Review: The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

*The Gilded Wolves will be published Tuesday, January 15th, 2019!*

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Wednesday Books, 2019

Hardcover. 464 pages.

About The Gilded Wolves:

"Set in a darkly glamorous world, The Gilded Wolves is full of mystery, decadence, and dangerous but thrilling adventure. 

Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. 

To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can't yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much. 

Together, they'll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive."

The Gilded Wolves is one of those books that I've been anticipating for so long now and have been seeing so many wonderful things about that my expectations were pretty high. I always try not to let the hype influence my expectations too much, but I still had high hopes and honestly, they weren't quite met with this one. 

This book follows a diverse group of characters who regularly embark upon a variety of 'acquisitions' (aka heists), in which the leader's main goal at the end of everything is the reinstatement of his inheritance. The Gilded Wolves is a lot of a fun and makes for a highly entertaining story, but it's also one that felt oddly paced and a little difficult to get through at times. I found the beginning of the book in particular to be exceptionally slow and difficult to get into. It wasn't until at least a hundred or so pages in that I really started to be able to enjoy the story more and follow along with the world. The magic and world felt rather confusing to me at many times, almost as if we'd been dropped into a sequel or part of an already-established world. There was also a lot of info-dumping in the beginning (I assume to help with the more confusing bits), but it was a beast to plow through and frankly just made it harder to get into the story. There was way too many things going on, and I feel like if it had been narrowed down to be slightly more focused in scope it might have been easier to follow.

One of the strongest points of this book, however, is the cast of characters. Chokshi truly did a remarkable job of including well-developed, vastly diverse characters, from race to sexuality to religion and more--and all with fantastic personalities and great humor. There are racist elements discussed in productive manners, sexist elements (this is 1889 Paris, after all), and many people consider one of the characters to be on the autism spectrum (I don't feel knowledgeable enough to fully comment on that, but I feel it is important to note that that seems to be a common thought). All of this really made for interesting and authentic experiences. My only struggle with the characters was that it seemed like some (not all!) of the witty dialogue and banter was a little forced, as if Chokshi wanted her group of characters to be so amusing that she ended up trying too hard and was left with some unnatural dialogue and interactions. 

Our main character group consists of Severin, Laila, Zofia, Enrique, and Tristan. Severin is basically the leader of the group and is a very determined, passionate person. He likes to act as though he's tough and hard-hearted, but he's also pretty vulnerable as well; he also makes a lot of extremely frustrating decisions that annoyed me quite a bit throughout the book. Laila is a lovely person who is exceptionally considerate of others and always feeding them, and I particularly loved the close attention she paid to Zofia's preferences and how she always did her best to always accommodate them. A+ as a good friend and person! Zofia is a character I really liked. I think her personality was expertly done and I found it interesting to see her experiences with all of the different characters, especially in regards to her intelligence and struggle to understand some types of humor. Enrique is the wittiest of the bunch and is the type that is always around to make jokes and make things more light-hearted--or complain about things. Lastly is Tristan, the more serious brooding one of the bunch at times, but who also has a soft spot for animals, particularly large spiders, and who can easily turn up his charm and big eyes to win people over.

If you like solving different puzzles and riddles (especially ones including math), then you are going to love this book. If you don't, well, there might be a lot of places you'll want to skim. I unfortunately happen to be in the latter half. I love a good puzzle, but I don't love reading about people solving them and doing math so much, so those extensive sections tended to be a bit much for me. 

Before I end this review, I want to touch on one very minor thing that bothered me (there will be no spoilers, but this is very mildly in general spoiler territory, so if you want to know absolutely nothing about this book then skip over this one paragraph--but I promise I won't give away anything major): In the beginning of the book's setup we are told that Severin and his gang do so many acquisitions all the time and are experts at it by now. That's all fine and dandy, but in The Gilded Wolves just about every single plan they undertake goes awry in some way or another. I like seeing that people are human and make mistakes, but honestly, if you're going to say a group is excellent at what they do, you're going to have to prove that to me at least once. From what I can tell, they mess up a lot. This is a minor quibble on my end, but it did frustrate me.

Overall, I'm really unsure what to rate this book. Part of me thinks of this book with fondness for how entertaining and imaginative it was, but part of me is also bored and frustrated with a lot of it as well. For now, I'm giving it 3.75 stars. The characters and diversity inclusions were awesome, the sheer imagination in this world and magic system was fascinating, but the execution was all a little unimpressive. I do still highly recommend this to you if it sounds interesting because so many people seem to be adoring it and I wouldn't want you to miss out on that potential!

Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

You might also like:
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine
Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody
The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso

Windsworn by Derek Siddoway

Windsworn by Derek Alan Siddoway 

Self-Published. 2017.

Ebook. 225 pages.

Windsworn is a charming young adult fantasy adventure that features a dynamic female lead and plenty of gryphons! I managed to blow right this book in just two days because of how fast-paced and entertaining it was.

