heroine Archives - On Starships and Dragonwings

5 Stars: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

May 17, 2013 by Anya 1 Comment

Veronica Rossi’s Through the Ever Night is the second in the Under the Never Sky trilogy and I have to say I think I liked the second book better :D. There will be spoilers for Under the Never Sky, so check out my review of it instead. Under the Never Sky was actually one of the first books I got from the library based on book blogger suggestions, so this trilogy has a special place in my heart ;-). I had some issues with the first book being too romance focused, but Through the Ever Night has completely fixed that problem! Through the Ever Night has strong friendships, heart-breaking adventure, just enough romance to make me smile, but a story beyond just how Aria and Perry feel about each other, haha. I haven’t read the novella about Roar and Liv, and I kind of recommend reading that before Through the Ever Night since I think it would have just upped the feels all the more. But now I get to go read it and get more of these awesome characters :D.
Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: Through the Ever Night
Author: Veronica Rossi
Length: 352 pages
Genre-ish: Dystopia YA
Rating: ★★★★★- amazing sequel, can’t wait for more!

It’s been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don’t take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe’s precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both. Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder,Can their love survive through the ever night? – Goodreads

Strengths:

Based on most of the YA books I’ve read, I’ve been convinced that boys and girls can’t be friends without falling in love. Through the Ever Night fixed this, yey! I was relieved and excited to see a strong friendship between Aria and Roar that didn’t have love triangle overtones (well, except for that one amusing moment with Perry >.>).
The action just keeps heating up in Through the Ever Night. The Aether is getting worse and not even Aria’s former home in the pod is safe. Everyone wants to find safe haven and I was biting my nails waiting to see how far they’d go to find it.
I know I said the romance wasn’t the major focus, and it isn’t, but I actually really like books where the main characters’ relationship is established and a comfy background to stressful plot developments. It’s like what real relationships are ya know?
If you’ve read Under the Never Sky, you already know this, but the writing of Through the Ever Night was fluid and compelling. The world-building is awesome (hope this doesn’t happen to our planet for reals D:). The characters develop and interact and grow together as real people. Also can I be best friends with all of them? I just need to hug Cinder and Willow :D.

Weaknesses:

I had a bit of vertigo when I started Through the Ever Night. I don’t re-read previous books before jumping into a sequel and I’ve never found it to be a problem. However, I felt like I had missed something when I started Through the Ever Night and actually went to make sure the novella wasn’t 1.5 and required to read 2. It’s not, you’ll get it figured out, just keep reading.
Ummm… when is the third book released please? (That’s all I got, I loved Through the Ever Night, sorry!)

Summary:

I like this pattern I’m seeing in second books where the romance becomes a secondary element and we get to really bite into the plot. Everything is being ratcheted up in Through the Ever Night and the friendships and relationships developed in the previous book are necessary for everyone to stay sane from the stress! If you were a little disappointed with the ending of Under the Never Sky, keep going! It’s totally worth it and you will (hopefully) not be disappointed. I wasn’t at least ;-).

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- A

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: dystopia, five stars, heroine, rossi, sci-fi, through the ever night, trilogy

4 Stars: School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

May 10, 2013 by Anya 10 Comments

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins may be a spin-off of her Hex Hall series, but it stands on its own as a fun start to an exciting new series. I haven’t actually read the Hex Hall series and still greatly enjoyed School Spirits. I’m now excited to go track down copies of Hawkins other series just to stave off the withdrawal, haha. I think a lot of us have a soft spot for younger urban fantasy set in high school. School Spirits does this well by approaching from the outsider’s perspective. Hawkins really nailed what it would be like for a home-schooled monster-hunter to try to figure out high school for the first time. I’m very much looking forward to Izzy’s next adventure!

