Category: Fantasy
The Messenger by Pamela DuMond
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Do you remember the first time you fell in love?
Read The Messenger (Mortal Beloved, Book One) and feel that beautiful—again.
Sixteen-year-old Madeline’s meant to fall in love with Samuel in every lifetime. But she meets him for the first time when she accidentally time travels into the past—hundreds years before she’s even born!
Their relationship is forbidden—Samuel’s half Native, Madeline’s white. Every rendezvous they share must be secret. Each moment they spend together tempts the odds that they’ll be discovered and brutally punished. But their love is fated—they musk risk all.
Danger intensifies when Madeline learns she’s in the past not only to fall in love, but also to claim her birth right as a Messenger—a soul who can slip through time’s fabric at will.
Deadly Hunters, dark-souled time travelers, crave Madeline’s powers and seek to seduce or kill her. Can Madeline find her way back to the future in time to save herself and Samuel?
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
If I had to describe The Messenger in one word it would be ‘disappointing.’
The prologue started off promisingly enough, with a girl (obviously the main character) running through the woods in a panic. Okay, that sounds cool; let’s get on with the main event! My excitement dampened throughout the first few chapters because of the pretty stereotypical “main character who has lost her parent in a horrific accident years ago” but I soldiered on. When I got to when Madeline time-travelled I got pretty excited because I like time travel stories, which is why I requested this book in the first place. Then that point in the story is where the true disappointment set in.
It’s hard to enjoy a book when you absolutely cannot stand the main character and I couldn’t stand Madeline. I just wanted to reach in and slap her across her loud mouth. Constantly. Okay, she’s a little disoriented when she travels back in time, I’ll grant her that. But once she gets on her feet and realizes “I better play along with these people or they’ll call me a witch and hang me” she then proceeds to act like a modern stereotypical American teenager. She blurts out things at inappropriate times, uses modern slang (!) and generally acts like she wants people to start lynching her. I get it, not all teenagers are smart and would instantly adapt to the 1600s. Calling such a transition a culture shock would be quite an understatement. But really? Using the word ‘whatevs’ is definitely not going to ease people’s suspicions about you. Ugh.
Aside from a narrator that really is Too Stupid To Live, the book’s premise isn’t all that bad. Sure, it’s not the most original but the whole Messenger angle was sort of interesting. Special people go back in time to right wrongs and/or meet their destiny. Hunters try to prevent this. Unfortunately, Pamela DuMond never really gets into fleshing the whole story of the Messengers out because Madeline’s stupidity gets her mentor accused of witchcraft. Even the little knowledge Samuel has isn’t really enough to satisfy my curiosity. I know this is the first book in a series but even that doesn’t really excuse the fact that we get more questions than answers. So I give Pamela DuMond marks for potentially awesome world-building, but I can’t honestly say much about it because we didn’t learn all that much about it.
The plot is okay, but it’s also nothing to brag about. It’s not fast, but not too slow and it was interesting enough to keep me reading even though I began to really loathe Madeline. My only real complaint about the plot was that while some things were focused on too much, other things were neglected, like the growing attraction between Madeline and Samuel. Yes, they spend some time together but in those interactions I really wasn’t feeling the sparks fly. It just kind of felt contrived by the author because of course all YA novels have to have some romance.
Overall, the book would not be a bad book if not for the fact Madeline is just a really horrible main character. Sadly for us, though, we’re pretty much stuck in her head the whole time so there is no escaping the fact that The Messenger fell flat on its face. It had so much potential and did not live up to it.
I give this book 1/5 stars.
Novella: The Donor by Nikki Rae
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Casey Williams and her family are poor. Her parents work non-stop and so does she, just so they can keep the trailer roof from leaking.
They’re getting by fine enough when the headaches start. Then there’s the nosebleeds. And the inevitable doctor’s bills.
Fortunately for Casey, there’s MyTrueMatch.com: an exclusive, quick, and almost easy way to pay it all back before her parents even have to know.
All she has to do is give a man she’s never met whatever he wants from her body.
Inside or out.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I’ll admit it: I thought this book was about sex when I requested it on NetGalley. Considering the blurb, I don’t think that was an unreasonable assumption because a lot of erotic novel blurbs are. I was honestly looking for a little guilty pleasure.
What I got was a poignant, touching story that left me an emotional wreck for a full day afterward.
So obviously, this book is not about sex. No, it’s the story of Casey and her journey to confront not only her medical reality but her long-ignored emotions. It’s a story of forgiveness and dealing with your past, especially the things that hurt you before. And although I can’t really say much without giving away the whole story but it is also a tale of love; not necessarily romantic love but the kind of platonic love you feel for your family. The Donor is a story that can mean many things to many different people and these are just some of the things I pulled out of it; Nikki Rae’s story is so deep that you will probably take away different lessons and themes.