Windsworn tells the story of Eva, a young girl living with her adoptive father, who one day stumbles upon a thief in possession of an unhatched gryphon egg. Once it hatches, she ends up becoming attached to it and learns she must now train and join ranks known as the Windsworn. The Windsworn train in battle tactics to become warriors who go into battle with their gryphons. While training, Eva uncovers a large plot that threatens the Windsworn and much

This was a really engaging, fun read. Siddoway has created an imaginative and entertaining world that really made me want to be  part of it. His world-building is strong and I appreciate that he put such time and effort into creating a fully-fleshed world with a variety of unique elements. A lot of interesting details were added to the story to make it authentic, and I particularly loved the addition of a Golem in this book.

One of the things that drew me to this book was the emphasis on and inclusion of gryphons, since they are a fantasy creature that tends to be overlooked more than others. I thought that Siddoway's description of them was vivid and he brought them to life extremely well; every gryphon comes out just a bit different in every author's unique vision, and I loved what resulted from Siddoway's imagination. My only disappointment was that there wasn't quite as much about them as I would have liked, as I felt that a book that so heavily focuses on gryphons should have included more about them.

The characters all felt very well-developed and each seemed to add an important element to the story. Eva in particular has a lot of important growth throughout the novel that I really liked following along with. She undergoes many momentous events and experiences and, as expected, she changes with them and learns a lot as a person, all of which molded her into a really well-formed character. Her father, Soot, is also a fantastic character that I personally really liked. He is a good man that adds a lot to the personality and formation of Eva's own personality. I was a bit skeptical at first when a romantic interest was introduced, but I felt a bit relieved when I saw how well Siddoway handled it. It didn't overwhelm the story as most romantic subplots tend to do, which I was very thankful for.

The pacing of this book was a bit off and on at times. The beginning and end of this book felt like there was good, even pacing, but there were a few parts throughout the middle that did feel rushed. The training in particular felt rushed, and I would have liked there to be more time spent in some of these areas. I also had mixed feelings about many of the plot elements and the path this story takes. At times, I felt it was rather predictable and a bit trope-heavy, but at the same time I felt that Siddoway did a good job of making things unique and fresh, so it wasn't entirely consistent one way or the other.

Overall, I've given Windsworn four stars. This wasn't the most amazing thing I've ever read, but I really enjoyed it all the same and would absolutely recommend it. I look forward to book two!

*I received a copy of Windsworn in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating of the book.*

Buy the book: Amazon 

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Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody. Harlequin Teen, 2018. Hardcover. 416 pages.

I ended up liking Ace of Shades a lot more than I expected to. I read Amanda Foody's debut, Daughter of the Burning City, and I was incredibly underwhelmed, which was really disappointing because I had such high hopes for it. Despite this, I still found myself really intrigued by the synopsis of Ace of Shades, so I thought I would give a shot anyway, and in my opinion it was a definite improvement from her previous book!

This story takes place in the New Reynes, more commonly known as the City of Sin. Within this city is a large divide between the North Side and the South Side, with the North being the more downtrodden area that is run by various crown gangs and the South side being the more 'reputable' area. Foody really seems to have taken her time in creating her world and giving it an extremely solid foundation. I would have liked slightly more detail regarding the larger aspect of the world, as well as how regular citizens lived, but overall I really enjoyed her worldbuilding.

One area that confused me about Foody's world, however, was exactly what time period this book was meant to take place in. I couldn't tell if it was just a made-up fantasy world with its own sort of time-period, or if it was meant to be a real-world time? There were modern elements such as cars, electricity, and other modern items, but the way that the clothing, mannerisms, and societal norms were described made it feel more early nineteenth/late eighteenth century. This doesn't really affect the story itself, but it was something that I kept questioning in the back of my mind and did leave me feeling somewhat uncertain throughout the book.

The main characters that we follow are Enne Salta and Levi Glaisyer. The supporting characters in this book were also very interesting, but didn't play quite as big roles as I would have liked, so I won't say all too much about them here. Enne travels to New Reynes in order to track down her missing mother, Lourdes Alfero, and is shocked by the loose morals that seem to be so prevalent. Enne herself is rather snobbish, pretentious, and has extremely strong manners, so it was entertaining to watch the culture shock that she experienced in this new, more uninhibited city. Once in New Reynes, she slowly uncovers more and more secrets about herself and her mother, and by the end of the book she must come to terms with who she really is. I found Enne's character development to be really well-done and well-paced. There was a very obvious transition as Enne goes from someone who refuses to do thing that aren't 'appropriate' to someone who realizes the world isn't quite as black and white as she thinks.

Levi is from New Reynes itself and lives on the North Side where he is the Iron Lord of the Irons crime gang. His gang is currently struggling with money and pressures are coming in on all sides demanding money, putting Levi in some dangerous situations. Enne stumbles into the company of Levi and he becomes her guide, and well... without spoiling anything, we'll just say that things start to take off at that point. Levi is tough, as a crime lord must be, but he knows how to wield his power in an effective manner that earns him respect. I really liked Levi's character, but I will say that it seemed as if Foody sort of talked up his danger and intimidation level. Levi certainly seemed like a guy I wouldn't want to mess with, but he hardly seemed as scary as everyone made him sound. I would call him a softer edition of Kaz Brekker. Despite this, I still really loved his character and the bisexual representation and the diverse representation.