Note: I recieved School Spirits for review through Netgalley. Thank you to Disney-Hyperion and Netgalley!
Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: School Spirits
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Length: 304 pages
Genre-ish: YA Urban Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★☆- well done characters and fun plot

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy’s mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who’s always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt? – Goodreads

Strengths:

As I said above, one of my favorite aspects of School Spirits was Izzy trying to understand this crazy high school thing. She turned to amusingly overdramatic TV shows and those hilarious teen advice magazines. Understandably, there were some laugh out loud moments as she discovered that all she had seen on “Ivy Springs” was not what high school was really like ;-).
Many YA novels have a strange lack of parents, but School Spirits didn’t fall prey to this theme. Izzy’s mother was a great character: just as confused as Izzy about this high school thing, trying to deal with Izzy’s sister’s disappearance, and trying to let Izzy grow into a successful monster-hunter.
There were some glimpses of the broader UF world that School Spirits’ inhabits at the beginning, which makes me really excited for further book to explore the world more. I assume though that Hex Hall is set in the same world, so I could get my world-building on that way, hehe. School Spirits understandably focused on the ghost aspect as well as a little magic.
I looooved the friends that Izzy made at school. Nerds and outcasts are the best in my opinion and what better place for Izzy to make friends than a paranormal hunting club, ha.
While you might be nervous at first, there is none of the love triangle angst, scout’s honor!

Weaknesses:

The ending of School Spirits had an easy wrap-up with a good info dump thrown in to explain everything. Not a happy Anya :(.
Izzy’s life-story can be very easily compared to early Buffy episodes, not that I don’t like Buffy, I just don’t like obvious comparisons.
As I said above, the world of supernatural beings was glimpsed early on in School Spirits, but then all we got was a little ghost-hunting throughout the rest of the book. I want to know more about this Council and all the interesting supernatural powers!

Summary:

School Spirits is a perfect book for those who are addicted to school settings with a supernatural twist. I was loving it all the way to the end when there was a bit of a hiccup in the awesomeness factor. However I’m very hopeful for the sequel to explore more of the mystery around Izzy’s sister and the hints of a pretty epic series plot-line. I also neeeed to go checkout Hex Hall now :D.

- A

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: four stars, ghosts, heroine, school spirits, urban fantasy, ya

3 Stars: Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon ARC

May 7, 2013 by Anya 12 Comments

Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon has a promising premise and a gorgeous cover. There were some fun characters, but in the end I was left wondering where the plot went. I was very excited to receive Zenn Scarlett through Netgalley after seeing a couple of mentions on blogs, so thank you Strange Chemistry for giving me the opportunity to review it! While I had a good time reading Zenn Scarlett, and am therefore hopeful for the second book, I was left a bit unsatisfied :(. Zenn Scarlett comes out May 7th (today!), 2013 if you want to check it out yourself!

Note: I read an eARC of Zenn Scarlett from Netgalley. Some things may be changed in the final version.

Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: Zenn Scarlett
Author: Christian Schoon
Length: 304 pages
Genre-ish: Sci-fi YA
Rating: ★★★☆☆- fun premise and characters, weird plot

When you’re studying to be exoveterinarian specializing in exotic, alien life forms, school… is a different kind of animal.

Zenn Scarlett is a resourceful, determined 17-year-old girl working hard to make it through her novice year of exovet training. That means she’s learning to care for alien creatures that are mostly large, generally dangerous and profoundly fascinating. Zenn’s all-important end-of-term tests at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars are coming up, and, she’s feeling confident of acing the exams. But when a series of inexplicable animal escapes and other disturbing events hit the school, Zenn finds herself being blamed for the problems. As if this isn’t enough to deal with, her absent father has abruptly stopped communicating with her; Liam Tucker, a local towner boy, is acting unusually, annoyingly friendly; and, strangest of all: Zenn is worried she’s started sharing the thoughts of the creatures around her. Which is impossible, of course. Nonetheless, she can’t deny what she’s feeling.

Now, with the help of Liam and Hamish, an eight-foot sentient insectoid also training at the clinic, Zenn must learn what’s happened to her father, solve the mystery of who, if anyone, is sabotaging the cloister, and determine if she’s actually sensing the consciousness of her alien patients… or just losing her mind. All without failing her novice year….– Goodreads

Strengths:

Exovets :D. The premise of Zenn Scarlett is freaking awesome. It in fact makes total sense that people would need to learn how to heal all sorts of alien critters once we start making contact with other life forms. I love sci-fi with a dose of “it could actually happen this way!”
Zenn and Hamish are awesome for their own completely different reasons. Zenn is a great main character, exceedingly relatable (especially for us students!) with a protected but strong heart. Hamish is such a realistic insectoid alien :D. He has to ask permission to do anything because he comes from a colony where the queen tells everyone else what to do always. Makes a lot of sense huh?
Once I figured out what the plot was, there were plot twists and exciting action, yey!
Zenn has a pet that is fuzzy but intelligent named Katie! Katie is awesome and deaf and so Zenn taught her to use sign language. Now they chat and Katie says the cutest things!!!! “Katie hungry, hungry Katie eat now?” *squees”

Weaknesses:

Confused….

