So in my humble opinion, this book never quite reached the emotional highs and desperate lows of the Blades of Acktar series. It simply wasn'HOLY COW.
So in my humble opinion, this book never quite reached the emotional highs and desperate lows of the Blades of Acktar series. It simply wasn't quite as compelling-- I didn't love the characters /quite/ as much, and I wasn't quite as crazy about the characters. BUT! I think I felt the same way about Dare, the first book in Blades of Acktar, when I read it the first time. So, I'm not taking off points for that. It's just that I wasn't as crazy about this story (but Tricia Mingerink will absolutely always be an auto-buy author for me ;))
Despite this, there's SO MUCH to love about this first book in a new series! The fairy-tale retelling aspect is so fun (I loved the unconventional take on Sleeping Beauty, and the fact that the traditional elements were THERE but DIFFERENT...let's just say all the love for that). The "spindle" becomes a dagger, and I love the way that aspect was implemented. The "true love's kiss"....well, let's just say that I won't spoil anything because it's so much better to find it out for yourself when you read the book for yourself ;)
World-building! Perfection! I was initially a little weirded out by the Western aspect, but Mingerink had me convinced in just a few pages. Because this was PERFECT. The canoeing. The "tribal" feeling to the whole thing. The buffalo hunt! Log cabins and pioneers! Dangerous paths through the mountains!!!! I LOVED IT. ALL OF IT.
And the characters. I didn't feel like they were quite as wonderful as the Blades characters, but they were still amazing. I ADORE stories with strong character arcs (especially ones where an arrogant self-centered guy who could be so great figures out that he's got issues) and Alex's was no exception. He was terrific. Rosanna was a relatable heroine--strong but not ridiculous. I adored her. And DAEMYN. DON'T GET ME STARTED. He was amazing. (And the plot twist with him was just like O_o) The other characters weren't quite as amazing (although ZEKE WAS EXCELLENT, and I really appreciated Rosanna's brothers. Let me just say I love brother-sister relationships in fiction. ;)) Berend was terrific.
The allegory-type plot thread was brilliantly done. I loved it. SO INSANELY GOOD.
I think overall I'd give this book 4.5 stars. Because it wasn't QUITE as amazing as the Blades of Acktar, but as a series beginning it has SO much potential and I can't wait to see where Rosanna, Daemyn, and Alex go next! (And let me just say....that ending scene. With a certain character. If you've read the book, you know what I speak. If you haven't, WHY HAVEN'T YOU. My heart split into a thousand tiny pieces, but that's okay this time, Tricia...you put it back together XD)
Definitely recommend this one. Buy it. Read it. Love it.
This was a very excellent book, I must admit. It was a bit outside my usual genre, and historical has never been my favorite. However, I still very muThis was a very excellent book, I must admit. It was a bit outside my usual genre, and historical has never been my favorite. However, I still very much enjoyed it, and appreciated the whole mystery-interwoven-with-faith thing--you don't see that too often in fiction. <3
Poor Olivia. I felt so bad for her the whole time, although I think it would have been nice to know exactly how old she was--thirteen or fourteen, I was thinking, although it could have been slightly older? I don't know.
And poor Cyril! I spent much of the book disliking him, and then we found out what the real problem was and....POOR GUY. My goodness. :'(
The plot was good, although not as strong, perhaps, as it could have been. I felt a little more detail into Cyril's actual detective work might have been nice.
So much emotion in this story! My goodness! I actually wanted to cry once or twice. Sibling stories are always close to my heart. <3
I think I'd give this one 3.5 stars (seriously, Goodreads? Get some half stars!!!!) A good, solid, Christian historical mystery, and I can't wait to see what else Victoria Lynn has up her sleeve! ;) ...more
Okay, so first of all, a MASSIVE thank you to Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book!!!!!
Now let's talk review.
Wow! I read the Out of Time serieOkay, so first of all, a MASSIVE thank you to Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book!!!!!
Now let's talk review.
Wow! I read the Out of Time series not long before blasting through Fawkes, and while they're both very different (and I think that in general I liked OoT a little better) they both have a distinctive Nadine feel to them. So that was really awesome.
