Category: Book Review
Ingenue by Jillian Larkin
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Power . . . love . . . scandal . . .
There’s never enough to go around.In the city that never sleeps, Lorraine Dyer is wide awake. Ever since she exposed Clara Knowles for the tramp she was—and lost her closest confidante in the process—Lorraine has spent every second scheming to make her selfish, lovesick ex–best friend pay for what she did. No one crosses Lorraine. Not even Gloria.
True love conquers everything—or so Gloria Carmody crazily believed. She and Jerome Johnson can barely scrape together cash for their rent, let alone have a moment to whisper sweet nothings in the dark. And if they thought escaping Chicago meant they’d get away with murder . . . they were dead wrong.
Clara was sure that once handsome, charming Marcus Eastman discovered her shameful secret, he’d drop her like a bad habit. Instead, he swept her off her feet and whisked her away to New York. Being with Marcus is a breath of fresh air—and a chance for Clara to leave her wild flapper ways firmly in the past. Except the dazzling parties and bright lights won’t stop whispering her name. . . .
INGENUE is the second novel in the sexy, dangerous, and ridiculously romantic Flappers series set in the Roaring Twenties . . . where revenge is a dish best served cold.
Ingenue is very different from the first book, Vixen, in that we’re already familiar with the world of the flappers. Gloria has very truly rebelled this time and is bold enough to live alone (and unmarried) with a black man in 1920s America. I don’t know about you, but it takes a lot of courage to defy those heavily ingrained societal prejudices surrounding both living together without being married and having an interracial relationship. That’s why Gloria is still my favourite character in this second novel. She’s far from perfect and her relationship with Jerome is rocky at times but by the end you’re even more sure that they truly love each other.
I hated Lorraine in the first book but she seems to have developed quite a bit by Ingenue. She was rather naive despite her rebellions in the first book but she’s a little more worldly by this second book. At the same time, she retains a lot of that naivete and it gets her into trouble quite a bit. Clara’s storyline was also fascinating in that I loved her struggle between Marcus and her old, daring flapper life in New York. The addition of Vera was probably my favourite part (character-wise) of the whole novel. Black women don’t often get a voice in historical fiction set around this time, so seeing Vera and how she is treated throughout Ingenue was fascinating.
As for the plot I’d have to say it’s a little slower than the pace in Vixen but it certainly doesn’t drag on and on. It’s fast-paced considering that four different characters are telling the story but Jillian Larkin never compromises on character development. If you like action/thriller novels you’ll probably find the pace a bit slow, but for such a character-driven novel Ingenue speeds right along.
I learned so much more about the 1920s from Ingenue as the world of the flappers expanded. Gangsters, racial relations, fashion, journalism and so much more were all discussed in great detail all through the novel. I can’t comment on the accuracy of Ingenue or the rest of The Flappers books but I have a feeling Jillian Larkin has done her research fairly well. You certainly feel immersed in the world of the Roaring Twenties from page one.
Overall, Ingenue was a pretty good second book. If you liked Vixen and are invested in the characters of The Flappers you’ll definitely want to stick with the series until the end.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
Defy by Sara B. Larson
(Cover picture courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.)
A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.
Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king’s army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince’s guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can’t prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.
The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she’s sworn to protect?
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Hold on, I know what you’re thinking! You’re thinking: “A love triangle, really? And a teenage girl disguised as a boy? How many more clichés can one author fit into a blurb?” You’d be right to doubt Defy at first glance, believe me. I was pretty doubtful as well but I decided to take a chance and request the book on NetGalley.
I hate love triangles with a passion. But I actually liked this one in Defy. Alexa has been pretending to be a man for so long that she has to relearn how to be a woman. She also has to reconcile the fact that she’s at an age where crushes develop, especially since she’s surrounded by men. It makes for a lot of interesting tension and some rather awkward situations but that makes it all the more believable. The thing I liked most about this love triangle is that Alexa doesn’t angst over it the whole time. Sure she thinks about it, but it’s not always front and centre in her thoughts for 100% of the book.
I love Sara B. Larson’s fantasy world. It’s not your typical Medieval European fantasy world and it actually seems to take place in a more tropical area. There are recognizable fantasy tropes, yes, but she doesn’t rely on them to tell the whole story. I also love how politics are never simple in the world of Defy, just like they’re never that simple in real life. Warring factions commit atrocities against one another, people die and civilian life reflects the constant presence of war. I can’t wait to see how Larson chooses to expand it later on to reflect the events at the end of the novel.
