Category: Fantasy
Between by Megan Whitmer
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
When a supernatural freak of nature forces her family to separate, seventeen-year-old Charlie Page must turn to her frustrating (yet gorgeous) neighbor, Seth, to help reunite them. Seth whisks Charlie to Ellauria—a magical world filled with the creatures of myths and legends—and tells her of the Fellowship, the group charged with protecting mystical beings from human discovery. (All except Bigfoot: that attention whore is a total lost cause.) But when Charlie learns that she’s under the Fellowship’s protection herself, well, “stressed” is an understatement.
Ellauria should be the safest place for Charlie while the Fellowship works to find her family, but things in the mystical realm aren’t what they seem.
Magic is failing, creatures are dying, and the Fellowship insists Charlie holds the key to saving everyone. With her family still missing and the danger in Ellauria growing, Charlie doesn’t know who she can trust. She’s dealing with a power she never asked for, falling for a guy she can’t have, and being forced to choose between her destiny and her heart. And if she chooses wrong, she could destroy magic forever.
Charlie may be in over her head.
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I wavered on requesting this one for ages. It sort of sounded like your typical fantasy (girl has special powers, gets attacked, hot protector dude steps in to save the day, whisks her away to a strange land to master her skills, etc.) and that made me a little reluctant, but at the same time I fell in love with the cover. It’s a shallow reason for reading a book, I know, but it did look interesting and that’s why I requested it in the end.
Luckily for me, Between is actually a pretty good book.
The thing that impressed me most was Megan Whitmer’s world-building. Not only does she populate Ellauria and Earth with familiar creatures like sirens, harpies, elves and fairies, she adds in creatures that you don’t see very often (ones that I’m pretty sure she created) like jourlings and the ever-important dying race of muralets. Instead of being one happy quasi-Medieval world, Ellauria is full of politics and danger lurks behind every corner. Not everything is as it seems and trust me when I say that everyone seems to be playing their cards close to their chests.
I have to admit, the characters were decent enough as well. Charlie is far from the Mary Sue you so often see in these types of books simply because she actually has to work to develop her powers. At the same time, she’s constantly worried about her missing brother and mother and she thinks she’s falling in love with the one man she really, really shouldn’t. Add to that the fact that the Between, the source of all magic, seems to be dying. She’s stressed constantly and you can really tell, unlike some books where the main characters doesn’t seem to be fazed by anything. Seth is your typical tragic bodyguard character archetype but he also has quite a bit of depth and I was really starting to enjoy his character by the end. The only one that disappointed me was Charlie’s brother and I can’t tell you about that without giving away spoilers.
The only thing I was disappointed with is the plot. For most of the book, it really seemed like Charlie and Seth were wandering around with very little purpose with training scenes thrown in to spice things up. But then at the end, when we meet the bad guy, I was supremely disappointed. Let’s just say that the man at his side was a walking stereotype that has been used so many times in the good vs. evil fantasy novels. It was kind of disappointing when the rest of the book had been so strong. Still, I will read the second book when it comes out. The cliffhanger at the end was just too much to ignore!
I give this book 4/5 stars.
The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky by David Litwack
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
After centuries of religiously motivated war, the world has been split in two. Now the Blessed Lands are ruled by pure faith, while in the Republic, reason is the guiding light—two different realms, kept apart and at peace by a treaty and an ocean.
Children of the Republic, Helena and Jason were inseparable in their youth, until fate sent them down different paths. Grief and duty sidetracked Helena’s plans, and Jason came to detest the hollowness of his ambitions.
These two damaged souls are reunited when a tiny boat from the Blessed Lands crashes onto the rocks near Helena’s home after an impossible journey across the forbidden ocean. On board is a single passenger, a nine-year-old girl named Kailani, who calls herself “the Daughter of the Sea and the Sky.” A new and perilous purpose binds Jason and Helena together again, as they vow to protect the lost innocent from the wrath of the authorities, no matter the risk to their future and freedom.
But is the mysterious child simply a troubled little girl longing to return home? Or is she a powerful prophet sent to unravel the fabric of a godless Republic, as the outlaw leader of an illegal religious sect would have them believe? Whatever the answer, it will change them all forever… and perhaps their world as well.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook as part of the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
What I find interesting is that in David Litwack’s world of religious extremes (blind faith on one hand and clinging to reason on the other hand), one little girl finds a way to bring both together toward a common goal. Both sides clearly are committing atrocities and are scarily dystopian toward their citizens, so by the end of the book there’s still quite a long way to go but things are getting better. And that’s really the beauty of the world-building in this book: it mirrors our own society in a lot of ways, particularly with the current events going on in the Middle East. Finding common ground is a start, both in the real world and in fiction, and David Litwack portrays a slow transition both for society and the main characters in a realistic way.
