ARC Book Review | Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 10, 2014
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

For readers of A Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games comes an epic new series.

The night Quin Kincaid takes her Oath, she will become what she has trained to be her entire life. She will become a Seeker. This is her legacy, and it is an honor. As a Seeker, Quin will fight beside her two closest companions, Shinobu and John, to protect the weak and the wronged. Together they will stand for light in a shadowy world. And she'll be with the boy she loves--who's also her best friend.

But the night Quin takes her Oath, everything changes. Being a Seeker is not what she thought. Her family is not what she thought. Even the boy she loves is not who she thought.

And now it's too late to walk away.

Book Review | See Me by Wendy Higgins

Format: Kindle

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: March 17, 2014

Goodreads

 

 

While most seventeen-year-old American girls would refuse to let their parents marry them off to a stranger, Robyn Mason dreams of the mysterious McKale in Ireland, wondering how he’ll look and imagining his cute Irish accent. Prearranged bindings are common for magical families like her own, however when she travels to the whimsical Emerald Isle she discovers there’s more to her betrothal and McKale’s clan than she was led to believe.

What starts as an obligatory pairing between Robyn and McKale morphs over time into something they both need. But one giant obstacle stands in the way of their budding romance: a seductive and deadly Fae princess accustomed to getting what she wants—and what she wants is McKale as her plaything. Love, desire, and jealousies collide as Robyn’s family and McKale’s clan must work together to outsmart the powerful Faeries and preserve the only hope left for their people.

　

My Thoughts

　

Wow! This book took me completely by surprise. While it's true that I figured that I would like this book, I mean it's written by Wendy Higgins so I had a feeling that it would be great. But I have never read anything about Leprechauns before so I wasn't sure how that would work out for me because the last time I tried a book about a creature that I hadn't read before *cough* Gargoyles *cough* it didn't work out so well. However, I completely fell in love with this world and these characters that Wendy created and I sincerely hope that we get to see more books set in this world.

 

Robyn didn't have the luxury of a normal upbringing. Instead she has known since she was a little girl that she was promised to a boy that she had never met before. You see, Robyn's parents work for the Fae and when Robyn was a baby, the Summer King's Consort threatened to take Robyn unless her parents agreed to an arranged marriage. Of course, her parents knew what would happen to her if she was held in Faerie, so they agreed.

Robyn didn't look forward to the union with dread, instead she has spent her whole life wondering what her future husband was like. She even bought him presents when she was just a little girl. But it isn't long after Robyn meets McKale that she realizes that a Fae girl has her sights set on him and she will stop and nothing to get him.

Yes, the Fae were stronger.  They could force us to work for them.  Force us to bind with strangers.  They could alter our minds and take our memories.  But they couldn't take away our will to live or our choice to love.  We would endure, and then we would die, but our hearts would be full along the way.  I pitied the Fae with all their power and beauty and their lack of love.

Robyn was such an easy character to like, she was just so sweet and the complete opposite of the FFG (Freaky Fae Girl) that was trying to win McKale over. McKale *sighs* McKale is such a sweetheart, I can see why he has two girls fighting over him. Hell, there would be three girls fighting over him if I could somehow jump in this book :)

The secondary characters in the book are wonderful too. I adored Robyn's sister, Cassidy. She was such fun, I think she brought out a little bit of a wild side in Robyn. And Rock, he had me cracking up.

I also really liked the fact that Robyn and Cassidy's parents were present a lot in this book. It seems like a trend in YA books where the parents are nowhere to be found and I find that a little unrealistic. Yeah, when I was a teenager I would have loved for my parents to be gone more so that I could have a little bit of freedom, but in the real world, it doesn't usually happen that way.

Overall, See Me is such a fun and captivating read. Wendy's writing is flawless and the story flows so perfectly that it's impossible not to get swept up in this world and I hope to see more of these characters in the future.

 

 



Book Review | The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Format: Kindle Edition

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: September 3, 2013

Pages: 432

Goodreads | Amazon

　

　

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

Book Review | Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Series: The Grisha #1

Format: Hardcover

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Publication Date: June 5, 2012

Pages: 356

Goodreads | Amazon

The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.

Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.

But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

Glorious. Epic. Irresistible. Romance. 

 

I really didn’t know what to expect going into Shadow and Bone, I had been putting it off for a while because I wasn’t sure that it would be a book I would enjoy due to all of the Russian culture.  And honestly, it did take me a few chapters to get used to the terms and the names, but once I did, the zombie apocalypse couldn’t have made me put this book down.  The world that Leigh Bardugo has created is absolutely breathtaking and I was completely absorbed.

