Minute Review: Viking Warrior Rising by Asa Maria Bradley

Viking Warrior Rising by As Maria Bradley (Viking Warriors, Book 1)
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Frowning, he checked his tattoo. The head of the serpent grinned maliciously. He twisted to inspect the inside of his bicep. The rune right above the unfinished tail glowed brilliant gold. That couldn’t be right.

He sucked in a deep breath.

The dark-haired woman could not be his sjaelsfraende, his true mate. He shook his head and turned his arm back over to stare at his hand. It was faint, but he could make out the tail of a serpent just above the wrist. It couldn’t be. The poison must be playing with his system.

While the premise was intriguing and drew me in, the severe lack of communication between Lief and Naya ruined the romance for me – too much duty, fate, and secrecy, not enough growth.

Recommendation: Read this if you’re a fan of Norse mythology and you love the idea of hunky Viking Warriors finding their fated mates!

***

(This ARC was generously provided through Net Galley for an honest review.)

Minute Review: The Dark Realm by Anthea Sharp

Feyland: The Dark Realm by Anthea Sharp (Feyland, Book 1)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“You changed the rules! You can’t do that.” Jennet’s legs felt shaky as she edged back into her chair. She was so not prepared for this.

The queen laughed. It was the sound of ice shattering on a black lake. “Of course I can. This is my court. My realm. You are but a visitor. Please – drink.” She waved one delicate hand at the goblet.

“No thanks.”

The fantasy-lover in me thoroughly enjoyed the world Sharp created (both in-game and out), and the casual gamer in me loved all of the technology and geek culture.

Recommendation: Read this if you are intrigued by the idea of futuristic gaming, and how they fae might choose to exploit it.

Minute Review: Wicked as They Come by Delilah S. Dawson

Wicked as They Come by Delilah S. Dawson (Blud, Book 1)
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“You sound like a lovesick puppy,” I chided. “Or is it a lovesick bludpuppy?”

That garnered a laugh, and I felt as if I’d won a prize.

“Lovesick bludpuppy,” he said. “Oh, I like that.”

While I did have a few problems with the insta-love romance, the story was set in a fascinating alternate world full of bludbunnies, clockworks, dark cities, and magic that was a ton of fun to spend some time in.

Recommendation: Read this if you’re looking for an enjoyable, kitschy book to get lost in just in time for Halloween.

Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am going to die kissing Simon Snow. Aleister Crowley, I’m living a charmed life. – Baz

Of all the things I was most excited about after finishing Fangirl a few weeks ago, the release of Carry On was at the top of the list. Now I have the supreme joy of reviewing it (then maybe starting it again from chapter one).

At first I wasn’t sure what to expect since Carry On takes place over the course of Simon Snow’s 8th year in magic school, with at least 7 years of back story that need to be incorporated without boring or confusing the reader. It only took me a couple of chapters to realize that this wasn’t going to be a problem – Rowell did an amazing job of quickly building the world, magic system, and relationships.

I don’t want to go too far into the plot, because discovering that is part of the story’s charm, but I do want to say a few words about the romance. I loved the dynamic between Simon and Baz. It was everything I hoped for, especially concerning Baz. I know some readers wished that there had been more romance time, but considering they begin the book as mortal enemies, it seemed completely reasonable that their relationship would need time to evolve. Besides, the romantic bits that were included were fabulous.

I’ll finish this off with one final note: you don’t need to have read or enjoyed Fangirl to read and enjoy this book. It is completely self contained – just know that it’s a bit of a parody of both Harry Potter and fanfiction.

Recommendation: If you love Harry Potter, wizard schools in general, pop culture references, British slang, Rainbow Rowell, and/or adorably quirky romances, YOU NEED TO READ THIS!

Minute Review: Vigilante and Chaos by Sarah Fine

Now that I’ve finished the series, here are my reviews for books 2.5 and 3 of Sarah Fine’s Guards of the Shadowlands trilogy. Check out this post for my Minute Reviews of books 1 and 2!

***

Vigilante by Sarah Fine (Guards of the Shadowlands, Book 2.5)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So many times, in so many ways, Takeshi had rescued her. “I’m going to rescue you this time,” she said, staring at the black city in the distance.

She clenched her fists and took her first steps into hell.

Written from Ana’s point of view, these 49 pages make up the perfect bridge between Fractured and Chaos.