The characters were quite interesting in their own ways. Helena is dealing with the death of her father alone because her mother ran away to bury her head in the woods at a farm for artists. Jason is struggling because he’s never been given the opportunities of Helena, having worked a job after school for so long to pay for university and get a decent job. Then everything changes when Helena and Jason help a girl whose boat crashed on the reefs and she claims to be the daughter of the sea and the sky who must be forgiven by the wind. The character of Kailani is interesting but I feel like it had a little more potential because of the way the book ended. Maybe a clue or something about whether or not she truly is a prophet.
David Litwack’s writing keeps improving with each book, but the narrative of this one seemed a bit off. His actual writing was nice; lots of descriptions, easy flow, etc. But the story itself felt like it was building up toward something that was changed in the climax, leaving readers a little disappointed. Maybe it’s something personal, but I kind of wanted more at the end of the book. More of an explanation for Kailani, more of the circumstances surrounding her journey explained, etc. I try not to be too thrown by surprise endings, but this one did affect my overall opinion of the rest of the book.
In short, if you’re looking for a good science fiction/fantasy mash-up book, look no further. The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky wasn’t necessarily the book I’m the best suited for but I still found a lot about it to love.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Tempt the Devil by Jill Braden
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
When the body of Former Governor Turyat is discovered in the Red Happiness, QuiTai is the prime suspect. Surprisingly, she seems almost eager to be taken into custody. If Kyam Zul is to keep her neck out of the noose, he must solve the crime without her help – while matching wits with not only the real killer but his scheming grandfather, his political rivals, and his own wife.
[Full disclosure: I was sent a free paperback copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]
I loved The Devil’s Concubine. I adored the sequel, The Devil Incarnate. But this third book? There aren’t enough words to express the awesome-ness that is Tempt the Devil.
At first it starts off as your fairly standard murder mystery…except that QuiTai seems to have anticipated the murder in advance and demands to be arrested and taken to the fortress of Ponong. Kyam Zul, obviously puzzled, accepts when she dances circles around him with her wits yet again and then is devastated when he learns she’s being framed for the murder of Turyat. Of course, as with everything in Jill Braden’s stories, not everything is as it seems.
In many ways, you have to read Tempt the Devil a couple of times to really appreciate the depth of QuiTai’s plot but you can still get the gist of just how brilliant it was in the first read through. What makes the murder even more of a mystery is that we don’t actually see QuiTai’s point of view much until the end of the book when everything is revealed. Kyam has to struggle so hard to get caught up and his reaction when he thinks he’s too late is really revealing about his character and his feelings that he keeps deeply buried. I don’t want to give too much away, but the real murderer is someone so simple that it’s almost farcical. Still, the plot QuiTai cooks up around it is brilliant and will definitely set a precedent on Ponong for Kyam’s reign as Governor.
I would have liked to see more of QuiTai personally but of course that’s not the point of this particular chapter in the Devil of Ponong series. The point is that QuiTai is playing four dimensional chess and she’s playing to win but her opponent, Grandfather Zul is also playing a long and far-reaching game. It really ends up being an epic battle of wits between the two (by proxy of course) and it brings out some interesting new characters, like Kyam’s wife, a Thampurian woman unused to actually having anything resembling power or authority. Because of how this ended it will be very, very interesting to see how the social, political and economic situation in Ponong and other colonies of Thampur in the next book, The Devil’s Game.
When it comes to fantasy, you’ll be hard pressed to find any better world-building. In Jill Braden’s books there are actually things like politics, economics and social reform movements factored into the equation. They affect everyday people’s lives in tangible ways! Ponong is a very believable colony because it’s along a trade route and as such they are allowed certain liberties even as the iron hand of the Governor clamped down on the native population. Grandfather Zul’s interference in the colony to manipulate QuiTai certainly doesn’t help the separatist movement within Levapur either. It’s kind of hard to get a real hold on Jill Braden’s fantasy world but once you do it’s very easy to fall into and I appreciate the subtleties of it very much.
If you haven’t already picked up the Devil of Ponong series, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s not your typical fantasy book and even if it were, Jill Braden’s awesome writing and her characters would more than make up for it.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
A princess must find her place in a reborn world.
She flees on her wedding day.
She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor’s secret collection.