The premise of this book is the Gunpowder plot, a real event in England in the early 1600s where a group of plotters discontent with the king (he was a Protestant; they were Catholic; the Protestant church at that time did shameful thing to Catholics.) Guy Fawkes was one of the leaders of that plot, and November 5th in England bears his name. If you don't know anything about the Gunpowder Plot, don't look it up before you read this book. I, I'm afraid, knew a little bit about it, so some of what happened didn't come as a surprise. But! It was still a great book!!!!
LIKES -Guy Fawkes himself. Like just HOLY WOW. Talk about the complex dad character. You kind of have to read the thing to know exactly how awesome he is, and his character arc...man, this is my kind of character. -EMMA. I can't really say anything about her because SPOILERS HAHA HER EXISTENCE IS A SPOILER but still. I loved her so much. <33333 -The fact that the real plotters were the characters of this book! -While there's both Keepers (the side Thomas and his father are on) and Igniters (the side Emma and her family are on) within this story, both are portrayed as having major faults and not being totally in the right OR the wrong. Keepers are a persecuted minority, and Thomas and his father fight for them, but Brandes still shows that there are fundamental flaws with them that cannot be explained away simply because they're the minority. Igniters are in power and technically, supposedly, in the right, but their method of holding onto power and the way they torment anyone different is not once depicted as a good thing. Which I LOVED. Both sides were wrong, but neither side was TOTALLY wrong. This made it complicated. And I loved that. -Just the whole historical fantasy aspect. That was so cool. -The color masks/powers! I found that whole concept amazing. -THE VILLAIN. I will not tell you who it was or anything about them...but holy cow it was so so neat when VILLAIN is revealed and I just start shrieking. Heh heh...I totally didn't scream in the middle of the doctor's office or anything like that....
DISLIKES -So, Thomas himself really was whiny and selfish for a long time? He does have some character development, but since this is a standalone where there's already a TON happening he doesn't get a ton. I didn't HATE him...I just didn't love him, either. -The whole White Light thing just kind of weirded me out a bit. (view spoiler)[So, I know that the Keepers are supposed to stand in for Catholics and Igniters for Protestants, but because of that I kept thinking that eventually the White Light was going to be revealed as the Holy Spirit. Which was kind of happening, but I just wasn't feeling it...something about it was weird. Especially how sassy it was. I'm sure it's just that my expectations and the fantasy side of things collided, but it was weird, especially since Thomas and the others have to basically find salvation by coming to the White Light. (hide spoiler)] This is probably just a matter of taste, in all honesty, but it was still a little weird to me. -The book was a TEENSY bit slow in the middle.
All in all, four stars, and I definitely recommend this one! Thanks again to Netgalley for providing a free copy! All opinions are my own. ...more
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own (although, seriously! This book isDisclaimer: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own (although, seriously! This book is awesome! And it's been on my TBR forever, so I'm so happy that I got it for free!!!)
Okay... where to start? I guess I should provide a synopsis... Albany York has a secret.
Albany and her twin sister, Brooklyn, have spent years successfully hiding their telepathic connection. But when a girl falls unconscious at their doorstep, the girls learn that they might not be the only people in the world with extraordinary powers and that a memory thief is on the loose. As the twins try to help the girl find her memories, they discover that the superhero world might be bigger—and more dangerous—than they ever imagined.
This was a super fun book! I enjoyed every minute of it, and was really happy with the way it ended. Now I'd like book 2, please. ^_^
LIKES: -Albany! Normally, when writing a first-person protagonist, it's really hard to get much of a unique voice from them (or at least, that's what I've found.) Much of the time, despite the fact that the author claims the voice is different, it's just... not. That was definitely not the case with Twinepathy. Albany was a real, living, breathing character with a very unique and fun voice. I enjoyed reading from her POV, and didn't wish it away a single time. -Brooklyn. I love how she and Albany loved each other and were really close, even though they also whined about each others' personalities and got annoyed by one another. It felt like a very honest sibling dynamic, which I enjoyed. But Brooklyn was a terrific character! -Blaze. I didn't love him as much as some people did (based on the other reviews of the book) but he was still pretty awesome. His sense of humor was beyond amazing. (Also, I'd like to know what his real name is. I'm suspicious that it is... Blaze. -The locations! I felt like they were underused sometimes, but it was so cool that their HQ was in Antarctica (and the explanation for how they stayed warm there! That poor guy!) Trips to London, a beach island, and all over the place were rollicking fun, and I was constantly trying to guess where Blaze would take them next. -The pacing! The book kept me guessing and reading without being too fast-paced. It was basically perfect. -Maddie. She was adorable. -The plot, basically, was amazing.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: -There was a subplot with one of the characters that didn't really feel resolved. Cook is probably saving that for the sequel, but a lot of people were in serious danger during that scene and they just... paid no attention to it later on. (Also: Why is there no sequel yet. I need the sequel. Today, please, if possible. XD) -Some of the names were just...weird. Like Ezra (who's a girl?) And Keller and Genesis? I was seriously weirded out by a few of the names, although that didn't really tamper my enjoyment of the book. -Superhero stuff has never been my favorite, although I definitely still enjoy it. So simply because of the genre, it won't become one of my new favorite books.
