Category: Urban Fantasy
Hyacinth by Abigail Owen
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Book #2 of the Svatura Series
Selene sacrificed everything when she took her brother’s place as ruler of the Vyusher, including her secret love for her one-time adversary Griffin Aubrey. When nightmares that are just a little too real start, Selene fears she’s turned into a cold-blooded killer…the monster that Griffin thinks she is.
Griffin and Ellie Aubrey are finally safe for the first time in over a hundred years. But when an unknown menace drives Selene to leave her family and ask for help, Griffin must decide. Can he move past his hatred of everything she is? Or will the bond that could bring them both the greatest joy now be the source of their deepest despair?
The threat of the danger stalking Selene in her dreams might be too much even for this powerful group. And Griffin doesn’t want to easily forgive the woman he blames for killing his family…
[Full disclosure: I was provided a free ebook copy of this a couple of months during the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
Ellie, the main character of the previous novel only barely features in this one. Although I really did like her, that was fine by me as I got to see way more of Griffin and a whole bunch of Selene. Both of them are fascinating characters in their own right but I’ll talk about Selene first.
She was enslaved by her brother for 150 years, which is long even for a Svatura. More accurately, she had to do what he told her because of his mind control but unlike the rest of the Vyusher tribe she was fully aware of all of the horrible things Gideon had her do. That really just makes it more awful when you think about it. So now Gideon is dead and Selene is having a hard time accepting her role as Queen. Not only that, now she has to cope with the crushing amount of guilt from 150 years of hunting other Svatura.
What I find interesting with the way she copes is that she really doesn’t magically get over everything on her own; for that, she needs more than a little bit of help from the original Svatura group of the first book. One has the power to help heal emotions but even with Ellie’s help in amplifying it Selene will never be totally healed. This is way more realistic than having her completely healed in time for the final showdown. At the same time, even though I wanted to smack Griffin for being indecisive, I do believe it was far more realistic than him loving Selene despite all of their history together. By the end of the novel you’re really in doubt as to whether these two are sure they love each other but I promise you that the ending is a satisfying one.
Just like with the previous book, the plot of Hyacinth is more character-driven than plot-driven. The characters cause many of the events that happen in the end of the novel but this book is far from slow-paced. Abigail Owen managed to balance character development with plot development and I really appreciated that balance. It makes for a much more enjoyable, interesting read. There weren’t really any truly enormous surprise twists for the plot but I did enjoy Hyacinth all the same.
Abigail Owen is fast becoming one of my favourite authors, as you can probably tell by this review. I can’t wait to read the third book in the Svatura series! In the meantime, I’d highly recommend it to pretty much all readers who like a little fantasy in their everyday life. You really can’t go wrong with the Svatura series.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Blue Violet by Abigail Owen
(Cover picture courtesy of Masquerade Tours.)
2013 Bronze Medalist for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror eBook at the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs)
2014 eLit Awards Bronze Medalist for Fantasy/SciFi
Book #1 of the Svatura Series
Ellie Aubrey is a centuries-old gypsy princess whose extraordinary abilities once inspired her Roma ancestors’ fairytales (or nightmares). Along with her twin-brother, Griffin, Ellie has spent most of her life hiding from the Vyusher, a rival tribe who destroyed their entire powerful family. But after a mysterious dream, Ellie risks discovery in order to find and watch over the Jenners, another group of similarly gifted people. She refuses to let them suffer the same fate.
Alex Jenner has come home to protect his family. His adopted mother can sense danger coming, but not who or when. Suspicious of the new girl in town, Alex challenges Ellie in ways that will spark one of two possible outcomes: they’ll spontaneously combust, or she’ll lose control of the one power she’s fought so hard to contain.
When the Vyusher once again threaten everything she holds dear, Ellie will have to face her worst fear, and Alex will have to face an impossible decision. In this fairytale, the dragon that the prince must slay is also the princess who holds his heart.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
When I signed up for the Black Orchid blog tour I really wasn’t all too sure about whether I’d like the books or not. However, the thing that convinced me was that I had read Andromeda’s Fall by Abigail Owen as well and loved it. Why not give her other series a try? And let me tell you: I’m so glad I did. It’s just as good as Andromeda’s Fall and I am now a huge Abigail Owen fan.
The beginning made me cringe, I’ll admit. New girl in a small town going to yet another new school after moving around lots. Thankfully this trope was not played straight and soon we learn that Ellie really isn’t all that she seems and neither is the insanely attractive Alex. Things get awesome pretty quickly so don’t be fooled by Blue Violet‘s unassuming beginning!
Ellie is now one of my favourite heroines. Yes, she can agonize over Alex but she has the self-awareness to at least realize that he’s a college student and he’s probably not going to be interested in his little sister’s new high school aged friend. When she realizes that the Jenners also have abilities similar to hers, her first instinct is to protect them, no matter how coldly Alex treats her. I think the most interesting part about Ellie’s character was her second ability, the one that terrifies her the most. Abigail Owen really works hard to not only portray her obvious fear of it but also to portray the temptation to use it, especially when the Vyusher come knocking.