As I mentioned briefly above, I had a hard time nailing down the plot of Zenn Scarlett. There were all sorts of big important problems revealed early on, but then Zenn didn’t really try to fix any of them (because really she couldn’t do much). This left me scrambling to try to figure out what the big problem of the book would be that Zenn could solve. Eventually it becomes clear (it’s the strange events happening at the cloister), but not until at least half way through.
On that note, what about all that other stuff! There is a mysterious problem with ships disappearing (which Zenn is quite personally vested in), Zenn is having crazy connections with the animals, Zenn’s father is off doing crazy things, and the cloister is in financial trouble. All of these problems are revealed in Zenn Scarlett, but none of them are resolved in any way. So many questions left!
Related the general plot problem, there is a huuuuuuuuuuge cliffhanger. To the point that I really don’t consider the end of Zenn Scarlett all that connected to the rest of the book. The main plot is resolved and then another plot line starts. Then the book ends. Have fun waiting for the second book!

Summary:

Zenn Scarlett had a lot of promise between the amazing premise and wonderful characters. However the lack of a clearly defined plot frustrated and confused me. I will probably read the second book if/when it comes out, mostly because I want to know what freaking happens, but I hope that more attention is paid to having a well-developed plot line. If the premise of Zenn Scarlett interests you and you enjoy shenanigans at schools that need to be figured out, then you will probably enjoy Zenn Scarlett, so go for it! However if you can’t stand cliffhangers and unresolved questions, stay away ;-).

- A

Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: heroine, schoon, sci-fi, strange chemistry, three stars, ya, zenn scarlett

4 Stars: The Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

May 2, 2013 by Anya 15 Comments

I have been seeing great reviews for The Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke since it came out! This made it impossible to resist the shiny new copy sitting on the library shelf, even though I had informed my boyfriend that I could not get any more books from the library…. I fail at those sorts of decisions, books are just impossible to resist, hehe! I did, however, resist reading The Assassin’s Curse until I finished books for various deadlines, so I showed some self-restraint ;-). I have to admit that I was expecting something a little different from what I got, however The Assassin’s Curse was still a fun ride!

Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: The Assassin’s Curse
Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Length: 320 pages
Genre-ish: Fantasy YA
Rating: ★★★★☆- fun premise and characters, weird plot

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan: she wants to captain her own boat, not serve as second-in-command to her handsome yet clueless fiance. But her escape has dire consequences when she learns the scorned clan has sent an assassin after her.

And when the assassin, Naji, finally catches up with her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse — with a life-altering result. Now Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work together to break the curse and return their lives back to normal. Or at least as normal as the lives of a pirate and an assassin can be. – Goodreads

Strengths:

Ananna is spunky and authentic. It took me a couple chapters to get used to her accent (since it’s in first person), but I thought she was a much more realistic female pirate that many I’ve seen.
The Assassin’s Curse has not only a desert setting but also pirates :D. And assassins! How many awesome things do you need before you have to read this book??
If there is going to be a full-fledged romance, it certainly wasn’t insta-love and there was a very slow build up to Ananna even realizing she liked someone else >.>.
There are a few different types of magic in The Assassin’s Curse, but they mixed well and the otherworld people/creatures are cool :D.

Weaknesses:

There is no resolution, like at all. The Goodreads description builds you up for less of a disappointment, but the back of the book talks about Ananna going on three impossible quests. Yeah, that doesn’t happen in The Assassin’s Curse. Maybe it’ll happen in The Pirate’s Wish, we’ll find out.
We find out that there is a curse on an assassin pretty quick, but it takes most of the book for us to find out any real details about what is going on. Mostly Ananna just goes along with things because it’s better than going back to her family. I want details!
Ananna’s voice takes a bit to get used to. She uses non-standard English grammar, which makes sense, but it was a bit hard for this reader at first.