However! It's so good, and I would 100% recommend! This book is completely clean, and just because I had a few minor quibbles with it does not for one second make it bad. I simply need the next book with more of Albany and Brooklyn and Blaze and Jen. Please, C.B. Cook? *puppy dog eyes*
Oh, boy. *sighs* Seems like I’m joining Mary Horton with the slightly controversial opinion on this book. I actually got a review copy several months Oh, boy. *sighs* Seems like I’m joining Mary Horton with the slightly controversial opinion on this book. I actually got a review copy several months ago and read it pretty fast...but I haven’t done a review til now. Because I needed a LOOOOT of time to process my thoughts on this book.
I will make a bullet list of likes and dislikes kind of jumbled together. :P
-So the setting was cool! I feel like it wasn’t optimized on anywhere near as much as it could have been, but it was still cool. Europe during WWII is one of my favorite his-fic settings, and I really did enjoy that.
-I went to the National Holocaust Museum in Washington DC last summer and it absolutely crushed my heart. I don’t think I will ever recover from that. So some of the scenes right at the beginning where people were sent away to the camps really affected me. That was nice, in a painful kind of way.
-However...I don’t know. It just didn’t feel quite as emotional as I might have liked, especially when (view spoiler)[Joyanna’s family was taken. I just feel like she got over it really really fast. (hide spoiler)]
-Erich’s love of reading was the BEST. I absolutely loved the fact that the thing that excited him the most about the new house was the library. XD
-Gil and David’s friendship really was the best. I love strong friendship in books, and theirs was amazing.
-And that one part? *scowls furiously at the camera* I didn’t think she was actually going to do it. Arghhhhh. Nooooo. I sniffled a few times, which is pretty good, cause I don’t usually cry while reading.
-Gil in general was just kind of amazing.
-However, the fight scenes—I don’t know, they Just felt kind of underwhelming. That may be because I have no experience with being a pilot, but I saw definite room for improvement.
-Some of the coincidences felt a little TOO coincidental. There was one scene at the end where it turned out that the same one person was important in some way to every other character. And that’s okay...it just felt waaaay too convenient to setting up the climax.
-The writing wasn’t astounding. There’s definite room for improvement. But having read snippets for Ms. Wheaton’s upcoming novels, I can see that that improvement has already grown in leaps and bounds. So kudos for that ^_^
Overall? This was a good book. It really was. I enjoyed reading it, and while there is much room for improvement, it has great potential. :D
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. ...more
WOW. I'll just say that now. This was a really well-written, good book! I have been friends with Faith on Goodreads for a little while now (tMy Review
WOW. I'll just say that now. This was a really well-written, good book! I have been friends with Faith on Goodreads for a little while now (two Faiths, it's a little confusing lol....) and she always has the sweetest things to say. It makes sense, therefore, that her book would be kind of adorable.