The characters were great. I really felt Alexa’s struggle, not only her inner turmoil but also her physical exertions. It takes a good writer to really put me in the shoes of someone who is naturally athletically gifted and yet in Defy this was the case. I liked how Prince Damian was not all that he appeared to be. Usually in YA the main character and her love interest can’t act worth a darn. Yet Alexa plays her role of bodyguard fairly well and Damian plays his role of spoiled prince exceedingly well.
Was this absolutely the best book I’ve ever read? No. But it certainly wasn’t awful and although there were a couple times when the plot dragged I never really felt the urge to throw my Kindle at the wall. For a book with a love triangle and a girl dressing up as a man, that’s pretty darn good. So if you think Defy sounds interesting I’d say go for it. It’s not a bad book at all.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike
(Cover picture courtesy of All The Stacks.)
Tavia Michaels is the sole survivor of the plane crash that killed her parents. When she starts to see strange visions of a boy she’s never spoken with in real life, she begins to suspect that there’s much about her past that she isn’t being told.
Tavia immediately searches for answers, desperate to determine why she feels so drawn to a boy she hardly knows. But when Tavia discovers that the aunt and uncle who took her in after her parents’ death may have actually been responsible for the plane crash that killed them–and that she may have been the true intended victim–she flees for the safety of Camden, Maine, where the boy she sees in her visions instructs her to go.
Now, Tavia is on the run with no one to trust. No one, that is, except for her best friend and longtime crush, Benson.
Tavia feels torn between the boy who mysteriously comes to her at night and the boy who has been by her side every step of the way. But what Tavia doesn’t know is that the world is literally falling apart and that to save it she will have to unite with the boy in her visions. Only problem? To do so would mean rejecting Benson’s love. And that’s the one thing Tavia Michaels swore she’d never do.
I wanted to like this book. I really, really did. It was a Christmas present from my best friend, who usually has pretty good taste in books. She thought it sounded interesting, I thought it sounded slightly interesting. Why not give it a try?
Except for the fact that it’s a waste of your money, totally and utterly. If you changed the character’s names around you probably wouldn’t notice until about halfway through that the book isn’t Twilight. It’s trite and cliché and the characters were just painful. I was stuck in the viewpoint of Tavia the whole time and began actively cheering for her doom sometime around page 50.
Tavia is what we in the book industry call Too Stupid To Live. She believes her male stalker is not only trustworthy and harmless, but attractive as well! She follows this stalker in an unfamiliar place, not telling anyone where she’s going and all this while she’s on the run from people who want to kill her. Then she puts on the necklace that the voice of her past self in her head tells her to, essentially knowing that it’s going to change her forever and possibly kill her. Too. Stupid. To. Live.
Could the love interests be any blander? Quinn is a stalker, as usual, but Tavia loves him because he’s such a nice stalker! He would never harm her. (Cue eye-rolling.) Benson is such a typical geeky best-friend-who’s-secretly-in-love type that it made me want to throw the book at the wall. I would have but I don’t condone book vandalism. There was no unique spin on him and even at the end when his character supposedly changes I saw it coming a mile away and if you have the misfortune to read Earthbound, you will too.
The plot, oh the plot. It was all over the place, as if Aprilynne Pike couldn’t decide what she wanted to write: a reincarnation love story, a contemporary thriller or an urban fantasy novel. When we finally get an explanation for the Earthbound people my eyes almost rolled out of my head. Triangles being their sign, really? You couldn’t think of anything more original than that. There wasn’t even a new twist on that! Also, Pike needs to do some research about ancient Egypt. She seems to have gotten the First Dynasty mixed up with the Fourth. Oh well, what’s a couple hundred years?
The only reason I finished this book is because I’m incredibly stubborn. It’s not worth your time or the few braincells that are required to read it. There are no redeeming qualities in Earthbound at all so I guarantee this is the first and last book I’ll read by this author.
I give this book 0/5 stars.
Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray
(Cover picture courtesy of Stephanie Dray’s website.)