I was really pleased with the pacing of this book. The story isn't overly fast-paced, but it isn't slow either. There seemed to be a wonderful balance of action and events that pushed the plot forward in addition to plenty of character development and focus on the more thematic elements of the story.

Despite all of the wonderful things about this book, I did have a few issues. One of my biggest frustrations was Foody's in-world word choices. For starters, 'missy' was used far too often in relation describe Enne. I'm not sure if it's just an in-world thing to call a woman a 'missy' or if this is actually done in some places, but this drove me crazy. Some examples that confused me:
 "I found this missy asking about the whiteboots and Pup"
"There's a missy here to see you"
"The missy in question sat on the couch, her back straight as a billiard rod, her legs resting to the side with one ankle tucked.."
"Terribly sorry, missy."
At first I thought a 'missy' meant a young girl, but then it was used in different ways and I was really unsure. I did a count on my Kindle and found fifty-one usages of missy, which is about fifty too many.

Also, Foody's made-up curse words were... not good. I am all for some good in-universe curse words that fantasy likes to do, but it has to be done really well, and this just wasn't. This might not be a big deal to many people, but it just really annoyed me. 'Muck' is one of the most common ones used, but it sounded so horrible because it really just sounds like a censored version of f*ck, which made it sound dumb. It drove me crazy. It was used in the same way as f*ck in most places, but there were a few where it sounded more like the word muck itself: "And walking straight into some muck." So how is this word supposed to be used? It confused me about as much as 'missy' confused me. I know this is just a minor gripe, but it was something that bothered me and sort of pulled me out of the story.

Overall, I still really enjoyed Ace of Shades and ended up giving it four stars! This is a fun, entertaining book with solid characters and an interesting storyline.

Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

*I received an ARC of Ace of Shades in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

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You might also like:
The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Hidden Huntress by Danielle L. Jensen
The Waking Land by Callie Bates
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Waiting on Wednesday: Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released!

This week's upcoming book spotlight is:
Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody
Publication Date: July 25th, 2017

Harlequin Teen
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

From Goodreads:

"A darkly irresistible new fantasy set in the infamous Gomorrah Festival, a traveling carnival of debauchery that caters to the strangest of dreams and desires.

Sixteen-year-old Sorina has spent most of her life within the smoldering borders of the Gomorrah Festival. Yet even among the many unusual members of the traveling circus-city, Sorina stands apart as the only illusion-worker born in hundreds of years. This rare talent allows her to create illusions that others can see, feel and touch, with personalities all their own. Her creations are her family, and together they make up the cast of the Festival’s Freak Show.

But no matter how lifelike they may seem, her illusions are still just that—illusions, and not truly real. Or so she always believed…until one of them is murdered.

Desperate to protect her family, Sorina must track down the culprit and determine how they killed a person who doesn’t actually exist. Her search for answers leads her to the self-proclaimed gossip-worker Luca, and their investigation sends them through a haze of political turmoil and forbidden romance, and into the most sinister corners of the Festival. But as the killer continues murdering Sorina’s illusions one by one, she must unravel the horrifying truth before all of her loved ones disappear."

Guys. I've been anxiously awaiting this book for months and months and I'm so glad that there is only a little over a month until its release! Every aspect of this book just calls out to me in the same way that the Sirens call out to sailors. But seriously, can this be out yet?

What do you think about this upcoming release? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

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Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. Bloomsbury USA Childrens, 2016. Hardcover. 704 pages.

Note: Everything in this review is spoiler free in regards to this particular book. There are potential mentions of plot points that may not have been revealed in earlier books, so if you are not caught up with the series, you may want to save this review for later. 

I finished Empire of Storms a while ago, but I have spent weeks trying to figure out how to write a review for this book. It was incredible, yet at the same time it wasn't the best thing I've ever read. It's been such a jumble trying to fit all of my thoughts into a coherent review.

One personal problem (which was no fault of this book) was that I had a hard time remembering details from the earlier books of the series while waiting for the new one. I knew this would be a problem, so I made use of Book Series Recaps' summaries of the first four books and they helped immensely, so a big shout-out and thank you to that website! And although this helped immensely, I do still think that I would have benefited a lot more from actually re-reading the books because the plot lines are getting more and more complex with an ever-expanding cast to boot, but I didn't have the time (or patience) to do so before diving into Empire of Storms.

Let's start off with characters. All of our favorite and not-so-favorite characters are present and ready to kick ass, which is exactly what they do over ~700 pages of action-packed goodness. The shifted POV chapter style of the former books is still present in the fifth installment, and yet again I actually enjoy it. I think I most enjoy the fact that it is not first person narration, so it does not get confusing or annoying figuring out who is speaking. I really enjoyed just how wide-ranging the POVs were, and I was thrilled to get some more extensive chapters from Elide, Lorcan, Lysandra, and Aedion. They were all wonderful and added such great depth to their development.