I Likey -The whole romance aspect was pretty darn cute. Charity and Ryder were very, very well-fleshed-out characters (especially Charity, but I'll get to that in a minute...) and they really seemed like they went well together :) -The Christian characters/prayer sections/etc. were just beautiful. I've always loved books where there are Christian characters who PRAY and LIVE THEIR FAITH and READ THE PSALMS IN TIMES OF TROUBLE and that was so prominent in this story. It made me so happy to read about them sitting in the hospital (I mean, not happy about them being there) and reading the Bible and praying the whole time for comfort and reveling in God's presence. It felt SO REAL. -There are three siblings in the Traven family, Ryder, Hannah, and Drew, and they are so well-done. I mean, there wasn't much conversation with Ryder in the hospital, but Hannah and Drew managed to get across, even in the kind of situation that draws a family closer than they've ever been before, both the get-out-of-my-room-before-I-smack-you-with-a-pillow dynamic and the you-are-my-best-friend-in-the-world-even-though-you-drive-me-crazy dynamic. -A beautiful and marvelous girl-girl friendship between Charity and Hannah. -The suspense! I mean, this book was mostly a medical drama. It's no spoiler to tell you that at the beginning Ryder gets in a terrible accident (I mean, it's on the back cover copy...) and he goes to the hospital, where the doctors are all unsure of his life. It rocks back and forth between "Will Ryder make it?" and "Ryder's going to die." I was convinced that it could go either way, with my opinion changing on it pretty much page by page. That's a pretty impressive feat. -It didn't gloss over the fact that the Christian life is hard. That made me really happy. I Not-So-Likey -Not much. -I wasn't initially sure if Ryder was supposed to be a bad boy? The way it was set up implied that Charity was going to discover he was actually cheating on her or something, or that he was just not such a lovely person. But it wasn't. I'll just get that out of the way now XD -Christian contemporaries (particularly romance style ones) are not my preferred genre. But this one blew it out of the water! The beauty of the Christian part (God was present in almost every page, and I felt the relationships the characters had with him) and the sweetness of the romance had me convinced. ...more
This was a really heart-wrenching little short story. Very different from this author's other works, and I very much enjoyed it. Because sci-fi and ChThis was a really heart-wrenching little short story. Very different from this author's other works, and I very much enjoyed it. Because sci-fi and Christian messages. Definitely recommend this powerful little book. :)...more
Well, this was the sweetest little book ever. The short review: go read it, please. But Allison gave me this book for review so review it I will.
LikesWell, this was the sweetest little book ever. The short review: go read it, please. But Allison gave me this book for review so review it I will.
Likes: -Burndee. Like, he was so grouchy and yet adorable, and I loved him with all my heart. I totally shipped him with Ella... -Ella. She was adorable too. Honestly, all the characters are adorable. And she was the cutest version of Cinderella I've read in a while. There are WAY too many retellings of Cinderella out there, but if the writer can pull off a unique and wonderful Ella, I'll go for it. I'm unashamed of my love for unique Cinderella characters. -I didn't particularly like Colin, but that was just personal taste. -The cliches were just completely not there and it was wonderful. Everything was reversed. One of the stepsisters wasn't so evil, the stepmother was a stepfather... it was amazing. -Did I mention it was funny? -I actually cried laughing at one point. -I laugh at movies all the time. Not usually books. -Also: Burndee loved to bake. I adore baking characters, especially when they're guys...
Probably my one complaint was that the book could have been twice as long, but I'm definitely looking forward to more from Allison Tebo. Thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for review!...more
I've seen this book hyped up since I joined Goodreads, and ended up buying the whole series in paperback with some Christmas money. I read this first I've seen this book hyped up since I joined Goodreads, and ended up buying the whole series in paperback with some Christmas money. I read this first one in a couple of days.
And sheesh, was the hype worth it.
LIKES: -This is Christian fiction that is NOT AFRAID to get real. And dark. And I love that. Life in the Christian world is not all fun and games, and it's a little weird to go from this to Mitford....but I still love them both. <3 And the fact that the darkness is not GLORIFIED but is in there to depict that this is a fallen world.... *all the heart eyes* -PARVIN. Her internal journeys spoke to me so so so much. I mean, she starts out so selfish and caring only about herself, wondering if her family even loves her, angry at herself for wasting her life up to this point....but her character arc is immense throughout this story and I adore it. <3 -Willow. Poor sweet little Willow. <3 And Ash! I really liked Ash! -Jude. As an individual, however. I'll talk a little bit (in spoilers) about what I DIDN'T like about him in the next section. For now, suffice it to say: That personality! And that ending! -All the locations and steampunky stuff! Wilber's suits! Wilber himself! Ivanhoe which was just PERFECT and I adore it! (Air/wind is my element, so the idea of a city where everything is wide open and tightropes and all of that...*squeals*) -The messages of truth that were so prevalent throughout were just sort of YES -I absolutely loved Skelley Chase (both as a character and...ya know...after the plot twist.) -Reid! -HAAAAAAWWWWWWKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEE forever -Parvin's parents are great!