Summary:

While The Assassin’s Curse didn’t match up to exactly what I expected both from the back of the book and from various reviews, it was still a very good book. If you are aware that the plot isn’t quite the traditional one presented in some descriptions of the book, you should be good. Also, don’t stop just because of Ananna’s voice, give it at least a couple chapters, because she grows on you ;-). In the end, I really enjoyed the world and characters of The Assassin’s Curse, I just hope that the sequel finally progresses on the plot I thought The Assassin’s Curse would have….

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- A

The Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: assassin's curse, clarke, desert, fantasy, heroine, pirates, series, ya

4 Stars: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins Audiobook

April 30, 2013 by Anya 15 Comments

I’m thrilled to say that I’ve finally caught up and finished Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins! I was able to find a copy of the audiobook on my library Overdrive, woot! It was also excellent timing since it let me start Mockingjay right after finishing Catching Fire, definitely necessary ;-). Mockingjay is a spectacular conclusion to this already spectacular trilogy and a book I’m tempted to listen to again if I find myself low on audiobooks >.>. The narration is amazing for Mockingjay and Catching Fire (probably Hunger Games, too, but I only listened to the last two!). If you haven’t finished this trilogy yet, or want to reread it, I definitely recommend the audiobook! There will also be spoilers for the first two books!

Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Length: 9 discs
Genre-ish: Dystopia YA
Rating: ★★★★☆- awesome plot, weird ending

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year. – Goodreads

Strengths:

I loved that Mockingjay departed from the “games” plot line that has been in the last two books. Obviously there aren’t any Hunger Games to participate in now >.>.
We finally get to see much more of the real Panem and the Capitol in Mockingjay, beyond what we peeked at in Catching Fire.
The character developments in Mockingjay were heart-wrenching and compelling. We got to know Gale much better since he’s finally able to be around some, and there is just a lot to find out about all the characters that didn’t play major roles in the first two books.
The plot twists! The last third of the book confused me greatly at times for other reasons, but the plot twists made it all better :D.

Weaknesses:

Without going into too much detail, I really didn’t like parts of the ending. The commentary they made on all the preceding events (and deaths) was just horrible. I’ll discuss more at the end ;-).
Some of the character deaths seemed arbitrary and unnecessary. Yes, they pulled at my heartstrings, but was that the only point??
Love triangle drama… :(

Summary:

I had a couple of reservations about the ending of Mockingjay, however I am very glad that I finally finished The Hunger Games trilogy. It was an epic and wild ride. I am now even more excited for the movies to come out so that I can relieve the adventure all over again :D. Anyone who loves epic adventure, compelling writing, and a great dystopian world should definitely finish this trilogy. While you’re at it, try to find a copy of the audio version and let your ears smile, hehe!

SPOILERY DISCUSSION!!!

All right, I just had to briefly discuss that ending. It’s now been about a month unfortunately (I’m getting better at reviewing right away!), so forgive me and gently correct any messed up details. When Coin and the group start going on about having a Hunger Games with the Capitol children, my chin dropped. I seriously got so many icky feelings about what that conversation said about history repeating itself. Then the whole assassination was crazy, and probably for the best given the conversation previously, but also a bit confusing. Anyone have any insight they can lend to make me feel less confused/icky about the rebel leaders? Or do you think that was the whole point?

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- A

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: collins, discussion, dystopia, four stars, heroine, mockingjay, trilogy, ya

5 Stars: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

April 19, 2013 by Anya 18 Comments

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer is the second book in the Lunar Chronicles installment and it rocks! Possibly it rocks harder than the first book, Cinder, though that is probably a matter of opinion ;-). Cinder introduced us to cyborgs, plague, and crazy Moon people (Lunars!). Scarlet ramps up the action with dual viewpoints of Cinder and a new character, Scarlet. The fairytale retellings continue, this time with Red Riding Hood, but don’t you worry, Scarlet is so much more than the classic storyline. While Cinder entertained me, Scarlet made me never want to stop reading. From here on out there will be spoilers for the first book and you can just read my review of Cinder if you want to avoid them but find out about this awesome world!

Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: Scarlet
Author: Marissa Meyer
Length: 464 pages
Genre-ish: Dystopia/Sci-fi/Fairytale retelling awesomeness
Rating: ★★★★★- things are really getting going :D

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth…

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner. – Goodreads

Strengths:

First off, the last third of Scarlet is dangerously awesome because I got white knuckles from holding my book too tight >.> I really wanted to know what was going to happen all right! There is no slow going this time: Scarlet is action-packed and amazing.
I really liked the way the Red Riding Hood retelling fit in, but Scarlet didn’t follow it precisely so you still won’t know what actually happens.
Wow, there were so many feelings while reading this one! Who can I trust? Such noble sacrifices! *melts in a puddle*
Iko is still around and she is possibly my favorite character >.> Go androids! I need a bumper sticker or something, haha.

Weaknesses:

The story lines of Scarlet and Cinder are separate for a loooooong time. I started getting impatient for them to meet up because I know it would be fun for them and me!
On that note, however, Scarlet and Cinder are fairly similar characters (strong, curious, dealing with an annoying guy, isolated from the world with secrets), which made it slightly hard to keep track of them and just annoying from a story perspective.
There are still so many questions! Why can’t my questions be answered ever???

Summary:

Many times second books aren’t as good as the first. No worries about that. I actually liked Scarlet far more than Cinder (well, a bit more, I still liked Cinder!). The magnitude of the world’s problems start coming to light and the action really gets going. We get a glimpse of just how epic the rest of this series is going to be and I love it; that aspect helped me get so much more invested in these characters’ actions. I’m also so excited that the next book, Cress, will finally be getting us to the desert! (I love deserts >.> as settings, not to visit probably, haha.)

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- A

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: cyborgs, five stars, heroine, scarlet by marissa meyer, sci-fi, series, werewolves

4 Stars: Divergent by Veronica Roth Audiobook

April 15, 2013 by Anya 16 Comments

I’m a bit behind the times when it comes to reading Divergent by Veronica Roth. However, I’m finally starting to get caught up with all these awesome 2012 books! It’s funny that I finally got around to Divergent when I saw it on audio from the library. I hadn’t been able to find time to read the physical book I bought a year ago (one of my first book blogger inspired purchases :D), but I have been so short on audiobooks that it worked out perfectly in the form! In any case, I know that some of my opinions on this one are likely to be disagreeable with many fans, but that’s why they are opinions right, hehe.

Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Length: 11 hours 11 minutes
Genre-ish: Dystopia YA
Rating: ★★★★☆- invigorating plot, quite sad

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her. – Goodreads

Strengths:

I am a huge fan of slow burn romances, those relationships that you start getting an inkling about in the beginning, but the characters certainly don’t realize it. Divergent did this wonderfully from Tris’ perspective since she starts annoyed and put off, but slowly gets to know Four and finds she likes who he is when he freaking relaxes!
The premise of five factions that focus on only one trait is quite interesting. I found myself thinking quickly about which faction I would end up in (Erudite) though it also seems likely I would have been born into it ;-). What faction do you think you’d choose? Do you think you would have been born into it based on your parents’ personalities?
The plot twists of Divergent are delicious :D. I saw this book going in a very different direction, so it was pretty awesome to see how things developed.
I thought the questions that Divergent brings up in terms of who should make up the government were really fun to think about and actually a good thing to consider. In the beginning there seem to be very good arguments for Abnegation, but is it really fair/good to have only one faction control government?
The narrator did an excellent job. I highly recommend you check out the audiobook version if you are interested.

Weaknesses:

There is only so much sadness and innocent death that I can take, and Divergent pushed up against that limit. I really didn’t think all of the bad things should have happened to some of the side characters. I understand some of it was necessary to show how cruel select candidates were, but it just went too far for my emotional health ;-).
I’m not a fan of the “saving the world with love” conclusions and Divergent definitely felt like one.
Just a generally word of caution that Divergent has abuse and assault situations at several occasions that might be more than unpleasant for some people.