My one caveat with this, however, was that I found myself missing Aelin for a large amount of the book! We don't even get to see her until quite a few chapters in, and that was not okay with me. I loved delving into other characters' minds and events, but at the same time... I just wanted to be with the main character whose journey we've been a part of this entire time; she's the strongest part of this series. And this might be an unpopular opinion, but I was actually okay with Chaol not being present in this book, as his storyline just wouldn't have fit in with the rest of what was going on.

The plot and pacing of Empire of Storms was just right. I was easily drawn in at just about every moment, and whenever it seemed like I might start getting tired of a certain scene, Maas shifted over into a new, more intriguing setting. The only exception to this was some of the scenes in which Aelin uses her magic. Look, I get that her magic is huge, all-encompassing, and just all-around insane, but... it felt just ever so slightly overdone and over-described at various times. This could also be said about some of the sex, but I didn't find them to be quite as annoying as others seem to. I didn't think there was anything particularly wrong with them, but I felt like it was slightly too similar to ACOMAF? Maybe it's just me. But anyway, the rest of the book was incredible and I am now immensely excited for next year's release!

I particularly liked that Empire of Storms seemed to have the main goal of setting up the plot and story for the sixth book and what is sure to be an immense, epic battle. I felt like a lot of loose ends were being wrapped up in order to set up for the impending events, while also creating plenty of new points for the next book. Overall, I loved this book and can certainly say that Maas has created yet another masterpiece. I am giving Empire of Storms four-and-a-half stars!

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You might also like:
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Uprooted by Naomi Novik. Del Rey. 438 Pages. Ebook.  

(I'd just like to say that while this cover is lovely and all, I much prefer this one. How gorgeous is that!?)

After reading the synopsis for Uprooted, I was already hooked. Then I saw the many rave reviews, and I knew that I had to read it - and soon.

Now, I'll be honest: I don't think I really fell in love with this book right off the bat, and I certainly found areas that I wasn't overly fond of, such as some of the history. Despite this, I did still love this book quite a lot. To put it in a more simplistic manner: with most things that we love in life, there are aspects of that said thing - or people - that we don't particular like. But that doesn't mean we don't love them, right? You love your friend, sibling, or significant other, but that doesn't mean that you love it when they suddenly stop responding to your messages or leave the dishes in sink (seriously, the dishwasher is right there)! That's how I felt about Uprooted. I loved it, but not always.

Uprooted begins with a small village near the forest and a young woman named Agniezska. Near the village is the forest, which is corrupted with the Wood that threatens to take over the land and people it lies near. In order to prevent this from happening, the mysterious Dragon works hard to stop it. However, he requires one  new young woman to live with him in his tower every ten years in exchange for his help. No one knows what happens to these girls in the tower, only that they come back and eventually move away. The next choosing is coming up, and Agnieszka believes that she is safe, as she, and everyone else in her village, assumes that the dragon will a more beautiful, more graceful girl. As we can expect, Agniezska is wrong.

The first thing that I would like to say about this book is that despite my initial hesitancy that it would fall into worn-out tropes and storylines, it was an entirely fresh and unexpected delight! The pacing was a bit slow in the beginning, but it was drawn out in a way that somehow made it impossible to put down, because it always felt like something important or exciting was going to be happening soon. Though it started out with a rather narrow story with not much room to grow, Uprooted slowly grew into an all-out fantasy heaven with countless conflicts, magical elements, intricate worlds and systems, and well-developed characters.

Agniezska is a delightfully refreshing character. She's incredibly clumsy and doesn't do well with being told what to do; she's headstrong, but also somewhat meek when it comes to things she doesn't know well. The initial Agniezska that we meet in the very beginning seems very fleshed out and well-rounded - it feels as if we already know her and her personality. It doesn't seem as though there is much more we can learn about Agniezska's character, but Novik quickly shuts that down as the story continues and we begin to learn more and see many more sides to Agniezska.

Also: The Dragon is not a real dragon. I can't tell you how incredibly disappoint I was that this was the truth. I expected a dragon. He's just a man. Oh well. Despite that, I still loved his character. He never really strays to far from his cold, rather off-putting demeanor, and I really, really appreciated that. There are too many books where the intitally cold and rude character suddenly 180s and becomes a friendly, humourous person. The Dragon is deeply layered, and as the story progresses we are able to unfold his life, his story, and how he gotten to the place he is today. We learn of his motivations and fears, while also watching him change in very subtle but important ways. I won't say much more regarding the Dragon, as I don't want to give away any spoilers.

Personally, I consider the Wood a character in itself, as it drastically influenced the novel and really seemed to have a mind of its own. I loved the eerily creepy Wood, which is an entire forest that's alive with evil and corruption, ready to take anyone that comes its way and claim them as their own, corrupting them to where they are no long really human at all. And really, that's what this book is all about: fighting back against the Wood and preventing it from taking over the land and villages outside of it.