DISLIKES -Elm. I'm sorry, guys, I just do not like him. :P -Jude. So, I get that he has anger management issues and all that, but (view spoiler)[It is never okay to hit a woman. Ever. I'm sorry, but....I just couldn't love him after that. (hide spoiler)] -I mentioned above that I like the grittiness of this book, but a couple of times, it got to be just a little TOO dark. One scene in particular: WELL MY GOODNESS. (view spoiler)[You all know the one...when Jude wants her to try to cut out his tracker... (hide spoiler)] For the most part it didn't bother me. But then things got weird. XD
Overall? Four stars to this one, and I love the rest of the series! Definitely not for everyone, but if you're looking for gritty Christian fiction that really doesn't shy away from the darkness in the world but still shines God's light through, I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this book. <3 ...more
This was terrific. I was lucky enough to have my parents buy me the first two books in paperwork, which is also a curse because it means that I will hThis was terrific. I was lucky enough to have my parents buy me the first two books in paperwork, which is also a curse because it means that I will have to wait until I can afford the next two books in the same. Halp.
But basically I loved Jace and Kyrin and Kaden and TRASK and Anne and all of the beautiful loveable characters. They were the best. That is all. ...more
So, this book. My feelings are so complicated. I loved it... but there is a lot I wasn't as in love with. I don't know. I'll just ramble it out.
First So, this book. My feelings are so complicated. I loved it... but there is a lot I wasn't as in love with. I don't know. I'll just ramble it out.
First of all: Martyn! And Kayleigh! The two of them are amazing, and I loved their relationship and their inner struggles. I disliked Martyn in the first book -he felt underdeveloped and I had no reason to care about him- but from that point on (through both Deny and Defy) I loved him. A lot. So getting to see his journey was epic.
The setting of this book was epic as well. I've always loved the idea of seeing what's going to happen after the victory's won, and there's peace, and all is well... but things don't actually turn perfect immediately. There's messes, and there's PTSD, and there's broken things that need fixing, and there's veterans of the war who need people to help them. And that was entirely what Deliver was about. The war is over; what happens next?
Then we had Leith and Renna. I felt like the two of them were less their own people this time and their chapters were more focused on their romance--which was okay, because they're happy and I enjoyed it--but I felt like they were a lot less rich in this one. And I found that kind of sad.
For the most part I LOVED this book; it simply wasn't as good as the previous two. However, I still enjoyed it more than I didn't, and it was so good. I finished and was just sad because the story of Acktar is over, and I'd love more novellas, even though normally I don't read novellas. I'd love to journey back to Acktar. Thank you, Tricia Mingerink, for giving us this world to immerse ourselves in. :)
Spoilers for those who haven't read the first two books; other spoilers will be marked as such!
What can I say? This book was almost perfection. I don'Spoilers for those who haven't read the first two books; other spoilers will be marked as such!
What can I say? This book was almost perfection. I don't THINK I liked it quite as much as I did "Deny," for inexplicable reasons, but it was still SO. FREAKING. GOOD.
This was Renna's book to shine, and oh my. She was so different from the girl we met at the beginning of Dare, but she was still the same person on the inside. I appreciated that--there wasn't so much change that she felt like a different character, but enough that she felt like a new person. The character arcs in this story are the best and I salute Tricia Mingerink for writing them. :)
Then there was Leith. My precious little cinnamon roll. He really got to shine in this one, too. He no longer has to live dual lives, and was very careful to "be HIM" in this book, which was WONDERFUL. God has done such a work in that boy, and he's so humble, so amazing. He hasn't lost all his resentment, so he's definitely not perfect, but his character that started out so flawed has really come a long way.
Then we had romance. I'll be honest, I wasn't as big a fan of it when it actually started happening as I'd been in the first two books when it was simply teased. It just felt like their whole relationship was really... fast. (view spoiler)[ Kind of like, when they realized that they liked each other (FINALLY) they just tore straight into kissing and holding hands and all that physical stuff. I'm not opposed to any of that, not for one second, it just felt fast. They did, however, spend several months as friends, getting to know each other, in Dare and Deny, before realizing that what they were feeling was actually love. So I was really grateful that they FINALLY decided to go for it. I mean, it sure took them long enough. Not being a physical touch person myself (in fact, it's my LEAST dominant love language) I always feel kind of awkward around lots of that. However, they were aware of themselves and didn't even try to go further than they should have, for which I was also thankful. (hide spoiler)] So anyway, yeah. I loved it... but it also OCCASIONALLY made me the tiniest bit uncomfortable. Most of the time, no.
