Title: And I Darken
Author: Kiersten White Published by: Delacorte Press Publication date: June 28, 2016 Pages: 498 Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance Summary from Goodreads: No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets. Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion. But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.
Lada is described as a princess, but is so far from the literary and historical idea that this book caught me off guard. She’s also based of off Vlad the Impaler, who the author describes as this: “Vlad the Impaler was a national hero, a freedom fighter, a brilliant military mind. Or he was a deeply disturbed psycho-path, a vicious despot who murdered tens of thousands and literally sustained himself on their flesh.”
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Title: The Shadow Hour
Author: Melissa Grey Published by: Delacorte Press Publication date: July 12, 2016 Pages: 432 Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance Summary from Goodreads: Everything in Echo’s life changed in a blinding flash when she learned the startling truth: she is the firebird, the creature of light that is said to bring peace. The firebird has come into the world, but it has not come alone. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and Echo can feel a great and terrible darkness rising in the distance. Cosmic forces threaten to tear the world apart. Echo has already lost her home, her family, and her boyfriend. Now, as the firebird, her path is filled with even greater dangers than the ones she’s already overcome. She knows the Dragon Prince will not fall without a fight. Echo must decide: can she wield the power of her true nature—or will it prove too strong for her, and burn what’s left of her world to the ground? Welcome to the shadow hour.
Like many second installments to trilogies, the middle book is often plagued with less plot and an adjustment to character circumstances. The Shadow Hour is no different - following Echo as she adjusts to being the firebird and navigates relational changes with her friends. I wasn't bored, but I like character studies, and we get to know these characters better and watch them change and try to make sense of themselves. While Shadow Hour sets up the third book for an ultimate showdown with Echo as the powerful firebird, I like that Echo's character from the first book is not lost. Sure, she struggles with some self doubt, but Echo is the same wise-cracking, intelligent, word-loving (she knows words, and really does have the best words) thief.
Title: The Great Hunt
Author: Wendy Higgins Published by: HarperTeen Publication date: March 8, 2016 Pages: 432 Genres: Fantasy, Romance Summary from Goodreads: “Aerity…” Her father paused as if the words he was forming pained him. “I must ask you to sacrifice the promise of love for the sake of our kingdom.” She could only stare back, frozen. When a strange beast terrorizes the kingdom of Lochlanach, fear stirs revolt. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage. Princess Aerity knows her duty to the kingdom but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger…until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. There’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment. Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast—but the princess continues to surprise him, and the perilous secrets he’s buried begin to surface. Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.
The premise of The Great Hunt seemed a little old fashioned to me—kill the beast, win the girl. Very chivalrous in a YA era of warrior women. And while the main characters play somewhat stereotypical gender roles (nothing really wrong with that either), women aren’t week in Hunt. There are women warriors, and courageous women, sacrificial women, and authoritative women. So, if the concept of the book gave you pause about women’s roles in the book, don’t be dissuaded by its description! Aerity must make difficult, mature decisions as a future ruler and while she’s not technically a fighter, she’s no less brave, and quick, and smart.
Title: Starflight
Author: Melissa Landers Published by: Disney-Hyperion Publication date: February 2, 2016 Pages: 368 Genres: Science Fiction, Romance, Adventure Summary from Goodreads: Life in the outer realm is a lawless, dirty, hard existence, and Solara Brooks is hungry for it. Just out of the orphanage, she needs a fresh start in a place where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. She's so desperate to reach the realm that she's willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback who made her life miserable all through high school, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith. When a twist of fate lands them instead on the Banshee, a vessel of dubious repute, Doran learns he's been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of mysterious coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must get past their enmity to work together and evade those out for their arrest. Life on the Banshee may be tumultuous, but as Solara and Doran are forced to question everything they once believed about their world—and each other—the ship becomes home, and the eccentric crew family. But what Solara and Doran discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter their lives, but the existence of everyone in the universe...
I was ready for a space odyssey. I’m a girl who grew up watching Star Trek and Star Wars with my family. When a book is released exploring a new frontier, I’m there. Starflight takes us from Earth to the outer realms of our planet. Some realms are for farmers, some for explorers, and some for vacations of the wealthy. That’s how Solara’s life gets intertwined with Doran’s. She’s desperate to get somewhere and he decides he can take on a servant (yes, the book begins with her being his servant…but she gets some payback). Solara and Doran end up traveling with some quirky characters and get themselves in a few pickles. The book was a little predictable, but still a fun, quick-read adventure.
Title: Ice Like Fire
Author: Sara Raasch Published by: Balzer + Bray Publication date: October 13, 2015 Pages: 496 Genres: Fantasy, Romance Summary from Goodreads: It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell. Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves? Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats? As the web of power and deception weaves tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter, but for the world.
There will be spoilers for Snow Like Ashes, so please do not read if you haven’t finished the first book.
Snow like Ashes was one of my Top 10 books last year – I was excitedly anticipating this sequel. I was so disappointed with Ice Like Fire. I put off this review for a month, because I’m so sad about Raasch’s second installment. Oh, Meira. You hold a large, unexpected weight on your shoulders now, but you went from brave and daring to whiny and whiny. Meira thinks she has to change herself to be queen. Her decisions are based on a theory that the old Meira is unworthy of being a queen, so she tries to do things differently. This translates in the book to a whiny heroine who thinks she has to do everything alone and is terribly lonely because of it. I’ve seen this before in books when a heroine inherits unexpected responsibilities. She doesn’t want to burden others around her, so she takes all the responsibilities on herself – the lesson being you need community and support. Just when we see some of the old Meira back and she has an epiphany about not being alone at all, she goes off…alone. What? Frustrating. |
Lindsey Learn
I read a lot. I'm a Mom. I'm officially in my 30s, but strangers often don't believe I'm old enough to drink. I love Young Adult fiction, and thought it was worthwhile to help teens and adults find age-appropriate options. Categories
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