Summary:

Divergent definitely brought the grittiness of dystopias to the table in addition to a fascinating premise and strong characters. While I wish it hadn’t been nearly so dark at times, I thoroughly enjoyed the brewing romance and developing character of Tris. Now that all of that has gone down, I’m excited to see what Insurgent has in store! I’ve heard it’s just as depressing, so I’m holding off reading it until I’m filled up on happy fantasy books, but I won’t be able to resist the questions long ;-).

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- A

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: divergent, dystopia, four stars, heroine, roth, sci-fi, trilogy

5 Stars: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

April 11, 2013 by Anya 6 Comments

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs is the seventh novel in the Mercy Thompson series. Hence there will be minor spoilers for the first six books because I can’t really remember what big twists there were previously. Each book stands on its own fairly well though, so unless you don’t want the romance aspect to be spoiled, you’re mostly safe. In any case, I love the world that Patricia Briggs has built with this series and its spin-off Alpha and Omega. My favorite part about Frost Burned, however, is that it breaks free of the formula that so many urban fantasy series fall into, and Mercy is thrown straight into the thick of a mystery all on her own.
Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: Frost Burned
Author: Patricia Briggs
Length: 352 pages (hardcover)
Genre-ish: Urban Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★★- rocking plot, characters and world

Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman—the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack—has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely. – Goodreads

Strengths:

Frost Burned pulls you (and Mercy!) into the action immediately. Things go from a little after turkey shopping to oh gawd what happened??? And you just never want to stop reading from there :D.
Between the most recent Alpha and Omega book and Frost Burned, there is so much epic brewing in the world that I just can’t take the wait. Frost Burned does an excellent job of telling a compelling story while dropping little hints about what is building for the series. I’m so excited!!!
Mercy has always been an odd duck in terms of her magical gifts, and we get to find out a bit more about what she can do now that she’s connected to Adam through their mate bond. It’s pretty awesome ;-).
I love cross-series appearances of characters that we know pretty well (if you’ve been reading Alpha and Omega), but these characters don’t! Mwahahaha.
I totally didn’t see the plot direction of Frost Burned coming. Yes, Adam needs to be rescued, but everything after that is just craziness (in a good way, haha).

Weaknesses:

Some phrasing was repeated multiple times; it was a bit odd and annoying. I remember you saying that one page ago!
There are switches between first person and third when we need Adam’s perspective. It takes a moment to get your bearing when that happens.
The magic developments were a bit too convenient even if they were cool….

Summary:

If you haven’t read the Mercy Thompson series (and you made it this far in the review….) but like urban fantasy, go read Moon Called now!!! I’ve gotten tired of a lot of UF’s repeated plot lines and familiar heroines, but Frost Burned shows that I will probably never get tired of this series. Patricia Briggs writes amazingly with characters you can’t help but adore (or hate, depending on what’s called for, haha) and a world that keeps getting richer. I half expect fae and werewolves to “come out of the closet” any day now after reading this series >.>.

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- A

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: briggs, frost burned, heroine, magic system, series, urban fantasy, werewolves

4.5 Stars: Poison by Bridget Zinn

April 9, 2013 by Anya 12 Comments

One of the first things I noticed about Poison by Bridget Zinn was the cover. I’ve heard differing opinions, but I loved a cover that told most of the premise and had a heroine that wasn’t in an overly sexual pose. It’s so difficult to find covers like this on fantasy books! I also loved the depth of the cover, since I kept noticing new aspects to it (totally didn’t see the piglet the first time >.>)! Anyway, the cover also reveals the “Disney”-esque feel to Poison, in that it totally could be the cover to a Disney movie and has a plot line that very much reminded me of a Disney movie. So if you are up for a light-hearted fantasy that doesn’t take itself overly seriously, check out Poison.

Note: I bought a copy of Poison to review because I couldn’t resist that cover…. >.>

Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: Poison
Author: Bridget Zinn
Length: 288 pages (hardcover)
Genre-ish: Light fantasy
Rating: ★★★★☆- fun for what it is

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her? — Goodreads

Strengths:

There were several times when my neighbors probably got annoyed at me because I laughed long and hard while reading Poison. I just love those witty lines :D.
Poison is not a book that just throws a cute piglet on the cover to be adorable. The pig has a purpose and it’s a very important one, yey!
Potions! I love the idea of a heroine whose greatest skill is in making and using potions. Freaking awesome.
Poison has a pretty typical “magic kingdom” world, but there are a few interesting and fun twists.