I really just loved the world-building in Blue Violet. Not only are the different abilities unique and pretty darn cool, there are believable backstories for even the villains like the Vyusher. Of course there are still a couple of questions about abilities and such but this really is only the first book in the series and all of the most pressing questions are answered. In the beginning we learn pretty quickly of Ellie and Griffin’s abilities, which is refreshing considering writers’ tendencies to drag things out for as long as they can. Not so in Blue Violet!
Now, with a blurb that focuses on the inter-character relationships you’d think this would be more of a slow paced novel. It’s definitely not. While it is character driven to a large extent, you’re never going to get bored as both the personal drama and dangerous outside forces come together to create one heck of an epic climax. And there’s just a little cliffhanger so you’re eager to read the next book.
All in all, this is definitely not your typical urban fantasy novel and I can’t recommend it enough. Seriously, go buy it!
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Sins of the Lost by Linda Poitevin
(Cover picture courtesy of the book tour a couple of months ago.)
From the author of Sins of the Angels and Sins of the Son comes the newest novel in the “electric, thrilling and extremely intelligent” (Ex Libris) Grigori Legacy series.
Heaven and Hell are on the brink of war as Lucifer builds his Nephilim army and waits for his new agenda to become a reality — that of having a Nephilimchild of his own bloodline to lead his forces to cataclysmic victory.
With rumors of the pending war rampant on Earth, Alex fights to save humanity from its own panic – leaving little time for her fledgling
relationship with Seth, the man with heavenly origins who has captured her heart. But when Nephilim children begin to disappear, along with Alex’s own vulnerable niece, the inevitable war between Heaven and Hell becomes as personal as sin.Heaven has its own plans to fight the coming apocalypse, but first it needs Seth back. Asked to betray the man she loves, Alex must turn for help to the soulmate she thought she’d given up — the Archangel Aramael, who may be her last chance to save her family and humanity from the ashes of Lucifer’s Armageddon.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through the blog tour a while back in exchange for an honest review.]
The phrase ‘action-packed’ is bandied about quite carelessly when it comes to describing books, but let me tell you I’m dead serious when I say that Sins of the Lost is action-packed.
Not only is poor Alex trying to stop the oncoming apocalypse, she’s lost her soulmate and is trying to love another (who just happens to be the possible catalyst for said apocalypse). To say that there’s a lot of drama and tension in this third book in the Grigori Legacy is an understatement. It never gets into soap opera ridiculous drama levels but it really is the kind of book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. That’s why I ended up reading this book until four in the morning when I had to work at 8:00am; I just couldn’t stop no matter how much I tried to exercise my self-control.
Alex is of course my favourite character, just like in the previous two installments. This time she’s dealing with even more psychological scars and although some readers may be frustrated with her I believe her reluctance to join in the fight between Heaven and Hell is more realistic than if she were gung-ho about the whole thing. Let’s face it, she’s gone through a lot and it’s all because of their idiotic war that could have been prevented. While Alex is my favourite character, Seth is the one with the most surprises up his sleeve. His character arc, looking back, is very realistic but at the time you really don’t know where his character is going to go. He’s wonderfully ambiguous which ratchets up the tension even more. As for Aramael, I can’t really say much without giving away some major spoilers but let’s just say that his fans will be pleased.
As for the concept, I believe that some would call it ‘blasphemous’ or ‘heresy’ but I love how Linda Poitevin has arranged her versions of Heaven and Hell. God being a woman doesn’t even touch some of the other unique spins on classic Christian theology. I won’t go much further into it because I don’t want to bring my personal beliefs into things but if you’re reading this series, take it for what it is: fiction. It’s not intended to offend or harm and Linda Poitevin does an amazing job at world-building.
I can’t believe it took me so long to finally get to Sins of the Lost but I’m really glad I did. The only bad thing about it? Because of that insane cliffhanger I’m now desperate for the fourth book to come out. I guess that’s just the mark of a great book.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Legend of the Blue Eyes by B. Kristin McMichael
(Cover picture courtesy of My Book Addiction.)
Arianna Grace liked her boring, Midwestern, teenage life where she ignored the many unanswered questions of her childhood. Why were her parents dead? Why did she not have family? Where was she raised until she was five? When someone offers to explain it all, Arianna thinks she’s just getting answers. Instead, she is thrown into a world of night humans who drink blood.
On Arianna’s sixteenth birthday, her world is thrown upside down when she changes into a vampire. Night humans, or demons, as some call them, live in normal society. Learning all of the new rules of a world she didn’t know existed might be hard enough, but it’s further complicated by two former-friends that now want to help her take her role as the successor to her grandfather.
