall, the story and atmosphere were definitely enjoyable.

Yzabel / May 3, 2014

Review: Prep School Confidential

Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

In this breathtaking debut that reads like Gossip Girl crossed with Twin Peaks, a Queen Bee at a blue-blooded New England prep school stumbles into a murder mystery.

Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne could care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.

When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.

Review:

A fast and fun read, and also one that kept me on the edge of my seat—the mystery part was well-done in my opinion, enough that I had my suspicions about a potential culprit, but without seeing it coming too easily.

I have a soft spot for boarding schools. I don’t know why. Perhaps because I’ve always wondered in hindsight if I wouldn’t have felt better in such a school as a teen? (Not necessarily a posh prep school. Just a school where I could be away from my family and experience things in a different way. As a university student, anyway, I was the kind of person who loved eating breakfast with others, spending time in each other’s rooms, and various dorm activities.) So, boarding schools often tend to grab my interest for their closed community aspect, and for the closed setting they provide, too. You can’t just walk away and ignore whatever problem happens there: you have to face it, whether the problem is gossip or a murder.

I didn’t really like Anne in the very first chapters. She came off as a snotty brat, the kind of girl who knew she’d get away with everything just by batting her eyelashes, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers, and by basically “being her”. Then she grew on me (and not like mildew). All in all, she was likeable. She had that ability to make people gravitate around her, but not in a condescending, Mean Girl way, which I something I can appreciate. No slut-shaming here, no attempts to make others look bad; when she refused to take crap, she did it in a direct, not a passive-aggressive way (often involving snark and sarcasm, but not underhanded). She wasn’t perfect, and just like so many people, she tended to judge others on first impressions—yet she also did it on actions, and was able to revise her judgment when it appeared she was wrong. The potential for snotty, woe-is-me attitude went away quickly enough to my liking. Although Anne didn’t want to stay at Wheatley, she acknowledged she hadn’t much choice in the matter, so might as well do with it in the meantime.

Other characters were handled in believable ways. I wondered sometimes why the arson story wasn’t thrown in her face more often, because it definitely could’ve been, especially by the characters who didn’t like Anne; on the other hand, I also didn’t find it too surprising that, considering her way of handling things, such a “rumour” wouldn’t have looked like what would hurt her the most, and made her appear like the mysterious, dangerous, yet oddly attractive kid. The main Mean Girl character wasn’t as cliché as I thought at first; even though I couldn’t bring myself to like her, at least she had circumstances of her own. As for other high school clichés, they were nicely toyed with, and I didn’t feel them as heavy as they did in other similar works I read in the past.

The romance part didn’t really work for me. Fortunately, it never detracted from the story, never took precedence over the actual plot (investigation/murder), and I was very grateful for that. Only I just didn’t care much for it.

I also questioned some choices on Anne’s part at times. Mostly she came off as sensible, knowing she could end up in dangerous situations and preparing herself in case of. However, there were a few moments when I wondered if she wasn’t too trusting of some people, in a setting where “trust no one” should’ve been a definite rule. I found this a little jarring, especially considering how she used people in general. (I don’t mind the “use others” attitude in a place where everyone could potentially be a murderer, or at least someone with dirty secrets and a tendency to use their parents’ money to become a problem to you; that was sort of logical. But if you do that, don’t tell all your plans to some of those people either. Even though Anne investigating completely on her own wouldn’t have been too interesting, I suppose.)

This set aside, I really liked this story, and will likely pick the next book… because we’re clearly not done yet with the many skeletons in Wheatley’s many closets.

Yzabel / April 30, 2014

Review: A Gift of Ghosts

A Gift of Ghosts by Sarah Wynde

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Akira Malone believes in the scientific method, evolution, and Einstein’s theory of relativity. And ghosts.

All the logic and reason in the world can’t protect her from the truth-she can see and communicate with spirits. But Akira is sure that her ability is just a genetic quirk and the ghosts she encounters simply leftover electromagnetic energy. Dangerous electromagnetic energy.