Sorceress. Seductress. Schemer. Cleopatra’s daughter is the one woman with the power to destroy an empire…
Having survived her perilous childhood as a royal captive of Rome, Selene pledged her loyalty to Augustus and swore she would become his very own Cleopatra. Now the young queen faces an uncertain destiny in a foreign land.
The magic of Isis flowing through her veins is what makes her indispensable to the emperor. Against a backdrop of imperial politics and religious persecution, Cleopatra’s daughter beguiles her way to the very precipice of power. She has never forgotten her birthright, but will the price of her mother’s throne be more than she’s willing to pay?
Oftentimes the second book in a trilogy suffers from what I call Book 2 Syndrome. It means that the book is essentially a set up for the more exciting final book and ends on a huge cliffhanger to sucker readers into buying another book. This is definitely not the case with Stephanie Dray’s debut trilogy.
Cleopatra Selene is an even better character in this book not only because of her age but because of her life experience. Stephanie Dray manages to find a perfect balance between Selene’s ambitious side and her religious side, the side that is totally devoted to Isis. At the same time (for what will become obvious reasons) Selene has a hard time trusting and forgiving people. She’s not a perfect woman and never pretends to be but her inner strength is undeniable. Truly, Selene is spared nothing by Stephanie Dray and goes through so much suffering throughout the novel. Yet with the suffering there is also healing.
Much like Lily of the Nile, this book was a one-sitting read. I literally could not put it down, going so far as to read it while having supper, which is not something I’d normally do no matter how interesting a book is. The plot is fast-paced but there’s so much character development not only for Selene but for Chryssa, Juba, Octavian and Helios as well. It’s really a fascinating read from a lot of perspectives.
Song of the Nile is not a miraculous example of historical accuracy in fiction. Yet I loved how Stephanie Dray admitted this in her ‘Dear Reader’ note and gave actual justifications for any changes. There is also a huge gap in the record of Cleopatra Selene’s life so she did have a little more leeway with her characters than most historical fiction writers do. Despite these changes where possible the novel is historically accurate right down to the details of everyone’s clothing.
If you haven’t started the trilogy yet I can’t recommend it enough. It’s well-written so that you feel like you’re actually there with these historical figures. It’s fast-paced but doesn’t sacrifice character development in the process. And it’s historically accurate where possible. What more can you ask for in historical fiction?
I give this book 5/5 stars.
A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance — beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.
Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys’s claim to Westeros forever.
Meanwhile, to the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone — a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.
From all corners, bitter conflicts reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.
After loving the first four books, I’ll admit that I really wanted to love A Dance with Dragons. I really, really tried. But it was such slow-going. It took me over a month to finish this book which should be a warning sign right there.
The problem, I think, at this point in the series is a little something called character bloat. There are too many characters. There are so many different houses and players entering into the war for Westeros that it’s simply become ridiculous. I can hardly keep track of them all and I’m not bragging when I say I have a good memory when it comes to books. Some points of view could have been cut from the book entirely. Did Quentyn Martell really have to have his say? Arya’s story barely went anywhere.
If it was just a slow plot I could handle it but it feels like the characters are going in totally different directions. Daenerys is an indecisive, idealistic moron compared to the strong, sure young woman she was in previous books. Jon Snow keeps swinging between rigidly sticking to his oath as a man of the Night’s Watch and totally violating it by siding with a king. Tyrion…well I don’t know what to think of him anymore. It’s okay that characters change and explore themselves. That’s what makes a story good! But it’s not okay that they randomly go in a whole different direction with pretty much zero explanation.
Despite all this, when I actually sat down to read A Dance with Dragons I didn’t mind it all that much. Some parts were pretty darn good. Although George R. R. Martin lost some of the things that made his series great in the beginning (his ability to kill off main characters ruthlessly, for one) he still has that amazing world-building. We learn so much about Westeros and the rest of Martin’s world that it almost makes up for everything else. The history of all Seven Kingdoms and the impact on people and other places was fascinating. I loved learning more about the world’s history! It added more depth to Martin’s world.
Yes, I will read The Winds of Winter when it finally does get published. Will I be looking forward to it as much as I did this book? Probably not. I’m just hoping that the next book will be better and that we’ll go back to that magical spark George R. R. Martin had in A Game of Thrones.
I give this book 3/5 stars.