BRANDI!!!! We got to be in her head in this book, and like the other characters, I was disappointed that she wasn't as happy and bubbly inward as she acted. But it makes sense. She is, after all, fourteen, and has seen almost everyone she loves die or leave. I was fourteen not too long ago. It's not all fun and games. :P Her arc may well have been the saddest of the three main characters' in this book. I teared up a few times.
And some of the banter was the BEST. I loved how even when Leith was in incredible pain, he could still (occasionally) joke around. The "we're making Martyn uncomfortable" thing made me laugh so hard. So did the part when Renna made Martyn wash the dishes. Honestly, I just love the way Renna treated Martyn in this one. He was such a deep and tragic character... but he was still used in the funniest ways. I laughed hysterically a couple of times, freaking my family out.
Despite war and torture, I felt like this book was a lot less violent than Deny. In that one, there were a lot of dead bodies and such, often described in great detail; Defy, however, had long war sequences, and a couple of parts at the end with war hospitals that were sad and tragic, but not in a turning-your-stomach-making-me-cover-the-page-with-a-hand-and-cringe kind of way, like a couple of parts of Deny.
Respen in this one too! Argh, I loved him. Rather, I guess, I loved to hate him. He was epic, at least as villains go. Ugh, his scheme in this one was probably pretty obvious from the beginning. But I totally missed it until he said it. Then I was like WHAT???????????????????? (view spoiler)[And I appreciate the way he was disposed of. I was worried Leith was going to have to kill him, and that would have taken a lot of my respect for him. But by having Keevan do it in a formal way, as part of his reign as king... that felt right. I appreciated that. (hide spoiler)]
Speaking of Keevan: (view spoiler)[HE WAS EPIC! I didn't like him at first, but I understood him, at least some. He was so HUMAN, and his history with Leith... I cried for both of them. Selfishly, like Renna, I was most thankful that he was alive so that she could go be Lady of Stetterly and marry Leith. Because YOU DON'T MESS WITH MA SHIP. (hide spoiler)]
Some of the romance, as mentioned above, was a little awkward for me, and there was just something about this one that wasn't as compelling as Deny. But we got the great new character of Ranson, which was awesome, and JAMIE... And don't forget Shad. Man, I love that dude.
Definitely one of my new favorite books! And I definitely recommend it!!!!!!!! ...more
5 STARS. WHAT ELSE COULD I HAVE GIVEN IT? HOW HAVE I NOT READ THESE BOOKS UNTIL NOW?
But then, if I had read them earlier, I wouldn't have had all four5 STARS. WHAT ELSE COULD I HAVE GIVEN IT? HOW HAVE I NOT READ THESE BOOKS UNTIL NOW?
But then, if I had read them earlier, I wouldn't have had all four readily available and thus would have had to suffer through that cliffhanger at the end of this book. Because HOLY COW. HELP.
There will be much shouting and flailing in this review.
Tricia Mignerink is a cruel author. She's terrible. The pain she inflicts on Leith, my baby, and on Renna my poor innocent little girl, and on Brandi, who should never suffer, and on Shad and the others... just ARGH.
The characters in this one were amazing! I fell in love with Leith in the last book (and yes, I mean that literally, although I still ship him with Renna SO MUCH) and he has not disappointed me yet. I sit here fangirling as his epicness just completely drives this narrative. He's the most wonderful male lead I've encountered in a while. (If you wanted to know who some other male leads I've loved like this are, think Janner Igiby, Leonard/Lionheart, Aragorn, and Prince Kai. I'm saying that Leith is just as epic and amazing as them.)
Then there's Renna and Brandi. I, personally, would like a chance to have some of the next book from Brandi's POV (which the blurb for the next one seems to promise! I can't wait! Arghh!) because I want to know if she ever struggles the way Renna does in wondering if her faith is real. Poor Renna. I relate to her so much. She's so quiet and brave, her struggles are so real, and she has so much crashing down on her all the time. She's not perfect! Hallelujah! But she's still amazing.
There's a new character in this book: Jamie. OH MY WORD I LOVE THIS KID SO FREAKIN' MUCH. He's the sweetest little thing. I think I spot a new ship on the horizon heh heh....