Novik's writing is simply stunning. She does not merely borrow words and turn them into a story. Rather, Novik molds, creates, and blends her words to create a beautiful, fluid story that draws you in and keeps you hooked. This is not to say that Novik does not incorporate humour and other elements of writing into her book, but instead combines them all in a wonderfully exciting and engaging manner. Novik also lets the content of her novel take her wherever it needs to be, and I enjoy that she didn't cover up anything regarding sexual content or violence.

Overall, I am giving Uprooted a four star out of five rating, as it is a carefully and perfectly crafted novel, full of engaging characters and imaginative ideas, but it didn't quite have that 'wow' factor that I was looking for. I would recommend Uprooted for fans of fantasy, young adult/adult fiction, exciting new magical ideas and systems, and for those who enjoy a little darkness with their reading.

Buy the book!

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If you enjoy Uprooted, you might also like:
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
Hidden Huntress by Danielle Jensen
The Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas
Azurite by Megan Dent Nagle

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An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. Razorbill; 2015. 464 pages. Ebook.

An Ember in the Ashes was an extremely delightful surprise to read. While I had only been hearing great things about it, I was still a bit unsure for some reason - the summary just didn't quite grab me. Fortunately, it turned out be a major hit.

This book is told in alternating perspectives: The first character we meet is Laia, a young Scholar girl living in fear of the Empire and whose brother has been kidnapped and arrested for treason. Her only goal throughout the book is to do anything and everything that she can to free him, even if it means getting killed. The second perspective is told by Elias, one of the top soldiers at the Empire's military school, and who is destined for greater things. With this, we have the basic setup of the plot, and the rest I will leave out for fear of giving away too much or giving away spoilers.

Laia is not your typical female character. She's strong, yes, and that is made apparent throughout the book, but what sets her apart is that she's also not strong. When her brother is being kidnapped for treason before her eyes she becomes frozen in fear, knowing that she should help, but also realizing that she feels too cowardly to do so. Now, I'm not saying she's weak, but it's interesting that an author has created a character that actually doesn't act out and do something stupid in an attempt at false bravery that ends up getting them and the character they are trying to save into even more trouble. Instead, she simple lets the character run away for her own safety. Laia is not a born and trained fighter; she is simply a girl trying to survive. Thus, when she becomes a spy for the Resistance, she has absolutely no idea what to do how to spy. This is where her character development kicks in: she starts out as somewhat innocent, meek, not overly bold of confident, but slowly transforms into a much more risk-taking and bold person. It is extremely fascinating to watch Laia as she begins to realize who she can and can't trust, how to maneuver in her new surroundings, and how she handles each unique situation that she is confronted with.

Next, we have Elias. Elias, unlike Laia, is a born fighter. He has been trained to show no emotion or remorse, but to be strong and stoic. The Martials are a brutal lot, (with somewhat psychopathic tendencies, I'd like to add) and Elias is one of the few (if not only) that realizes he doesn't want to become a part of the Mask lifestyle or live a life torturing and hurting innocent people. He does not want to live under the command of anyone - not even his mother, The Commandant. He's sympathetic, and we see many streaks of kindness in him as the story progresses. While he is brave, strong, and confident at the start of the book, these features continuously grow as he learns more and more about his fate and responsibilities.

Laia and Elias were both equally fascinating to read from their perspective. Their lives couldn't have been more different, yet they are also strangely similar. While they start out completely unaware of the other's existence, their stories slowly unfold in a way that causes them to end up in the same place as the other. A connection forms - slowly - between the two as their fates unravel into one another.

I feel it is also important to mention Helena, Elias' friend since childhood; the two have grown up learning to fight and become strong members of the Empire together. Their bond is introduced as purely platonic, but of course we know that there is always more to the story. Helena is much more headstrong than Elias, and also extremely devoted to the Empire; she is willing to do anything for the Empire. It is where her loyalty lies. This, of course, creates conflict and complications between her and Elias, and she becomes a huge test of Elias' strength, skill, and loyalty.

All of the antagonistic character in this book were wonderfully written - and by wonderfully written, I mean completely and utterly repulsive. The Commandant truly is the perfect villain. She is seriously evil and I am not exaggerating in the slightest. What I truly loved about Tahir's portrayal of The Commandant was that she did give her a bit of backstory that helps us understand a little bit more about her. But it still doesn't make us like her. If anything, it makes us realize how evil and conniving she truly is as a mother and person. There is also Markus, a fellow student of Elias' who is similarly evil in nature and out to make Elias' life hell. There's always one of those, right?

There are also a few minor characters who are, in my opinion, more representative of what most of the other Martial students are like: loyal to the death, but only because they have to be. These people aren't inherently evil or violent, but they have been raised in that environment, so it is all they know. They have been brainwashed to ridicule those who are weak or attempt to escape. They have deep loyalty to the Empire and to their friends, and are willing to do anything they must to maintain that, as well as continue on with their brutal ways, which would include raping and acting out in violent manners toward innocent Scholars.

