Category: Fantasy
Mine to Spell by Janeal Falor
(Cover picture courtesy of Janeal Falor via email.)
Cynthia has always hidden from her father’s hexes behind her older sister. When her family gains independence unheard of for women, she’s relieved that her days of harsh punishments are over. But as her seventeenth birthday approaches—the typical age to be sold to a new master—death threats endanger her sisters. She now faces two options: run or meet society’s expectations.
For once, Cynthia isn’t going to let her older sister shield her from the problem. She’s going to prove to herself, her sisters, and society that her family isn’t a threat to their traditions. She willingly chooses to be purchased by a new master. A bold step that takes her somewhere she never thought she would go and to a man she might possibly fall in love with. With his help, she may just find a way to save her sisters while discovering how to stand up for herself. If she lives long enough.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.]
I very much liked Serena from the first installment of this series but now after reading Mine to Spell I’m rather favouring Cynthia.
Cynthia is a fascinating character. Now that her older sister is the head of the family with the same status as a warlock she knows she doesn’t have to be sold on her seventeenth birthday. But if she doesn’t meet society’s expectations and enter the marriage pool there are some very serious death threats against her family that could become reality. So she chooses to enter the marriage pool and reveals that she isn’t the shrinking violet that always hides behind her older sister anymore. In fact, she’s ready to show all of Chardonia what women are really capable of.
I loved seeing a bit of an expanded world in this second book. We see the aftereffects of Zade freeing Serena and giving her status equal to any man. We certainly see the effects of the attempts on Zade’s life in the previous book and how they’re not going away any time soon. All those things add tension to the plot but it’s really Cynthia and her actions that drive the story forward. She really is an incredible character that will surprise you at every turn.
The plot is much more fast-paced than it was in You Are Mine. This is in part because we have a very different narrator but also because Janeal Falor’s writing has improved. It was already good but now it’s even better and I think we can expect some great things from her in the future. There are plot twists around every corner and while the ending isn’t totally unexpected it really is satisfying.
Usually the second book in a series is weaker than the first, but that was certainly not the case with this one!
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Sworn to Defiance by Terah Edun
(Cover picture courtesy of Terah Edun via email.)
Ciardis Weathervane returned to the imperial court of Sandrin to unite her foes. But her efforts hit a stumbling block. The imperial kind. She never thought that before rallying an empire, she’d have to fight the emperor himself.
An imposter sits the throne and the court she turned to for help is in turmoil. Ciardis hasn’t survived assassination attempts, torture and really bad luck to be taken down by her own ruler. So she devises a plan. But first she needs to get Sebastian and Thanar to agree. Each seems to love her in their own way. But neither is listening to her. Pushing them to put aside their differences, in an effort to ward off catastrophe, might be harder than displacing an emperor who would do anything to keep his throne.
Butting heads at court isn’t Ciardis’s only problem. With the princess heir’s threat looming she is forced to travel to the mythical city of Kifar, where it is up to her small group to stop the destruction of the entire city while heading a rebellion that could foment a revolution. It wouldn’t be the first revolution that Algardis has ever known. But with Ciardis Weathervane at its head—it would certainly be the last.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.]
When I realized that this wasn’t the last book in the Courtlight series as I had believed it to be, I’ll admit I got a little nervous. After all, where could the story possibly go from here? It seemed like Terah Edun was wrapping things up already in Sworn to Secrecy, the fourth book. And when there were several pages of backstory right at the beginning I was even more skeptical about this fifth book.
As usual with Terah Edun, my skepticism and anxiousness was for nothing. After the initial info dump things quickly picked up and just wouldn’t let go. I had intended to only read a few chapters before bed but once I got past the exposition (which was important) I couldn’t stop and ended up finishing the book at one in the morning. Yes, the plot was that fast-paced and there were that many awesome twists. But first I’ll start with the thing that surprised me most: the characters.
Once again the characters surprised me. Ciardis is finally demanding respect from others and not caring what they think of her (unless they’re trying to kill her). She’s started to master the commanding air of her mother and is becoming knowledgeable about the intrigues of the Algardis court. And finally, finally she’s made up her mind about where she stands with Sebastien. I won’t tell you which way she decided, but let’s just say that I was both surprised and pleased with her stance until the little complication with Thanar was thrown in. Sebastien too has grown up, even though he’s only sixteen years old. He’s finally starting to take responsibility as the prince heir and is even more determined to save Algardis from the blutgott that’s threatening to destroy their entire world. He’ll do whatever it takes, even journey to a city that’s been sealed off from the rest of the world for 50 years.