Zane Latimer believes in telepathy, precognition, auras, and that playing Halo with your employees is an excellent management technique. He also thinks that maybe, just maybe, Akira can help his family get in touch with their lost loved ones.

But will Akira ever be able to face her fears and accept her gift? Or will Zane’s relatives be trapped between life and death forever?

Review:

[I got a free copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

This was a quick and light read, and I mostly appreciated it. Not the best book I’ve read this year, but definitely enjoyable.

I liked its take on ghosts, how they behaved, the way they were bound to places that had been important to them in life or at the moment of their death. Their world wasn’t in black and white only: the “bad” ghosts, though definitely dangerous, aren’t totally unredeemable, and aren’t intrisically bad either; conversely, a “safe” ghost could turn into a dangerous one just as well if overwhelmed with grief. A lot seemed to be about balance, about regrets left behind, but it wasn’t so simple as “just get rid of your regrets and you’ll find the white light that’ll help you move on.” This predicament (for both the ghosts and Akira, who had her share of bad experiences with people she had tried to help) was interesting, and left room to various interpretations on the reader’s part. Being able to see ghosts doesn’t mean Akira can “save” them, and it explained her attitude on the matter. For instance, she doesn’t like advertising her ability because then she’s asked to bring closure to the ghosts’ relatives; yet simply relaying said ghosts’ messages doesn’t ensure their family will feel better, nor that the dead will manage to move on.

Those plots with the ghosts may or may not be seen as a problem. In a way, the story felt a little disjointed, in that those subplots were of the slice-of-life (pardon the pun) kind and didn’t seem to serve a larger purpose at first. However, in the end, they were important to understand Akira’s views, played a part in how relationships developed, and I think they also helped shape the ending. (I liked the twist with Henry, by the way.)

The writing itself was pleasant. Good formatting and editing, no weird sentence structures (if there were any, they really didn’t strike me). There was one sex scene that might seem weird at first, because the flirting/foreplay part involved a lot of references to physics; I think it depends on the reader here. I liked it, and I guess my inner geek just found it sexy—much better than the usual purple prose I’ve seen in too many depictions of romance/erotica—but I can also see how it wouldn’t work for other people.

The two things I liked the less were:

1) The setting. We have a small Florida town seemingly full of psychics, with Zane’s family members also having their share of powers, but we don’t see them that much. It would’ve been interesting to have a better glimpse into the life of Tassamara as a whole.

2) The characters were somewhat lackluster (though some got better later in the book). I think I liked the ghosts characters (Dillon and Rose mostly) better than the human ones. Akira especially struck me as a little too passive: accepting a job she didn’t know that much about for starters, not reacting that much to situations that should’ve prompted a more heated answer… I got a better feeling of her later on, but not at first.

In general, this novel had its faults, but as far as I’m concerned, the ghost-related plots made up for them.

Yzabel / March 3, 2014

Review: The Deep End of the Sea

The Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons

My rating: [rating=5]

Summary:

What if all the legends you’ve learned were wrong?

Brutally attacked by one god and unfairly cursed by another she faithfully served, Medusa has spent the last two thousand years living out her punishment on an enchanted isle in the Aegean Sea. A far cry from the monster legends depict, she’s spent her time educating herself, gardening, and desperately trying to frighten away adventure seekers who occasionally end up, much to her dismay, as statues when they manage to catch her off guard. As time marches on without her, Medusa wishes for nothing more than to be given a second chance at a life stolen away at far too young an age.

But then comes a day when Hermes, one of the few friends she still has and the only deity she trusts, petitions the rest of the gods and goddesses to reverse the curse. Thus begins a journey toward healing and redemption, of reclaiming a life after tragedy, and of just how powerful friendship and love can be—because sometimes, you have to sink in the deep end of the sea before you can rise back up again.