Let's not sugarcoat it: this is a pretty intense books. There's extreme violence, torture, threat of rape multiple times throughout the book, and extremely psychopathic villain. This book constantly kept me on my toes! The book moved at a rather fast pace, but it worked perfectly with the novel itself. When a book has such a brutal landscape as this one, it's almost necessary and crucial to keep the story moving, otherwise it simple becomes too bleak and depressing to read. There  is a legitimate fear conveyed to the reader when Laia is sneaking around under The Commandant's watch that really blew me away; it's been a while since I've experienced such a dangerously terrifying villain in a book, where you are one hundred percent positive that they will have no problem mutilating or killing the protagonist.

Overall, this book will be getting five stars from me. I had a really difficult time deciding between four and five, but then I realized that I actually really enjoyed reading this book, and it got bumped to five. This is a major page-turner, and I highly, highly recommend it!

You might also like:

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Hidden Huntress by Danielle Jensen

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Hidden Huntress by Danielle Jensen

Hidden Huntress by Danielle Jensen. Angry Robot; 2015. Ebook.

**I received an advanced copy of this book courtesy of Angry Robot Publications and Net Galley**

Hidden Huntress, sequel to Stolen Songbird, is out next Tuesday, June 2nd! Mark your calendars!

After reading Stolen Songbird, I was incredibly excited for the second book. Stolen Songbird was like a breath of fresh air, and I loved it to pieces. Though it had many wonderful and intriguing moments, I'm sorry to say that Hidden Huntress was a bit of a letdown. Now, don't me wrong - it was still a wonderfully written and developed book, but when compared to its predecessor, it just falls a bit short. There were moments when I was fully enraptured in the story, but there were also moments that I felt were a bit too drawn out or just rather unnecessary to the story.

The story picks up with Cecile back in Trianon, performing with her mother like she always planned. But while doing this, she is also searching endlessly for Anushka in order to end the curse that has plagued the Trolls for centuries. Tristan, as this time, is still imprisoned by his father in Trollus, praying only for Cecile's safety. Now, on to the review!

Cecile and Tristan's relationship has definitely had its ups and downs (she was forced to marry him, after all - something neither of them wanted), but is ultimately a truly beautiful and heartfelt relationship. No matter what happens, they always find a way back to one another - even if things aren't always perfect. Now, here's where I had a problem: the playfulness, banter, and chemistry that was evident in the dialogue from the first book is pretty much nonexistent. Those elements that drew the reader in and made them fall in love with the characters in Stolen Songbird are no longer present. This is also unfortunate because, naturally, those were some of the elements that made fall in love with Stolen Songbird and Danielle Jensen in the first place.

The story also just felt monotonous at times. I got annoyed with Cecile or the many minute details that they had to get through just for one simple thing to happen. There was almost... too much going on at one time. Too many plots, names, conflicts, etc. Now, this could be a good thing in a book, but unfortunately it resulted in a slightly confusing and hard-to-follow story. There were some pretty decent and entertaining plot twists, but there were too many, and when there are too many they start to lose their appeal. Despite this, I did enjoy learning more about Anushka's past. She's a wonderful villain, despite any predictability, and has a very complex and interesting backstory.

All being said, I am still excited for the next book, as I have faith that it will shown and make up for the areas in which this book lacked, while also accentuating the wonderful plot and overarching story that Jensen has constructed. Overall, this was a decent, solid book. However, in relation to Stolen Songbird, there is almost no comparison. The wit and spark that made me love the first book is barely present in Hidden Huntress. Because of these reasons, I am giving Hidden Huntress three stars. I debated between two-and-a-half and three, but ultimately landed on three because it was an interesting and well-written story.

Hidden Huntress is out next TUESDAY, JUNE 2ND! 

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas Book Review

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. Bloomsbury USA Childrens; 2013. 418 pages. Ebook.

Having just finished Throne of Glass the day before, I was beyond excited to start Crown of Midnight. It did not disappoint.

Now, Throne of Glass was enthralling; I loved every second of it - the relationships, friendships, contests, battles, everything. Crown of Midnight only proved to further enhance the characters, plot, and setting and Celaena Sardothien's world.

There were almost constant (dare I say relentless) twists, turns, and complications that kept me hooked. Some extremely monumental events occur (which I will not mention, as I try to keep spoilers either minimal or non-existent in my reviews) that will undoubtedly shake you up and leave you wondering what on earth just happened. It's heartbreaking, violent, and wonderful all in one. It's also incredibly unpredictable. In my opinion, there is honestly no way you can really guess what is going to happen at any given moment.

The relations  between characters are also intensified and reach brand new levels of depth and conflict. It becomes very complicated. Let's start off with Chaol, who is an extremely secretive, intelligent, and fiercely loyal king's guard. Maas does truly remarkable work in portraying Chaol's many inner conflicts, such as how he must navigate the court politics and where his true loyalties lie. He is fiercely and unwavering loyal to the king, but also now has Celaena, whom he continues to become more bewitched by and protective of every day. Chaol was already an important character in the first book, but his role becomes much, much larger in this second book and allows an already loved and fascinating character become that much more intriguing. The chemistry between Celaena and Chaol is also perfect; he knows just how to deal with her, and the dialogue and moments between them are incredible fluid.