Casey was just an amazing character and I don’t I’ll ever be able to forget her. She’s young, just about to start her life away from her family, but poverty and those medical bills that were mentioned in the blurb are conspiring against her. So she turns to a sketchy and exclusive website where she meets Jonah Black, a mysterious but kind man who decides to make her his donor. Casey’s character arc as she confronts her problems and finally, finally forgives herself is just amazing and although I’m not an emotional person I’m tearing up just writing this review. Both Jonah and Casey were so real, so vivid, that you can’t help but become attached to them as characters.
The real reason The Donor is such an amazing novella (aside from the characters) is Nikki Rae’s writing. She just has an absolutely amazing writing style. It’s simple but poignant, conveying emotion without being too sappy, using symbolism but not being in your face about it. I know that it’s very hard for authors to find a balance between emotional and overly melodramatic, but Nikki Rae found such an amazing balance that if you aren’t left feeling a little something by the end of the book you clearly don’t possess a human heart.
So what can I say? Not everyone will like the ending but it stays true to the characters and the overall tone of the novella. It will leave you an emotional wreck but it will also make you confront your own fears and live your life just a little more richly because of it. There really are no words for how awesome this book is.
Seriously, just go buy it.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
A Grave Inheritance by Kari Edgren
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Selah Kilbrid may descend from the goddess Brigid, but her heart beats—and breaks—the same as any human. Yet enduring the scorn of London’s most noble lords and ladies is a small price to pay for a chance at true happiness. Selah would endure much more for love, and her betrothed, Lord Henry Fitzalan, is prepared to challenge anyone foolish enough to stand in their way—even another goddess born.
But when a captivating young gentleman draws Selah into a world shadowed by secrets, she is forced to confront her darkest fears. What if some differences are too great to overcome and a future with Henry is doomed from the start?
With these doubts threatening her impending marriage and the very last of Brigid’s fire draining from her soul, a violent attack on an innocent child pushes Selah to the very edge of her power. She must find a way to cross into the Otherworld and regain her strength—or forfeit the streets of London to death and disease.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
After having read Goddess Born, the first book in Kari Edgren’s trilogy, I was very, very excited to get my hands on A Grave Inheritance. The first book had been so great that it would be hard to top, but I had faith that she would be up to the challenge. And of course she was.
Selah is a much different character now. She’s more sure of herself and of Henry, but there are still little doubts lingering beneath the surface. Those doubts aren’t helped when Henry seems to all but ignore her for a while and chastises her for using her gift when he knows she can’t help it. Will they be able to overcome their differences? Or will the pressure from pretty much everyone in King George’s court undo the love they found back in the colonies? Especially when Julian, another descendant of Brigid starts showing an interest in Selah.
Yes, some people will probably get frustrated with Selah doubting Henry all of the time, but you have to remember that although they’re in love, they haven’t exactly known each other for a long time. It’s natural that Selah fears Henry will leave her once he goes back to his life as the King’s favourite courtier. And Henry doesn’t exactly alleviate those doubts early on. Both of them grow so much as characters throughout this book that you can hardly recognize them from how they were at the beginning of Goddess Born. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I do have to say that they both change for the better.
I kind of saw some of the plot twists coming, but there were others that completely blindsided me. Especially the revelation about Selah’s family and the fact that Brigid wasn’t the only deity to have mortal descendants with powerful gifts. For a largely character-driven novel, the plot is fairly fast-paced so I really can’t complain about that. The only real criticism I have is that I wish a little more had happened in the middle of the book; it wasn’t boring, but it wasn’t exactly super interesting at times. Since that’s really my only complaint (and it’s pretty minor), I’d have to say that the plot was pretty darn good overall.
One of the things that made me fall in love with Goddess Born, aside from the characters, was Kari Edgren’s writing. It’s just as good, if not better, in the sequel. She has this beautiful way of describing things that makes you feel like you really are there with the characters; that’s rare enough in authors. What makes her writing great as opposed to good, however, is the fact that she can give a very authentic historical atmosphere. Edgren makes you really feel like you’re in England in the 1700s. I know almost nothing about the period but she puts in these little details of everyday life that it makes the story ring true. It’s quite amazing, really.
It’s not often that second books are just as good if not better than the first book. Yet here we have A Grave Inheritance, a wonderful tale of love, magic, intrigue, gods and goddesses. It’s an emotional roller coaster at times and Kari Edgren really makes you feel all of her characters’ hardships. You can’t help but get emotionally invested in her characters and that’s part of the reason why I’m so anxious for the third book. Selah’s story is far from over.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
The Rose Master by Valentina Cano
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
The day Anne Tinning turns seventeen, birds fall from the sky. But that’s hardly the most upsetting news. She’s being dismissed from the home she’s served at since she was a child, and shipped off to become the newly hired parlor maid for a place she’s never heard of. And when she sees the run-down, isolated house, she instantly knows why:
There’s something wrong with Rosewood Manor.
