Category: Book Review
The Defiance by A. G. Henley
(Cover picture courtesy of Bookworm Confessions.)
It hasn’t been long since Fennel, a Sightless Groundling, and Peree, her Lofty Keeper, fell in love and learned the truth: the Scourge, and their world, are not what they seem.
Fenn and Peree are determined to guide their people to the protected village of Koolkuna, but first they must convince them that everything they believe is a lie. An impossible task, especially when someone seems hell-bent on trying anything–even animal sacrifice and arson–to destroy the couple’s new bond and crush the frail truce between the Groundlings and the Lofties. Not everyone wants to uproot their lives in the forest, and those who stay behind will be left terribly vulnerable.
Fenn and Peree’s resolve to be together, and the constant threat of the Scourge’s return, push both groups to the breaking point. Unable to tell friend from foe, Fenn must again decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to ensure the future of the people of the forest.
Only this time, the price of peace may be too high to bear.
[Full disclosure: I liked the first book so much that I asked A. G. Henley for an ebook copy of The Defiance in exchange for an honest review.]
Oftentimes series with great first books never really measure up to the potential that I see in the first book. Usually the second book lets me down in what I like to call Book 2 Syndrome. Fortunately, The Defiance didn’t suffer from this at all. In fact, it should probably be held up as an example of how second books should be written.
The Defiance starts off pretty much where we left off: with Peree and Fenn back in their respective tribes, trying to tell people that the Scourge are really just sick people and not real zombies. Trying to tell someone something that would change their entire worldview is very difficult and that fact is reflected in the slower pace of the story. Even though her very life is at risk, Fenn tries so hard to convince everyone that they should go to Koolkuna when she and Peree leave. She wants everyone in both tribes, even the truly horrible people, to go and live a good life.
I’m not someone who is big on romance, but I love how Fenn and Peree’s romance has progressed. It’s gone from a sweet, budding sort of young love to a more mature, secure love. You can tell that these two people love each other no matter what, even though their respective tribes will do practically anything to keep them apart. What’s so interesting about the whole Brilliant Darkness series is the fact that Fenn is blind and yet we get such a vivid picture of the characters and the surroundings. It’s sort of refreshing that the main character isn’t constantly describing how perfect her love interest’s looks are. No, Fenn focuses on who Peree is as a person and that is just what I like to see in YA.
The plot starts off a little slow like it did in The Scourge, but things quickly heat up. The mysterious threats about Peree and Fenn’s relationship, the plotting of several community members as well as the impending move to Koolkuna made me read The Defiance all in one sitting. It really was that good and I hated it when I knew the book was about to end. And on such a cliffhanger! I can’t wait for the third book, The Fire Sisters!
I give this book 5/5 stars.
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Pawn by Aimée Carter
(Cover picture courtesy of Imperial Beach Teen Blog.)
YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.
For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.
If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister’s niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.
There’s only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed…and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that’s not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she’s only beginning to understand.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Despite my misgivings about the Goddess Test trilogy, I actually enjoyed Pawn by Aimée Carter. The world was refreshingly unique for what seemed to be such a stereotypical dystopia and I found the main character, Kitty, to be a pretty sympathetic character. Considering I usually want to strangle the female leads in YA dystopia, this is quite a feat if I’m honest.
First off, the world-building. It seems like your typical divided society dystopian trope, but it’s not really. There are actually reasons for the division and the reasons are explained when the history of the country is presented. I found the Hart family’s rise to power surprisingly believable and how they keep their hold on power even more believable. It was rather disturbing to see what Elsewhere was because it really reminded me of the world Lois Lowry created in The Giver, but I suppose it makes sense when you have a system like that.
Kitty was not your stereotypical heroine. She was ready to do whatever needed to be done to survive, even if it meant pretending to be someone else in a family that mostly hated her. Was she a kick-butt heroine? No and her reluctance made sense given her upbringing as well as the Hart family’s reputation. How she handles herself in that complicated maze of politics was quite impressive and I cheered her on the whole way.