Review:

I’m probably not the right public for romance, and it’s too bad: I have to admit that there were a few moments during which I wanted this story to go just a little faster (surely a reader who has more love, no pun intended, for romance in general, would have enjoyed those more). However, I still found The Deep End of the Sea a fascinating read. Because to me, its real focus is not romance: it’s abuse, and how to conquer the fears it plants into a person—told through the tale of Medusa.

Bonus points, anyway, for: no insta-love; love that develops from a long friendship; no stinkin’ triangle (Poseidon doesn’t count, he’s a creep and Medusa doesn’t consider him as an acceptable alternative even once); love is great suppot, but not the miracle solution to every problem (Medusa has to literally and figuratively stand on her own two feet through her own willpower).

The author has taken a few liberties with some of the Greek myths here, but I think they work. After all, those deities were never depicted as perfect, far from it: they had all the merits and flaws human beings could have; in many ways, they were just as humans as those who worshipped them; and as such, I wasn’t surprised to see them portrayed here in slightly different colours than the ones I was used to. I could probably choose to be a nitpicker, but… I don’t want to.

Anyway, back to what really gripped me. This story deserves to be read not to get a shot of romance, but to think about what abuse (more specifically rape) entails. It addresses a lot of the crap usually heard: that the victim “deserved it”, that she was “looking for it”. It covered the way abusers will act, and even convince themselves that they’re not at fault, that what they did was genuine, that their victim was rightfully theirs, and should be forever. Twisted, insane love to the power of ten. Hateful thoughts from the punisher towards the person who was abused twice, once by her rapist, then by the one she served and thought would help her. Guilt-tripping the victim, making her feel like the one at fault. And, last but not least, the victim herself locking her life into abuse of her own, because she hasn’t come to terms with what she went through. Even two thousand years of isolation can’t delete such a trial from one’s mind: deep inside, Medusa hadn’t faced her fears yet.

This story calls bullshit on all of this, and doesn’t use romance as an excuse to awful behaviours, the way too many books do in my opinion. No, it’s not okay to force yourself on a woman (or on anyone, as a general rule) just because she’s pretty, just because one thinks he’s in love with her. It’s never okay. Poseidon has no right to claim Medusa as his own. Nobody should make decisions for her. She didn’t deserve what happened to her, but justice being served is only the first step on a much more important road, that of finding herself again, learning to let go of the pain, to allow herself to love: a victim no more, but a strong person who refuses to be shamed any longer, especially when the ones pointing the finger are the ones who should shut up the most. (Medusa being turned into a monster, blaming herself—and being blamed by others—for the deaths she caused in that form, was quite an accurate manner, in my opinion, to reflect how way too often, victims are driven to consider themselves guilty, to see themselves as “monsters” of sorts.)

Replace Medusa’s story with that of countless people who’ve been harrassed, abused, raped, then blamed for it. And there you have it.

Also, while there were of course some really hateful figures in this story, I appreciated how support was shown, and not necessarily where it was expected. Hermes, of course, is an obvious support to Medusa; we get that from the blurb, and the narrative confirms it. But really, would you expect Hades to care? Well, yes, the Lord of the Underworld does. Not only that, but he’s seriously spot-on, and I couldn’t put it better:
“Niece,” he stresses, mimicking her formality, “this isn’t the first time you’ve overstepped your bounds by punishing innocents; this one just so happens to be the last remaining victim. If you even try to spew that victim blaming crap again, I’ll take you down to the Underworld with me for a spell. Maybe then you can understand what true justice entails.”

Support didn’t come only from other women, it also came from men. It wasn’t a one-sided, “women support women and men stand up for men” story, thus placing the real focus far abovesuch differences, at a purely human level.

Although I do have a couple of minor quibbles, they never became a problem, so I’m willing to ignore them, and keep stressing how positive and beautiful this novel was (all the more when I compare it to other stories I’ve read, full of so-called “romantic” yet actually creepy behaviours that scream impending abuse to me).