Recommendation: If you’re working your way through the series, don’t skip this one just because it’s a novella!

 

Chaos by Sarah Fine (Guards of the Shadowlands, Book 3)
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I was still exhausted. Still grieving. Still feeling like all my insides had been smashed up and stomped on. But I wouldn’t stop until I had done the job I’d been sent here to do. It wasn’t about loyalty to the judge. Not at all.

It was about me choosing who I wanted to be.

This exciting conclusion to the trilogy is really intense, full of more emotional pain and perseverance, and complete with an ending that actually managed to wrap up all the varying story lines!

Recommendation: Read this if you FINALLY want Lela and Malachi to find some happiness, especially if you enjoy the prospect of some crazy Mad Max action thrown in along the way.

Minute Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rhysand stared at me for long enough that I faced him.

“Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don’t feel anything at all.”

This series opener is set in an amazing fantasy world that revels in the darker side of fairy tales, and I’m totally bummed that the next book isn’t due to be published until May, 2016…

Recommendation: Read this if you love the idea of a Hunger Games/Beauty and the Beast mashup.

Introducing the Minute Review!

In the wake of a crazy new university term beginning, I’ve found that my review-writing time has been magically transformed into study time. I’m still reading, though, and I want to keep writing about these crazy books, so I’m going to try something new: The Minute Review. My goal is for these mini reviews to be quick and fun to write, but still informative for anyone looking for some new additions to their TBR.

The Anatomy of a Minute Review:

• Book cover with Goodreads links
• My star rating (0-5)
• One quote
• One descriptive sentence
• One recommendation

Without further ado, here are my first two minute reviews, for books 1 and 2 in Sarah Fine’s Guards of the Shadowlands trilogy.

***

 

Sanctum by Sarah Fine (Guards of the Shadowlands, Book 1)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Figures. The first time a guy tells me I’m beautiful, I’m in hell and he’s delirious.”

Bravely diving into the issues of suicide and the afterlife, Fine creates a fascinatingly dark world and cast of characters (and a LOT of self-sacrificing love).

Recommendation: Read this if you loved The Mortal Instruments or Vampire Academy!

Fractured by Sarah Fine (Guards of the Shadowlands, Book 2)
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“And in the meantime, I have to save the world and be home by ten.”

This one is rife with middle book syndrome, but I still couldn’t put it down!

Recommendation: Read this is you enjoy the gory, romantic agony of preppy high school seniors by day and vigilante warriors by night.

Review: Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire is the first book in the October Daye series, which is currently up to book 9 and is still going strong. The series is steeped in the world of fae lore, connecting creatures of many cultures, and it falls squarely in the category of paranormal mystery/adventure. In this first in series, we get to know October “Toby” Daye, a half-faerie private detective, while she investigates the murder of a friend, trying not to get herself killed in the process.

All in all, this was an okay read for me. There were things I really liked, things that started to drive me crazy, and a general sense of apathy that kept me from getting pulled into the story too deeply.

What I liked: The world McGuire built was amazing, full of way more cultural faerie lore than I even knew existed. This was especially great for starting a series because there are so many facets to explore. I also liked some of the side characters, namely Tybalt, Sylvester, and Luna – I really wanted to read more about them.

What I didn’t like: Toby really wore on me. She just seemed so bland and generally average. She was supposedly knighted due to merit, but I have no idea what she actually did to earn it. Her faerie abilities are absurdly weak, which she freely admits, and I was hoping her cunning and personality would make up for it. For me they just didn’t.

The other things that got to me were the occasional unbelievable scenarios and the apparent lack of editing. For example, when you bleed all over a bus handrail right in front of the driver, the cops are going to get called, especially when iron poisoning is dampening all of your faerie “don’t notice me” vibes. As far as editing goes, passages like this kept distracting me from the actual plot:

I didn’t see what came next. I opened my eyes to see Dare leaping onto her brother’s back, momentum sending them both crashing to the floor. The gun went off when it hit the floor…

What was that about not seeing what came next?

Overall, my interest in the world and side characters mostly balanced out my occasional annoyance, resulting in a wash. I’m glad I gave the series a try but I probably won’t read any further.