Secondly, we have Dorian. I feel that Dorian has matured quite a lot between the first and second novels. He is beginning to understand his role as Prince and is finally developing his own strong opinions, as well as gaining the courage to stand up to his father if he doesn't agree with him. Dorian has a lot to deal with; he struggles to not go against his father and role as Prince, but he does not always want to go with what the king may want. Dorian also makes a rather shocking discovery in the book (against, no specifics for no spoilers) that leaves him with many questions and potentially dire consequences. Dorian and Celaena continue to go through many things together, and we are able to witness a true, meaningful friendship form between the two, creating an unbreakable and incredibly strong bond between them.

Finally, Celaena. Celaena has countless sides to her personalities. She's perfectly flawed. Celaena also undergoes many changes throughout this book - some good, and some awful. In Crown of Midnight, readers are finally able to see the depths of Celaena's mind, where her vengeful and incredibly emotional feelings dwell. She turns almost robot-like, working only for she knows. Celaena also has this almost limitless courage, though not all of it is necessarily wise. Maas is truly a master of character development, which is completely evident with Celaena.

While many people may see Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian as a love triangle, I'm not sure I completely agree with that. Celaena undoubtedly has feeling strong feelings for both men, but as the novel progresses we are able to discern the types of feelings that she has for both men, and we can begin to easily understand which man is truly meant for Celaena.

Crown of Midnight takes Throne of Glass to an entirely new level. It's like eating the perfect ice cream and thinking it can't get any better, but then you add amazing toppings and it's suddenly a whole new flavorful and delectable world. The violence and intensity completely skyrocket as we are able to see the severity of Celaena's dark side. I would also like to add that Maas' writing is flawless. She knows how to tell a fantasy story. There is no confusion, no overstatements, but also no understatements. It's perfect. Overall, Crown of Midnight is receiving five stars, much like its predecessor. I just can't help it.

Azurite by Megan Dent Nagle

Azurite by Megan Dent Nagle. Self-published; 2015. 448 pages. Ebook.

I was recently contacted by Megan Dent Nagle and asked to read and honestly review her novel. After reading the synopsis, I was very intrigued and eagerly agreed - and I'm certainly glad I did. While Azurite may have a few similar qualities to other books in this genre, it definitely held it's own with many unique and interesting elements.

Azurite has a fairly complicated plot, so I'll do my best to sum of the biggest issues: Although Zora would ordinarily be the next in line to the throne, this is not the case; Zora is an illegitimate child whom the queen would rather didn't exist. She is thus married of to Prince Spencer of Montanisto. Montanisto is a foreign, dry, and barren land. Unbeknownst to Zora, Samaria is teetering on the edge of collapse, with the threat of war looming large. Now, I bet you're wondering where this whole 'azurite' thing comes in? Azurite is a crystal mined in Azurite that a certain race of sorcerors are after, and "Queen Evangeline is willing to give it to them, but at what cost?"*

Nagle did remarkably great work in creating yet another new magical system. There are a staggering amount of books out there dealing with similar ideas and the process of creating an exciting and gripping magic system, which makes it difficult to for authors to really set themselves apart from the rest. Nagle, however, was very successful at doing just that. I found myself drawn into her history of how the magic came to be, how it works, and many other details that create an interesting and intricate system.

The characters themselves were also quite an interesting bunch. (Also, I'd like to add that for some reason I really enjoyed the names the author chose - Evangeline, Zora, Dakota, Milo. They all just seemed to fit the characters really well!) Although the dialogue came across a tad cliche'd at times, it did not detract too much from the story and I was still able to heartily enjoy it. Nagle certainly took her time fleshing out the characters and working hard to bring them to life; it was obvious that there were many layers to each person, and I loved uncovering them along the way. One of the most interesting characters for me personally was Queen Evangeline. The story begins with a high-tension scene involving the Queen, and I was immediately fascinated by how she chose to deal with the various struggles and decisions that were presented to her concerning her country, Samaria. From this moment on, I continued to find myself intrigued with ever sceene the contained Evangeline.

Nagle writes in a very readable and flowing style. She uses description wisely, never lingering too long nor moving too quickly. The book is set at a nice, steady pace that allows the reader to get acquainted with each scene and event that takes place before moving onto something wholly new.

Overall, I'd certainly recommend Azurite to someone who enjoys fantasy, magic, politics, and adventure! I debated for a while between three and four stars, but since I had a legitimately good time reading this novel, I say it deserves four - so four it is!


*Quote from Amazon.com summary of Azurite.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas Review

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Bloomsbury USA Children's; 2013. 432 Pages. Ebook.

I loved this book.

I loved the characters, the setting, the plot, the writing - everything. In Throne of Glass, Maas has created an entirely unique and exciting new fantasy world that draws you in and ensures that you will want to keep reading.