The pacing was pretty good, but the only thing I found a little off about this book was the plot. It wasn’t boring, per se, but it didn’t exactly keep me on the edge of my seat. Some of the plot twists were unpredictable, yes, but they felt a little off. Like Aimée Carter was departing from the whole feeling of the story, what she had been building toward previously. It was a little disconcerting, but overall I think Pawn is a pretty good read and I’d recommend giving it a try if you like YA dystopia.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
The Curse of Malenfer Manor by Iain McChesney
(Cover picture courtesy of Bewitching Book Tours.)
Those in line to the Malenfer estate are succumbing to terrible ends – is a supernatural legacy at work, or something entirely more human?
Young Irish mercenary Dermot Ward retreats to Paris at the close of World War I where he drinks to forget his experiences, especially the death of his comrade, Arthur Malenfer. But Arthur has not forgotten Dermot. Dead but not departed, Arthur has unfinished business and needs the help of the living.
Upon his arrival at Malenfer Manor, Dermot finds himself embroiled in a mystery of murder, succession, and ambition. Dermot falls in love with the youngest Malenfer, the beautiful fey Simonne, but in his way are Simonne’s mismatched fiancé, her own connections to the spirit world, Dermot’s guilt over the circumstances of Arthur’s death… and the curse.
[Full disclosure: I received an invitation to read this book through NetGalley from the publisher and accepted the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.]
There are so many things to love about The Curse of Malenfer Manor but the main thing I loved was the writing itself. Iain McChesney has such an authentic style that I truly felt like I was reading a novel from that time period. There are no noticeable anachronisms and I suppose you could call the vocabulary ‘advanced’, but that all comes together to create that authentic, post-war atmosphere. This writing style especially stands out when we actually get to Malenfer manor, a manor that seems stuck in the days of lords and tenants. It creates an eerie atmosphere that completely suits the subject matter of the novel.
My second favourite thing was the characters. How could I not fall in love with Dermot? He carries his guilt over Arthur’s death with him, has a hard time accepting that Arthur came back to him as a ghost, falls in love with the beautiful Simonne and all the while is trying to discover the mystery behind the Malenfer curse. He has a lot of internal conflict to go along with the external conflict and that’s what made him such a memorable character for me. Arthur himself was quite the character as well and it’s a testament to Iain McChesney’s writing ability that although he was such a great character, he never outshone Dermot, the main character.
The plot starts out slowly enough, but when Arthur’s ghost shows up and we learn of his backstory with Dermot things really start to get interesting. And when the two friends arrive at Malenfer manor, it took all my will power to put my Kindle down and go to sleep. The Curse of Malenfer Manor is something you’ll want to read in one sitting in one sitting, believe me. The plot keeps twisting and turning and by the end you’re not sure if the curse really exists or if it’s something more man-made. Iain McChesney is truly a master of suspense.
Even if you don’t like traditional mystery stories, I’d have to recommend The Curse of Malenfer Manor. If you do like historical fiction, romance and/or supernatural elements in your novels, you should read this book. Give it a try; you won’t regret it.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Mafia Girl by Deborah Blumenthal
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
What’s in a name? Everything if you have my name.” At her exclusive Manhattan high school, seventeen-year-old Gia is the most hated/loved girl in school. Why? Her father doesn’t have a boss. He is the boss–the capo di tutti cappi, boss of all bosses. Not that Gia cares. But life gets complicated when she meets a cop she calls “Officer Hottie” and feels a suprising chemistry. Then Vogue magazine wants to feature Gia in a fashion spread about real-life bad girls. On top of this, she’s running for class president. Can Gia step out from under her dad’s shadow and show everyone there’s more to her than “Mafia Girl?
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
My thoughts on this book in a nutshell? Go read Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman instead. You’ll get better characters, a better story and most importantly, a more realistic ending.