Speaking of ships: YASSSSSS. This one. I need it to be a thing. Like today, please. They need to admit how much they care about each other. Because they do. Halllppp. (view spoiler)[And the part when Renna hugs Leith? And when she tells him to LEAVE HER BEHIND??? MY POOR HEART HELP ME PLEASE.) (hide spoiler)]
The plot was terrific. Every time I thought I could relax, Tricia would spring something new on them. Like at one point I was like, "Wow, things are going really well for [spoiler] and then ALL THE EVIL IN THE WORLD CAME CRASHING DOWN ON THEM. This is good writing, people. This is writing that makes you scream and shriek and flail and cry and rip your hair out.
I feel like I should mention the cliffhanger, but AHHH. I literally flipped to the last page on my Kindle, turned the page, and started shrieking. My mother will attest to this fact. I was convinced that there was a mistake because HOW COULD THAT BE THE END???? WHAT EVEN?!
I will complain that there was a little more violence than I might have liked, portrayed more graphically than I'm always comfortable with. But it was depicted as evil and wrong and the good guys were not going around killing people. Except Lady Lorraine. My word. That woman... *simultaneously laughs hysterically and flees*
Now for a massively spoilery part that you should not by any means open unless you want to have the whole book ruined. If you don't than skip the next paragraph. PLEASE.
(view spoiler)[So, that ending crushed me. I knew Leith was going to have to choose between Shad and Martyn at some point, and I knew Martyn was going to turn on him, but still. The agony of it was SO PAINFUL. Why did Leith have to leave Renna behind? Brandi's going to get herself killed in the next book, I just know she is. I'M HAVING EMOTIONS OVER HERE, PEOPLE. I AM SOBBING. THIS BOOK DID SO MUCH TO MY FEELS!) (hide spoiler)]
So in short this was a terrific book. Read it unless you don't like gratuitous violence occasionally.
Re-read in May 2018: Loved this just as much the second time around! Still 4.5 stars, because I do feel like some of Leith's development was a little Re-read in May 2018: Loved this just as much the second time around! Still 4.5 stars, because I do feel like some of Leith's development was a little fast and Respen isn't yet as well developed as he could be...but these are minor complaints! I now have a great urge to make time to re-read the rest of this wonderful series!
WELL THIS WAS MILDLY AMAZING. I'd heard so many rave reviews of this book, and it's so cheap on Kindle ($3! Like what world is this?!) and we were going on a road trip so I thought it would be a good plan to get going on this series (at the same time as starting Ilyon.... bad idea, y'all.)
So this was a good book! I enjoyed it very much.
THINGS I LIKED: -LEITH TORREN. Characters who were bad and slowly start to see that they can be different are my absolute favorite (I enjoy writing them, reading them, watching them in movies...) and his character arc's gorgeousness was beyond lovable. He is my new character crush at the moment. <3 -Renna. She had this quiet strength on the outside, but her inner turmoil was so relatable. She was able to stay so... sane despite the fact that she was being hunted and mentally tortured and all that good stuff. I doubt I could say the same. -(Also the ship. I love it so much.) -BRANDI. I also love bubbly young characters who act like little kids and have so much joy in life. I adored her, and her character arc with Leith. I can totally see her as my younger sister. -Shadrach because he was epic. The strong, silent type. -The whole Blades idea. It was just really neat. -The suspense of the plot was nerve-racking. (view spoiler)[I knew nobody would die, but I was still nervous for Renna and Leith. Both together and separately. I didn't want Vane to kill Renna... but I also didn't want Leith to get caught. And I knew they'd probably be okay, but I was still terrified for them. (hide spoiler)] -The Christian aspect of it was amazing. I loved the clear presentation of the gospel, and I was kind of taking notes for my own works.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE SO MUCH: -The plot was kind of predictable. I knew what was coming and how everyone was probably going to end their character arcs, but I still read avidly and adored it. -There was a mite more violence than I'm comfortable with. Whoops. -As some other people have said, the world-building could use a little work. But seeing as there are three more books in this series... that will probably get much better. And I will be reading all three of the other books. -Also: I felt like Respen needed some development. But as above: Three more books.
In short, this was an excellent book, and I LOOOOOOOOOVED it. Leith is my new favorite male character right now, and I'm so totally going to be buying the rest of the books on Kindle. $3, y'all! So if you don't own this book, buy it. Now. Please.