Staffed with only three other servants, all gripped by icy silence and inexplicable bruises, and inhabited by a young master who is as cold as the place itself, the house is shrouded in neglect and thick with fear. Her questions are met with hushed whispers, and she soon finds herself alone in the empty halls, left to tidy and clean rooms no one visits.
As the feeling of being watched grows, she begins to realize there is something else in the house with them–some creature that stalks the frozen halls and claws at her door. A creature that seems intent on harming her.
When a fire leaves Anne trapped in the manor with its Master, she finally demands to know why. But as she forces the truth about what haunts the grounds from Lord Grey, she learns secrets she isn’t prepared for. The creature is very real, and she’s the only one who can help him stop it.
Now, Anne must either risk her life for the young man she’s grown to admire, or abandon her post while she still can.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
One of the things that stood out for me from the beginning in The Rose Master was the writing. Valentina Cano has a beautiful descriptive writing style that just sucks you into the world of her story. Of course it’s not as verbose as the writing style of the time, but it is different enough from most styles that you get a sort of authentic “gothic mystery novel” feel. Which is probably what she was going for, considering the plot and the subject matter.
The characters ring true both to the modern reader as well as to the times they live in. Anne is a servant at the age of seventeen and when she’s sent away to Rosewood Manor she’s on her own for the first time in her life. So you can imagine her terror when it seems like there’s something funny going on at the manor, what with the odd noises, mysterious bruises on the staff members and an absentee Lord. One of the things that I admired so much about the book is that Anne is brave and resourceful without resulting to the modern ‘kick-butt action girl’ trope that would ruin the authentic Gothic feel. She’s not helpless, but she is bound by her upbringing and the expectations of the times. I don’t want to give much away but when she finally does meet our mysterious Lord Grey, she definitely does grow out of that enforced timidity.
The plot is not fast by most modern standards but it is fascinating. Valentina Cano sucks you into her world with her writing and she is a master of suspense. Even if you’re like me and could pretty much predict the next events, you just had to keep reading to see how they would unfold. She creates an air of mystery, suspense and more than a little horror throughout the novel that I really admire her for sustaining. Sure, there are some happy parts between characters, but there’s always that ominous other lurking about on the sidelines.
Even if you’re not a huge Gothic novel fan, I can’t recommend The Rose Master enough. It is just so beautifully written and Valentina Cano does a wonderful job keeping her readers in suspense. The characters are so well fleshed out, both major and minor, that you can’t help but fall in love with them. I particularly liked Anne; she’s a very memorable main character. Basically? Just go and buy this book. I think you’ll love it as much as I did.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Fallen by Lee French and Erik Kort
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
For hundreds of years, the Blaukenev clan has wandered across Tilzam, from one end to the other and back. Each wagon carries history, love, laughter, pain, sorrow, and secrets. Their greatest secret of all may be Chavali, the clan Seer.
Spirits claim/use/save/damn her.
With her gift/curse, nothing surprises her anymore, no one keeps secrets from her. She, on the other hand, has more than enough secrets to keep. Secrets of her own, secrets of her clan, secrets of the world, secrets she even keeps from herself.
There are always people who want secrets.
Some will do anything to get what they want.The Fallen is the foundation of the story of The Greatest Sin, of a world adrift from its God that desperately wants Her back. Chavali’s comfortable, predictable life will be ripped apart and burnt to ashes as she’s forced into the middle of that struggle. Change, she hates it passionately. It hates her right back.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
One of the things that surprised me the most about French and Kort’s world is how vivid it is. Even though we only see a limited bit of it through Chavali, the rich lore of The Greatest Sin as well as the obviously well thought out traditions of Chavali’s people all combine to make it a wonderful fantasy world. I personally would have liked to learn way more about the other countries and the Fallen themselves, but I think that’s for another book entirely. Still, both authors reveal enough about the world that you feel curious about it, but not lost. And that way there’s no huge info-dump right at the beginning; instead there’s a natural learning curve as the book goes on.
The characters were nothing stellar, but they were fairly good. Chavali can be temperamental and rude but I can sort of understand why when people keep touching her and passing on their thoughts without her permission. Especially when those people are particularly repugnant or are like Keino and want things that she can’t and won’t give. Still, Chavali was a very sympathetic character and when you consider just how much she changes from pampered seer to member of the Fallen, you realize she is fairly easy to relate to. Haven’t we all lost some arrogance at one point in our lives?
I can’t reveal too much about the plot without giving away some pretty important spoilers, but let me just say that while it’s not predictable, it’s not completely unpredictable. There are familiar tropes that will allow you to predict what happens next but at the same time, French and Kort mixed things up a bit by introducing the Fallen and revealing more about Chavali’s tribe. So while it’s not an on the edge of your seat plot, it is interesting enough that I wanted to read it in one session. All in all? I’d have to say that The Fallen was pretty good and I can’t wait to start on Harbinger tonight.
I give this book 4/5 stars.