Once again Terah Edun took the time to expand on her world-building just a little bit more. We finally learn more about the special connection Ciardis and Sebastien have as well as the rather unfortunate consequences of the Thanar complication coming into play. This is quite literally the most heart-wrenching, complicated and realistic love triangle you are ever going to see. I swear it’s not the typical love triangle, mainly because Ciardis is a woman that finally knows her mind but even she can’t control people like Thanar. I also liked how we finally learn that there may be a way to stop the blutgott but that it’s way more complicated and dangerous than you’d expect.
Basically, I got everything I could have wanted out of this fifth installment in the Courtlight series: romance, character development, a complicated plot and an expanded world. You really can’t ask for more in a series and after that insane cliffhanger I’m so anxious for Sworn to Ascension, book 6.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
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Evermore by Alyson Noël
(Cover picture courtesy of Alyson Noël’s website.)
After a horrible accident claims the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people’s auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone’s entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact to suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school — but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.
Damen is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy. He’s the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head – wielding a magic so intense, it’s as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she’s left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is – or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she’s falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.
For a couple of years now I’ve seen Evermore floating across the blogosphere but dismissed it because the blurb sounded so ridiculously cliché. I mean, a near death experience, a girl with a weird name, a mysterious wealthy boy and soul mates? I don’t think you can possibly fit more clichés into one blurb if you tried. Still, I saw it in the used section of my bookstore when it was having its closing sale so I decided to pick it up anyway. For $2 it wasn’t much of a gamble I’ll admit.
Imagine my surprise when it was better than I expected! I actually sort of enjoyed reading it and wanted to know what happened next. The plot was pretty cliché but I was actually invested in the characters who were somewhat genre-savvy. Ever knows that it’s kind of crazy to be attracted to a guy she just met and that there’s obviously something off about him but she just can’t deny that attraction. She’s not totally naive and eventually she realizes she’s making excuses for why Damen is so different from other teenagers. Sure, she’s stupid sometimes but I like how she’s not your typical YA heroine simply because she does question things.
And yes, Ever does have psychic powers but Alyson Noël made them a burden more than a gift. Her senses are constantly overloaded and she tries her best to avoid touching people because when she does she’s tortured by their thoughts. Her psychic abilities are actually more of a disability in that they really do weigh her down and make her unable to function sometimes (and not just when it’s convenient to the plot). I can completely understand Ever’s little pity party toward the end of the novel; I’d probably end up doing the same thing if I had her curse.
Some of the plot twists were fairly transparent while others were unexpected. Alyson Noël hasn’t really done much new but at least she took the time to put some twists on old tropes. We don’t really get to see much of the abilities of immortals in this novel but we do see some and they were enough to make me want to read the second book in the series. Is this the most original novel ever? Heck no. But it’s not a bad novel and I actually didn’t mind indulging in a little guilty pleasure this time around. Basically, if you’re going to read it keep in mind that this will likely be guilty pleasure rather than high literature and that’s perfectly okay.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
Blades of Magic by Terah Edun
(Cover picture courtesy of Terah Edun via email.)
It is not a peaceful time in the Algardis Empire. War is raging between the mages and seventeen-year-old Sara Fairchild will be right in the middle of it.
She just doesn’t know it yet.
Sara is the daughter of a disgraced imperial commander, executed for desertion. Sara is also the best duelist and hand-to-hand combatant in Sandrin. She lives quietly with her family’s shame but when challenged about her family’s honor, her opponent inevitably loses.
On the night she finds out her father’s true last actions, she takes the Mercenary Guilds’ vows to serve in the emperor’s army. Using her quick wits and fierce fighting skills, she earns a spot in the first division.
There she discovers secrets the mages on both sides would prefer stay hidden. Dark enemies hunt her and soon it’s not just Sara questioning the motivation behind this war.