So I'd heard quite a bit about this book thanks to many of my friends here on Goodreads, and when it went on sale, I snagged it. Sweet deal - $.99! I So I'd heard quite a bit about this book thanks to many of my friends here on Goodreads, and when it went on sale, I snagged it. Sweet deal - $.99! I started it in the afternoon and read until ten o'clock, when my dad made me go to bed with literally two pages to go. So I got up at 5:30 in the morning to finish it.
And it was SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOD, y'all. Amazing. Totally worth the hype.
Likes: -Fern. She was a very unconventional heroine, and I just loved her so much. She was realistic for all the stuff she'd gone through, and her character arc was nicely done for such a short book. -Tristan. Can I just say that when male leads are well-done, with their own reasons for loving people and fighting and existing, it makes me so happy? Tristan can take care of himself, and he's been protecting Fern since she was a little girl. But she has to learn to come out from under his wing, and he has to learn to let her. -Again: can I just say these character arcs were golden? -I really loved Elinore also. She was the sweetest little thing. -The FBI aspect of it. I've never read that kind of book, and it was really cool. I also liked that Agent [Barstow?] wasn't a bad guy. I feel like this kind of story tends to make the cops bad, and while he isn't a cop, neither he nor his guys are bad. -The pacing. Especially in the second three-quarters of the book. The first quarter was a little off to me. But that's a complaint for a different section. (view spoiler)[Can I just mention the romance? Because it was SO WELL DONE and I loved it with all my heart. And that part when they thought Tristan died? Oh my word. I died too. And let's talk about the ending O_O (hide spoiler)]
Dislikes: -Probably that the first quarter was a little bit hard to get into? It wasn't slow, and it was definitely necessary, but I had a little bit of a hard time throwing myself in headfirst. -I noticed a few typos here and there, but for the most part this was a very well-made book, especially since it's self-published :) -I wished it was longer :)
4.5 stars. I totally recommend this one. It was amazing and I already want to re-read it. ...more
I was privileged enough to beta-read this epic novella for Abi, and I'll start my review off by saying she did a phenomenal job getting it together! II was privileged enough to beta-read this epic novella for Abi, and I'll start my review off by saying she did a phenomenal job getting it together! It's truly difficult to edit anything, even if it is just a novella, and this is Abi's second project to be published. So congrats to you, first, Abigayle :)
On to the review! Synopsis: Andora is a beautiful young woman with insatiable curiosity. Raised in splendor, she is spoiled by her privileged life. When a love letter is slid under her door, her life takes a drastically unromantic turn. Nothing makes sense—her arranged marriage, the gifts her parents bestow on her wedding day, or her new husband’s temperament.
As Andora begins to unravel the mysteries around her, she ignites a chain of events that have the power to sabotage her entire village forever. Only her new-found wisdom as a desperate peasant's wife can save her from her folly.
So! This was a short little book, but definitely worth the read. It's a retelling of the Greek myth Pandora's box, and does a great job smuggling that into the story without it ever being explicit. The story is retold in Europe, in probably around the fourteenth century, and revolves around a LOT of worldbuilding. I could almost smell the world at times. There was more wordbuilding in this little thing than there is in most full-length novels.
Now for the characters: -Andora: I really didn't like her at first, but as she grew more desperate and humble, she got to be a character who I genuinely rooted for. Even when she did stupid things and made massive mistakes. I started out really not caring about her at all, but after a while... wow. -Theus. I'll be honest with y'all and say that I really didn't like him at first, especially his attitude towards Andora. He had very dramatic mood swings and could be somewhat aggressive towards her from time to time (never in a physical way, though, more like an irritated yelling kind of way). But as you got to know more of his backstory and discover who he actually is, he got better. A lot better. -Varos, Theus's older brother, was honestly my favorite character. He was a sweet guy with a heart of gold, and he was kind of stuck in the middle the whole time, but he was so patient about it all. I mean, I would have blown up at Theus and Andora long before he even started considering it XD -The other characters were all really well-done (creepy, nerve-wracking, sweet, lovely, etc...) but talking more about them would be spoilery, so I won't go into that.
The plot moves quickly, and while some of the mysteries are easier to decipher than others, they are still incredibly well-done. Andora's personal story arc is a lot of the main plot, what drives it forward and keeps it going and develops all the rest of the characters, but most of the characters have similar arcs as they go from selfish jerks to wonderfully developed people.
I definitely recommend this book, and very much enjoyed it! Thank you so much to Abi for letting me beta-read it! ...more
R.F. Gammon
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