There is a war going on between the night humans. Sides have been taken and lines are not crossed. Four main clans of night humans are struggling for control of the night. Divided into two sides, clans Baku and Tengu have been at war for centuries with the clans Dearg-dul and Lycan. That is, until Arianna Grace finds out the truth; she’s the bridge of peace between the two sides. But not everyone wants peace. With the night humans divided, Arianna is now a pawn in the war between them. She must choose a side—her mother’s family or her father’s—and for once in her life, decide her own fate.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Unfortunately, The Legend of the Blue Eyes is an example of how a good premise can be ruined by mediocre writing.
The premise of B. Kristin McMichael’s world is not a new one but she puts such an unique spin on things that you can’t help but fall in love with it. She goes back to the origins of vampires and incorporates some of the old myths into a modern, sophisticated type of vampire called a Dearg-dul. The Baku and Tengu are sort of vampire/incubus/succubus combination while Lycans are quite obviously werewolves. They aren’t the typical sort of creatures you find in urban fantasy, particularly YA, because McMichael actually took the time to make her creatures unique. I honestly can’t fault any aspect of her world-building because it really is fantastic.
Her writing is not, however. It’s by no means bad but it’s not up to the quality of her world-building. She spends pages and pages on Arianna’s boy-craziness until it crosses the line from typical boy-crazy teenager to the realm of “make up your mind already!”. I’m not a big fan of romance but when done right it’s great. But it really was just not done right in The Legend of the Blue Eyes. The male leads are kind of stereotypes, one dimensional people designed to exist for the gratification of the female protagonist. While it’s sadly refreshing to see men objectified for once in fiction it doesn’t make it enjoyable or right.
I really couldn’t connect with Arianna. She’s just such a walking cliché of pretty much every YA heroine in popular fiction. Arianna can’t make up her mind about which boy she even likes, she’s a small town sort of girl thrust into the middle of a rich urban world, she’s special even amongst her own people, etc. It would have been different had McMichael put some twists on these clichés but she really didn’t.
Instead, the wasted potential of this book makes me sad. The world-building is absolutely fantastic and could be a model for pretty much every author out there, but the rest of the novel is lackluster at best. If it sounds interesting to you I’d say go ahead but I’m not going to go out of my way to recommend this one.
I give this book 2.5/5 stars.
Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
(Cover picture courtesy of Confessions of a Book Addict.)
“When the Mayflower set sail in 1620, it carried on board the men and women who would shape America: Miles Standish; John Alden; Constance Hopkins. But some among the Pilgrims were not pure of heart; they were not escaping religious persecution. Indeed, they were not even human. They were vampires. The vampires assimilated quickly into the New World. Rising to levels of enormous power, wealth, and influence, they were the celebrated blue bloods of American society. The Blue Bloods vowed that their immortal status would remain a closely guarded secret. And they kept that secret for centuries. But now, in New York City, the secret is seeping out. Schuyler Van Alen is a sophomore at a prestigious private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes instead of the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates, and she lives with her reclusive grandmother in a dilapated mansion. Schuyler is a loner…and happy that way. Suddenly, when she turns fifteen, there is a visible mosaic of blue veins on her arm. She starts to crave raw food and she is having flashbacks to ancient times. Then a popular girl from her school is found dead… drained of all her blood. Schuyler doesn’t know what to think, but she wants to find out the secrets the Blue Bloods are keeping. But is she herself in danger? Could those vampire legends really be true?“
Where do I start with a book like this?
Since I usually gush about characters, let’s start with them, shall we? I hated the characters in this book. I didn’t just passively not care about them, I actively wished for their doom. Schuyler is such a stereotypical Mary Sue that I almost stopped reading. She’s the drop-dead gorgeous outcast who looks good in clothing that could be generously described as garbage. She does everything perfectly, is never wrong and Melissa de la Cruz always harps on how good she looks in her awful clothes. Bliss, the girl from Texas, is no less of a Mary Sue. She’s the typical bouncy, happy-go-lucky southern girl who is transformed into a posh New York upperclass girl by the resident It-Girl, Mimi. Don’t get me started on how awful Mimi is. She’s just the typical mean girl with no depth and not even a single trait added to make her even mildly different from the stereotypical It Girl.
The plot is non-existent. I felt like all of the characters were just wandering around aimlessly in their designer clothing (which is described in excruciating detail) waiting for something to happen in their vapid, meaningless lives. When we finally get introduced to the vampire aspect the premise could have been good, but it got lost in the tedium of the first part of the book. By the time Melissa de la Cruz actually got around to explaining anything I was already past caring. Oh, and of course the main character is special. She’s not only a vampire, but a special one at that.
It’s only due to my stubbornness that I finished this book at all. The writing seemed to be that of a wish-fulfilling teenage girl, the characters were just stock characters with no depth and the plot didn’t exist until the book was almost over. It sort of got interesting at the end of the novel, but not nearly enough to even make me consider picking up the next book. If you’re looking to read this series my advice for you is don’t. It’s a waste of paper and a waste of your time.
I give this book 0.5/5 stars.