I am such a sucker for some good, witty dialogue. It brings such life to the story and the characters, and makes them appear much more real to me. Maas provides excellent banter between Celaena, Dorian, and Chaol, and it's wonderful. And you know another reason I love witty dialogue? It keeps me hooked. It keeps me reading page after page without realizing I'm reading that much. To me, that is the sign of a good book.

But it was more than just dialogue that kept me hooked on Throne of Glass. It was the setting and the plot, also. This had such a unique premise to me, and I think that is also what really enticed me with this book. I enjoyed reading about the various challenges that the champions had to perform in, as well as reading about Celaena's own personal life and struggles with herself, the people around her, and the political frustrations. Everything melds together and provides a very harmonious plot and conflicts.

The characters are also wonderfully portrayed. They have extreme depth and undergo a vast amount of development. Celaena herself undergoes so much change in just this novel alone. She arrives from a prison camp, where he has been brutally kept and beaten, forced to work hard with little to eat, and no shelter from the elements. Understandably, she is cold; she is emotionless, and she does not want to be at the palace. However, as the novel progresses, so does Celaena. We begin to see more sides of her. She does not ever completely lose her outer shell of protection that she has formed, but we learn understand her and her need for such protection. Another wonderful thing about Maas' portrayal of Celaena is that even though she is an extremely powerful, terrifying assassin who could kill you before you even know what's happening, is that she's relatable and realistic. She loves books, for goodness sake! She loves food, she whines and complains.

And then we have Dorian and Chaol, the two men that are most prominent in Celaena's life. (That is, if you aren't counting the King, who is technically the entire reason why Celaena and this story are even happening). These men are very different, yet very similar. They both have extremely different roles in the palace - Dorian is the King's son, and Chaol is the King's Guard. There also is, of course, a slight love triangle that is begins to bubble in the love-triangle cauldron, but it does not ever take center-stage in the story. In fact, it's almost more of a side-thought. Celaena is not a typical man-obsessed character, and has better things to worry about than any man. (Although, I'm not sure how you couldn't not think about Chaol or Dorian all the time...)

Overall, I immensely enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to just about everyone. It will receive the magical five-star rating from me.

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

Sea of Shadows, by Kelley Armstrong. HarperCollins; 2014. 406 pages. Hardcover.

Sea of Shadows was a book that I stumbled onto on BookOutlet when they were having a huge sale and it was only $1.99. It seemed interesting, it was cheap, I was on a book-buying spree, and how can you say no to $1.99?

I must be honest, I don’t quite understand why this book has so many low reviews. I can understand a few, and even not having really high ratings, but not necessarily the really low ones. Many people seem to believe it was boring, and while I guess I can understand their view, I politely disagree. It was very engaging, and full of exciting action, folklore, and entertaining characters.

In brief, Sea of Shadows follows twin sisters Moria and Ashyn, the Keeper and Seeker, respectively, of a town called Edgewood. When their entire village is destroyed, they must venture on a journey to find out what has gone wrong.

The characters were very appealing, however I do think that each character needed to have a more defined and unique voice. Twin sisters Ashyn and Moria were lovely, entertaining characters, but not too different. Their personalities are described as being extreme opposites, Ashyn being shy and gentle, and Moria being much tougher and more outgoing. This is evident at times, but overall I think they had similar voices that sometimes made for little distinction between the alternating chapter viewpoints. However, I could also see their similar voices as being a method of showing how close both girls are; since they are Seeker and Keeper of Edgewood and twin sisters that have grown up very close together, it only makes sense that they might share similar voices or qualities. Supporting characters Ronan and Gavril were also quite a delight, but again, shared many similar traits, and to be quite honest, I’m not sure if I can even remember who accompanied each girl on their journey. Entertaining, but not overly memorable. I’m getting a wee bit tired of every single boy/girl pairing in a book ending up with some romantic setting.

I do feel that the story lacked adequate description and worldbuilding. While certain aspects were described in great detail (particularly violence), I did feel a bit lost in where exactly things were takig place, and what the culture of these places was. Another issue was the mirroring and repetitiveness that occurred throughout the story. It seemed like everything was the same: Moria and a companion travel and fight forces against them, Ashyn and a companion travel and fight forces against them. Perhaps this is a plot device trick for Armstrong, or perhaps it’s just a small lack of originality.

Kelley Armstrong definitely knows how to write. However, I do think I expected more. I’ve heard people rave and rave about Kelley Armstrong, but I had never had a chance to read anything until now. I thought the book was great, but not quite up to par with all the praise I’ve been hearing for Armstrong. I was a bit disappointed that the ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, since I wasn’t necessarily planning on reading the rest of the series, but now I feel somewhat obligated, and I am interested to find out what will befall these characters.

Overall, it’s not the most memorable story. However, I still thought it was a very enjoyable read, and definitely worth a shot for someone that’s just looking for a good book to read. Because of this, I am giving Sea of Shadows 3 ½ stars.

Sea of Shadows comes out on Wednesday, March 3rd!

Empire of Night, book 2 in the Age of Legends series, comes out April 7th, 2015!