She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.
She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.
The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can’t abide. Like having to marry someone she’s never met to secure a political alliance.
Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Lia was a hard character for me to read, if I’m honest. I’m not the type of person that’s overly self-sacrificing, but her decision to run on her wedding day didn’t sit well with me. It felt incredibly selfish, especially when the livelihoods of two kingdoms and all of their subjects were at risk. She didn’t even give her marriage a chance to work, but made a pre-emptive strike by running away and putting literally thousands of lives at risk. I can absolutely understand her motivations, though I certainly don’t agree with them. Still, Lia was not a bad character and by the end she was at least well-fleshed out enough that I actually found myself enjoying her.
My main problem with The Kiss of Deception is that it’s like a really old table: it sags in the middle. Don’t get me wrong—Mary Pearson’s writing really is amazing—but her pacing is somewhat lacking. Most of the story’s plot centres around the fact that you apparently aren’t sure which of the two boys Lia likes is the assassin and which is the prince. What really puzzled me was that there seemed to be no ambiguity in her writing so the ‘big reveal’ was somewhat spoiled by the fact I didn’t know there was a mystery to begin with. It was rather jarring, I’ll admit.
One of the saving graces of the story wasn’t just Lia’s character development, but the aforementioned quality of Pearson’s writing. It really was awesome and despite the poor pacing I found myself revelling in the world she created. It was vivid and real with some really beautiful descriptions that you don’t often find in YA fiction. In my opinion it’s hard to comment on the world-building simply because we haven’t actually seen much of the world yet. Lia spent most of her time in a small-town tavern, after all. Still, from what I’ve seen I’m pretty satisfied and it almost makes up for the poor pacing and Lia’s character in the beginning.
So overall? I’d have to say that The Kiss of Deception is more contradiction than deception but that doesn’t mean the book doesn’t have merit. The writing got better as the book went along and there was finally something resembling a plot at the end of the book so I think I will end up reading the second book. However, you do have to have a certain mindset to read this book and not feel repulsed by Lia’s selfishness at the beginning. It does get better as the book moves along, however.
I give this book 3/5 stars.
Accession by Terah Edun
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Sixteen-year-old Katherine Thompson wasn’t trained to rule a coven. That was her sister – perfect, beautiful Rose. But when a mysterious plane crash kills off the heir presumptive of the Sandersville coven she has no choice.
After stepping in to fill her sister’s shoes, Katherine realizes she didn’t have a clue – faery wars, depressed trolls and angry unicorns are just the beginning.
For centuries, her family has served the high Queens on both sides of the Atlantic but it is a well-known rule that mid-level witches stay away from high-level Queens.
But when Katherine’s youngest cousin vanishes without a trace in the Atlanta court and no one wants to investigate, Katherine decides to step into the darkness on her own. She will soon discover that nothing, especially in a queen’s court, is as it seems.
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
First off, as with all of Terah Edun’s work (especially her Courtlight series), I was really impressed with the world-building here. There are fairies, unicorns and trolls but they’re not really your typical fairies, unicorns and trolls. Not only that, there are new creatures like Gestap that we encounter that are totally unique to Accession. The politics between witches in different cities and towns was also interesting, even though we didn’t really see much of the inner workings of the courts in this first installment. Still, what we did see was interesting and I’m definitely interested in finding out more.
Katherine is not a bad character but she’s not exactly my favourite narrator ever. She’s more reactive than proactive as she comes into her new role as heir apparent to her mother, who rules the town as a Queen witch. I’ll admit that it would be hard to find your feet in such a crazy place when you’ve never cared to learn the subtleties of area politics, but I was a little disappointed that Katherine didn’t really come into her own in the story. She does grow stronger (I’ll admit) and grows as a character, but she really does have a long way to go.
The only thing I felt was actually lacking in Accession was the plot itself. It doesn’t seem to be having that greater, over-arching goal that gives the character a sort of purpose. Instead, we get bogged down in little subplots through the entire book before at the end we finally, finally get to the meat of the story before the cliffhanger ending. Sure, Katherine’s goal of finding her sister’s killer is always in the back of her mind, but she doesn’t really seem to care as much as you’d think she would. Katherine may have had her disagreements with her sister, but she really did love her and that’s why her lack of drive to find her killer struck me as odd. It made it feel like the story was lacking a coherent plot.
Still, I have faith in Terah Edun that this series will only improve as it continues, just like the Courtlight series. With that cliffhanger ending, I really can’t wait for the next installment to see whether Katherine truly matures or not.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
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