Weaknesses:

The “potion” magic system in Poison is quite simplistic and convenient unfortunately.
There is a fair amount of vocabulary you wouldn’t expect in fantasy settings, though this fits in with the “Disney” feel.
Poison starts out all action-packed and cool, but it takes a fair while to explain the actual motivation that Kyra had for trying to assassinate her best friend. It makes sense once it’s explained, but I was a bit confused for the first part.

Summary:

Poison is great if you want a story that is light-hearted and fun with just enough fantasy elements to make your brain daydream. If you like Disney movies, you will probably like Poison ;-). Just don’t expect this to be an epic fantasy adventure since you would be setting yourself up for disappointment. As many of you know, the author of Poison, Bridget Zinn, passed away shortly after finishing Poison, and so there won’t be any sequels. I can assure you that Poison wraps up well and doesn’t really leave any questions, however I wish that there was the opportunity for deeper development of this world through later books.

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- A

Poison by Bridget Zinn

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: easy read, fantasy, heroine, poison by bridget zinn, witches, ya

5 Stars: Above World by Jenn Reese

April 4, 2013 by Anya 8 Comments

Above World by Jenn Reese is a Nebula finalist (Andre Norton Award) this year, therefore as soon as I spotted it, I had to read it. I’ve been craving mermaid/underwater books lately (I think they make me think of summer, haha), so I was freaking thrilled to discover Above World. While the Kampii don’t want you to call them mermaids, and a lot of the book takes place in the Above World (ie land), this book had such an original combination of fantasy and sci-fi elements as well as an awesome retelling of the traditional mermaid myths. Think about a world were humans have altered themselves to be able to live underwater (tails, breathing devices and all), or fly through the skies (think harpies, but not evil), or gallop across the deserts (centaurs!). That is the world that Above World is set in :D.

I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. All statements are my own honest opinions.

Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing
Title: Above World
Author: Jenn Reese
Length: 368 pages (hardcover)
Genre-ish: Fantasy/Sci-fi hybrid :D (Younger YA)
Rating: ★★★★★- such awesome world-building and characters!

Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony’s survival is in doubt. The Kampii’s breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people.

But can Aluna’s warrior spirit and Hoku’s tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt—growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains—here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true. — Goodreads

Strengths:

One of my favorite things about Above World were the new phrases that Reese came up with to suit a culture that has been living under the sea for generations. They say things like “still as a starfish” because that’s what they are surrounded by! This level of detail to the world made me really happy :D.
At first I thought Above World was a fantasy with mermaids, then I realized it was a fantasy with sci-fi roots to explain how all the humanoids came to be. This hybridization was freaking awesome to read.
Aluna and Hoku are adorable and I love how they broke various stereotypes. Aluna was a great female character who was a complete tomboy, though her headstrong nature got her into trouble sometimes. Hoku was the one who needed rescuing because he was a complete nerd :D, but his curiosity for technology was quite useful in the end.
Above World is proof that best friends don’t always have to fall in love with each other. This was a huge relief ;-) and sends a good message I think. Turns out girls and boys can be just friends if they want, haha.

Weaknesses:

As with many books of this age range, there were some convenient developments to get the characters out of various pickles.
While Above World at first seems like a middle grade, I would be very cautious about suggesting this to kids. There were some pretty gruesome moments with all the body part switching technology. I would say Above World is more a light YA given the gore-y parts near the end.

Summary:

I may be biased due to my current mermaid addiction, but Above World is hands down an awesome fantasy/sci-fi book. I am in love with this world and can’t wait to find out more about the centaur people in the next book :D. While most of Above World has a MG feel to it, there is definitely a lot of weird and gore-y moments given the nature of the technological enhancements everyone has. If you are looking for a fun fantasy that has tech-mermaids (maybe you didn’t realize you were looking for that, but you should be!), great characters and world-building, and a bit of an edge, you have to pick up Above World like NOW.

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- A