 I loved seeing the main character, Alina, grow immensely during this book.  At the beginning she’s very insecure and she continuously doubts herself but by the end she’s stronger, more determined and she has a lot more confidence in herself and her gift. I have to admit that I really didn’t care for Mal during the first part of the book and it isn’t until he proves how much he cares about Alina that I start warming up to him.  The Darkling…ahhhh, I am SOOO confused about my feelings for the Darkling.  I was very intrigued by him at first, then I slowly started finding him irresistible and then I started to hate him, but yet I still find myself hoping that we are missing something when it comes to him and that he’s not all terrible.  See what I mean, The Darkling has me perplexed!

 The world-building is so stunning; I had no trouble visualizing the Little Palace or the Shadow Fold with its horrendous creatures.  Bardugo’s writing style is incredible and she will have you fully captivated with the dark and suspenseful world that is Shadow and Bone.

 Overall, Shadow and Bone is a wonderful addition to the fantasy genre.  It has everything that is needed to make a great book: strong heroine, adventure, a mysterious villain that you love to hate and a fast-paced plot.  If you are like me and have been putting this book off, do yourself a favor and pick it up.

 

Favorite Quotes

“I’ve been waiting for you a long time, Alina,” he said.  “You and I are going to change the world.”

“If I
told you that I'm trying to save the world, would you believe me?”

 



 

Early Book Review | Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass #2

Format: e-ARC

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Publication Date: August 27, 2013

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Pages: 432

(Goodreads / Amazon )

An assassin’s loyalties are always in doubt.
But her heart never wavers.

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

 

*Warning – Contains spoilers from Throne of Glass*

I just recently read and LOVED Throne of Glass (you can find my review HERE) so I was absolutely ecstatic to get approved to read Crown of Midnight a little bit early.

In Throne of Glass we get to see Celaena compete to become the King’s Champion in exchange for her eventual freedom and in Crown of Midnight we get to see everything that being the King’s Champion entails.

As the King’s Champion, it is now Celaena’s responsibility to execute anyone the King deems a threat. However, Celaena hasn’t been killing the people the King has asked her to, instead she has been giving them the choice to die or disappear and live. Celaena must figure out what the King is up to before he finds out that she hasn’t been killing her targets because if the King found out what she was doing he would have her and everyone she cared about killed.

You would think that an assassin wouldn’t be a very easy character to relate to, but Celaena is extremely easy to like. Even though her job is to kill people, she is a very loyal and caring friend that will do anything to protect those she loves. Chaol is another person that I adore; I love how protective he is over Celaena.

This book has so many twists and turns that you will not expect. There were quite a few things that happened is this book that stunned me to the extent that I had to put the book down to catch my breath and come to terms with what had just happened. Even though I was surprised and heartbroken with what had occurred I can understand why it was written this way, Celaena needed that push to get to where she needed to be.

Once again I’m absolutely amazed by the world that Sarah J Maas created. Sarah’s writing is astonishing, these characters and this world will completely draw you in. This is one series that you do not want to miss.

 

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Series: Throne of Glass #1

Format: Paperback

Source: Gifted

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's

Publication Date: August 7, 2012

Pages: 420

( Goodreads / Amazon )

 

 After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

 Celaena Sadothien isn't your ordinary eighteen year old girl, she is the most feared assassin in Adarlan.  Celaena has spent the past year in the Endovier salt mines serving out her sentence for the crimes that she has committed and she had accepted her fate until Prince Dorian made her an offer she that she couldn't refuse.  The Prince offered to give her freedom the condition that she be his champion in a competition that is being held by the king to be the royal assassin and if she wins he will grant her freedom after serving for four years.

Celaena accepts the Price Dorian's offer but soon after the competition begins, her competitors start dropping dead one by one and Celaena learns that there are dark forces at play within the castle and she must find out who or what is killing everyone before she becomes the next victim.

Celaena is definitely one kick ass heroine, I loved her sarcastic attitude.  I really liked her friendship with Nehemia and her relationships with both Chaol and Prince Dorian, unfortunately I'm still undecided which team I'm on, hopefully I will be able to choose a side after reading the next book in the series.

Throne of Glass was action an packed book with just enough mystery to keep you entertained from the beginning until the very last page, I can't wait to see what's in store for Celaena, Chaol and Prince Dorian in Crown of Midnight.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Grave Mercy and Maria V. Snyder's Poison series.