Review: Dream Boy by Mary Crockett and Madelyn Rosenberg

Dream Boy by Mary Crockett and Madelyn Rosenberg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dream Boy by Mary Crockett and Madelyn Rosenberg is a paranormal/fantasy, young adult, standalone novel. It tells the story of Annabelle Manning, a Dreamer whose vivid dreams have started becoming reality. The story also has a fair amount of romance and some horror, but to me, this is essentially a coming of age story.

“You know, when we were kids, anything seemed possible. That’s what everyone told us: we could be whatever we wanted. If we could dream it, we could be it, right? But we had to grow up first. We had to do what they told us to, read what they told us to, think what they told us to. So we go along, doing, and reading, and thinking, just like they said. And every year that we get bigger, the world gets smaller. Until all those things we’ve been telling ourselves were possible–all the things we’ve been thinking were maybe already happening–they don’t even make a blip on the radar anymore.”

Annabelle lives in a small, quiet town, full of people she’s known all her life. She goes to a typical high school with all of the typical cliques. She has a handful of wonderful, quirky friends, including Will, her encyclopedic, snarky best friend. She doesn’t see anything unique or special about herself, but of course, she has that in abundance. As The Dreamer, she has the power to bring dreams to life. Too bad she wasn’t aware of this role until too late.

This YA “coming of age” story has an interesting mix of paranormal fantasy, romance, and horror elements thrown in:

Regarding the paranormal fantasy, I loved the concept of dreams coming to life, especially because Annabelle was completely in the dark as the story got rolling. I’m sure there are other stories along these lines, but this was a first for me and it was definitely my favorite aspect of the book.

Regarding the romance, I felt it was very light. While Annabelle does have several romantic moments throughout the story, there isn’t much build up or romantic growth. At any given point, she is either in a relationship or she isn’t. While this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story, it didn’t really add to it, either.

Regarding the horror, there are some creepy nightmarish scenes, but not enough to put this story fully under the horror umbrella. (Though beware if you have a snake phobia.) As a reader who loves suspense but generally avoids horror, I thought this aspect of the story added some enjoyable depth to the novel.

To tie these elements together, the writing style kept the story moving along at a good pace, and there was an abundance of teenage snark to keep me entertained in between the action scenes. My biggest complaint is that the ending was really abrupt. I suddenly found myself at the end of the last page with a look of confusion on my face and feeling sad that I wouldn’t get more of a wind-down.

In the end, all of this added up to a 3-Star rating for me. (It would have been an easy 4-star if not for the abrupt ending.) I would definitely be interested in reading more from Crockett and Rosenberg if they were to write more in the YA genre.

See my review on Goodreads for Some Particulars.

Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Splintered by A.G. Howard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Splintered by A.G. Howard is the first book in the Splintered trilogy, which is a YA Alice in Wonderland retelling and continuation. The story is steeped in fantasy that is morbidly vivid, which fits the Alice and Wonderland theme perfectly and is great for fans of the darker side of fairy tales. There is also a pretty hefty dose of typical YA romantic elements.

If I could give this book two ratings instead of one, I totally would:

5/5 Stars for the fantasy adventure elements

The world of Splintered drew me in immediately. I was fascinated by Alyssa and her reality. By way of explanation, here’s the opening paragraph:

I’ve been collecting bugs since I was ten; it’s the only way I can stop their whispers. Sticking a pin through the gut of an insect shuts it up pretty quick.

Howard had me at “gut of an insect.” Reading on like a bystander watching an impending crash, I was hooked.

Netherling logic resides in the hazy border between sense and nonsense.

This adventure thrives on that border. There are fedoras crafted from dead moths, giant octobenus-eating clams, frothing carnivorous flowers, wish-granting venomous ferret creatures, and so much more. Not having read Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland in many years, I can’t remember exactly how many of these scenarios and characters came from the original story but regardless, Howard’s contributions and descriptions are phenomenal.

2/5 Stars for the romantic elements

I had several issues with the romance in this story. Overall, though, I felt like it was trying to be too many things at once – the new paranormal “it” romance, best friends turned lovers, good girl meets bad boy, true love conquers all, etc. The end result was a mishmash of tropes that kept pulling me out of the story.

***

All in all, I’d be up for continuing the trilogy with Unhinged, but I’m not racing out to start it immediately. I’m going to save it for a time when I’m itching for more of Howard’s morbidly fascinating setting.

See my review on Goodreads for Some Particulars