There were times I was rooting for Gia, like when she tried to advocate for the people at her exclusive private school to step up in the community. Other times I absolutely hated her. Mainly when she displayed the disturbing side of her nature as she stalked ‘Officer Hottie’ to his favourite bars and hangouts. That is just plain creepy, not a romantic or really healthy sort of fascination with a person. I get that she’s 17 and we all do stupid things at that age, but she is just so ridiculously immature at times that I wanted to slap her. Her behaviour around Officer Hottie was one of those.
There are times when I had to really suspend disbelief. For example there is a scene where $250,000 is found inside an ordinarily small object. According to the US Treasury, $100 bills are .0043inches thick. You need 2,500 bills to make $250,000 and according to my calculations the total width of those bills would be 10.75in or almost one foot. I doubt that much money could fit inside the object in question unless it was larger than the descriptions Deborah Blumenthal supplied. Another inaccuracy I found was the use of the word ‘patso’ to describe someone. As anyone with a basic knowledge of Italian knows, ‘patso’ is the phonetic pronunciation of ‘pazzo’ (literally ‘crazy’). While I can usually ignore such things, when they happen over and over I start to lose sight of the story and can’t keep my mind off of all the little mistakes that weren’t caught.
Basically, the plot of Mafia Girl dragged on because Gia was a poor character. She has such an annoying perspective that I had a hard time actually finishing the book even though it’s only 256 pages. Mafia Girl had such great potential like Gordon Korman’s book, but it just fell so flat. I wouldn’t really recommend it to anyone.
I give this book 0.5/5 stars.
Fortune’s Favorites by Colleen McCullough
(Cover picture courtesy of Avon Romance.)
In a time of cataclysmic upheaval, a bold new generation of Romans vied for greatness amid the disintegrating remnants of their beloved Republic. They were the chosen…and the cursed—blessed with wealth and privileged yet burdened by the dictates of destiny in a savage struggle for power that would leave countless numbers crushed and destroyed. But there was one who would tower above them all—a brilliant and beautiful boy whose ambition was unparalleled, whose love was legend, and whose glory was Rome’s: a boy they would one day call “Caesar.”
While Sulla features heavily in the first part of Fortune’s Favorites, make no mistake: this is the story of Gaius Julius Caesar and his brutal early years. You know, Colleen McCullough’s portrayal of Caesar is the most sympathetic I’ve ever come across and yet he really does some horrible things. He crucifies all those pirates (but broke all their legs except the leader so they’d die quicker) and was utterly ruthless in Spartacus’ revolt as he served under Marcus Crassus. At the same time I had difficulty not shedding at least a few tears at his pure grief when his aunt Julia and his wife Cinnilla died.
Sulla is fully developed as a character now; his story is clearly done by the time he gives a gigantic middle finger to Rome at the time of his retirement. That’s when we really get into the Julius Caesar chronicles and things start to get a little more hopeful. Sulla was always such a ruthless guy but out of all the characters you couldn’t help but cheer for him once Gaius Marius went crazy. It was sad to see him go downhill over such a long period of time.
So it was a nice break to see Caesar finally start to succeed in life. His bargaining with Nicomedes of Bithynia for a navy, the sheer gall he had in facing the pirates when he was captured and his strategies during the Third Servile War all seemed so satisfying, so realistic because Colleen McCullough really put a lot of effort into his character. There are so many ways a sympathetic portrayal of Julius Caesar can go wrong (mainly the fact that hey, he did some pretty awful things) but in Fortune’s Favorites you can’t help but love him. Even his ruthless streak.
As I mentioned in my review of The Grass Crown, Colleen McCullough has a ridiculously addictive writing style. This book is 1004 pages long and I read it over the course of just four days, sneaking in a few minutes here and there. Considering how busy I’ve been lately that’s quite an achievement and a testament to how much I really enjoy her writing. She makes you really feel like you’re there in the ancient world along with all these historical figures you’ve read about for years. (In my case, anyway.)
Really, if you haven’t picked up Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series, you need to start now. The crazy page counts are worth it.
I give this book 5/5 stars.