While fighting mages, blackmailing merchants and discovering new friends, Sara comes across something she’s never had before – passion. The question is – can she fight for her empress against a mage who might unwittingly claim her heart?
This is year one of the Initiate Wars. Sara is hoping it doesn’t become the year she dies.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy from Terah Edun in exchange for an honest review.]
I was very excited to get started on Terah Edun’s Courtlight spin-off trilogy and I admit that I had very high expectations because of an excerpt I read from chapter one. Fortunately, the rest of the book turned out being just as good, sometimes even better.
Sara Fairchild kicks butt quite literally. She’s a battle mage, meaning that her fighting skills are unparalleled and she also has a certain magical advantage. That doesn’t mean she’s invincible because we learn soon enough that her powers can come at a very high price. I like how she balances revelling in her skills with being fearful of what they could lead to if not kept in check. It makes her more relatable than if she were just constantly kicking butt without any fear of consequences. Add in her emotional isolation and her need to clear her father’s name and you’ve got yourself a sympathetic, interesting and three dimensional main character.
The plot is very fast-paced; there’s almost no time when the reader can truly catch their breath. Which is, of course, how I ended up reading this book in one sitting despite my intentions only to read about 25% of it before going to bed. It was so good I couldn’t put it down because I just had to see what was going to happen next. There were plot twists all over the place and I love how even with Sara, our main character, things aren’t always what they seem. Even the bumbling Ezekiel Crane is more than he appears to be.
As usual, Terah Edun’s world-building was amazing. Even if you haven’t read the Courtlight series, you can enjoy this one because the two series aren’t dependent on one another. In this one we learn a lot more about the powerful mages that made the Initiate Wars so devastating. There’s a lot of political intrigue but it’s never so ridiculously complicated that the reader will get bogged down in the details. As I said earlier, not everything is as it seems in this book, even when it comes to the supposed rules of the world. With magic flying left, right and centre things in the Algardis Empire are constantly changing. It makes for a very unpredictable story.
Basically, Blades of Magic is a great kick-off to Terah Edun’s new trilogy. I can’t wait for the next book, Blades of Illusion!
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Words Once Spoken by Carly Drake
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
YA meets high fantasy in this lush series debut about a girl who never quite fit in — and the reason why…
Evelyn might not love the confines of her village life, but she takes her small freedoms where she can get them. But everything changes when her parents decide it’s time for her to wed. Suddenly she loses her tunic and breeches, her bow, her horse, and gains rigid gowns, restrictive manners, and carriage rides.
The best way to escape is through her dreams, but as they become more and more real, Evelyn begins to worry that she is losing her grasp on reality. It is only when she makes two new friends that the truth is revealed: she is destined for far, far more than even she could imagine.
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]
For a debut novel this isn’t a terrible book, but it is by no means a great book. There are some good elements and some bad elements but I think the main problem that kept me from truly enjoying this book was the pacing.
The pacing was bad, if I’m honest. It was nice to start with a gentle beginning but the beginning dragged on and on and on while the plot went nowhere in the beginning. Then, when things finally started getting interesting Carly Drake just rushed through them without much explanation. I really wanted to know more about Evelyn’s fairy powers and the world she is suddenly thrust into but it’s just so confusing. There simply was not enough backstory to make me emotionally invested in Evelyn’s struggle to stabilize her new realm.
Evelyn is an okay character I suppose. She’s brave but eventually learns to admit when she needs help. She can be incredibly self-sufficient and even though she’s a stereotypical sort of girl empowerment character there’s a legitimate reason for it. The only problem I really had with her was her lack of emotions. She didn’t really seem fazed when her parents abandoned her, when she learned the life she was living was a lie, etc. Even during that rather disturbing scene at the very end of the novel I couldn’t feel her panic. As for the love triangle, well there was nothing unique about it. It’s pretty much the same old love triangle you’ve seen in every other YA book today.
The writing itself was not bad, however. Carly Drake has some potential here with her style of writing; she just needs to work a little bit more on the plot elements. If the plot had not been so poorly paced and the world had been fleshed out a little more this could have made it into the ‘good’ category but as it stands, this one was a solid ‘meh’. I don’t feel particularly strongly about it one way or the other so I can’t in all honesty either recommend it or warn people away from it.
I give this book 2/5 stars.