Tagged: fantasy

Painted Blind by Michelle A. Hansen

(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

Seventeen years old and agoraphobic, Psyche Middleton vows her dad will never see the risqué photos she took during a summer modeling stint abroad, but one of them ends up on a billboard in her Montana hometown. Now everyone—especially her dad—can see it.  And yet, somehow, those are the mundane things in her life because she is about to fall unexpectedly, head-over-heels in love with Erik, a mysterious young man who rescues her from a crowd of admirers, and who she’s never actually seen because…he can make himself invisible.

As strange as this may seem, it’s about to get even stranger. Erik takes her to his palace in an idyllic kingdom, and she is swept into the beauty and culture of his world, but his affection has one condition:  she may not see him.  Overtaken, intrigued, and still not wholeheartedly believing he’s real, Psyche is going to have to decide if she can love him blindly; because if she can’t, she may lose him forever.

A wild, romantic adventure that travels at breakneck speed, Michelle A. Hansen’s debut is a fantastical journey filled with laughter, danger, and the indomitable power of love. Painted Blind reminds us that one can overcome seemingly insurmountable odds with fortitude and a little luck and confirms that real love is worth fighting for.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

Okay, Painted Blind was nothing like I expected and that’s a good thing because I really didn’t expect much from the blurb.  But I still requested it from NetGalley for something new to read.  And wow, was I ever surprised.

If I had to describe it one way, I’d call it The Goddess Test on steroids because it has a more realistic romance, better characters and a plot that glued me to my computer chair for over three hours straight.  Michelle Hansen knows just how much information to reveal to her readers to hint at things, yet doesn’t give so much away as to make all the plot twists completely predictable.  While I was reading, there were a lot of times I thought “Whoa.  Didn’t see that coming.”  Even the most cynical of readers like myself won’t be able to predict half of the plot points, which means that this is most definitely a unique novel.

I love the characters.  Erik and Psyche may seem like your stereotypical romance characters, but they’re not.  They actually have depth and I could sympathize with both of them.  The way they fell in love was a bit quick, but actually quite natural when you think about it.  First it started off as a sort of unexplainable attraction, then they got to know each other and fell in true love, not the kind of lust that passes for love in most YA fiction.

To be completely honest, I can’t believe this is Michelle Hansen’s debut novel.  The writing quality is much better than most established authors, in my opinion.  Her world-building is excellent; you can tell she really thought it through and made sure things made sense to readers.  I honestly can’t wait to see her what she writes next!

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Wilde’s Army by Krystal Wade

(Cover picture courtesy of Krystal Wade’s blog.)

“Hello, Katriona.”

Those two words spark fear in Katriona Wilde and give way to an unlikely partnership with Perth, the man she’s been traded to marry for a favor. Saving her true love and protector Arland, her family, and their soldiers keeps her motivated, but the at-odds duo soon realizes trust is something that comes and goes with each breath of Encardia’s rotting, stagnant air. The moment when concern for her missing sister spirals out of control, all thoughts of trust are pushed aside and she finds herself trapped by the daemon tricks Perth warned her of.

However, rescuing those she loves is only half the problem.

Kate still must get to Willow Falls, unite her clashing people, and form an army prepared to fight in order to defeat Darkness. When so many she’s grown fond of die along the journey, her ability to play by the gods’ rules is tested.

How will she make allies when the world appears stacked against her? And will she still be Katriona Wilde, the girl with fire?

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

I don’t think I’ve been this excited for the next book in a series since I finished Feed.  And I don’t think I’ve ever been so anxious to get an advanced ebook off NetGalley either.  So with that said, even though Wilde’s Army will only be released tomorrow on the mass market, I can’t wait for the next book in the trilogy, Wilde’s Meadow.  Moving on…

Wilde’s Army is the amazing follow up to Wilde’s Fire.  The romantic tension between Arland and Katriona (Kate) is still there and it adds another dimension to both characters.  Better yet, the relationship feels real, unlike a lot of horribly forced relationships in YA literature.  But Kate’s relationship with Arland is certainly put to the test in this book when she is forced to pretend she loves Perth in order to buy time to gather the army Griandor said she would need.  Add to this the fact that her mother and her sister Brit are now in Encardia, increasing the pressure on Kate even more.

Krystal Wade’s fantastic world-building and masterful plotting are both excellent reasons to pick up her debut series, but the thing that speaks to me the most is her characters.  Kate is memorable because she is very strong when she needs to be, but is also very vulnerable and struggles with the fact that a god (Griandor) has basically told her she will be the one to save or doom Encardia.  Her love for Arland is also very real and never really takes a back seat to anything; in fact it’s probably more prominent in this book than in the first.  One of my favourite characters, other than Kate, was Perth, the Ground Dweller Kate was promised to.  In the first book he doesn’t play a very large role, but in Wilde’s Army he really acquires a nice amount of depth and isn’t all that he seems.

The world-building is even better than ever as we learn about new types of daemons, new peoples and the regional differences in culture and magic use, even among humans.  As for the plot, it was riveting.  Krystal Wade maintains an incredible speed throughout the novel, enough to keep me up reading much later than I should have been.  And she leaves us with one heck of a cliffhanger, so I’m very anxious to see how she ends her trilogy.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton

(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

The year is 1162.  Sixteen-year-old Lady Jeanette Avenel has always enjoyed her freedom as second daughter of a minor Norman nobleman in Teviotdale, Scotland.  But after her sister, Isabel, disgraces the family, Jenny is suddenly thrust into the role of eldest daughter.  Now Jenny has been chosen as a potential bride to the heir of the king of Scotland.  While learning the customs of the royal court, Jenny is drawn to a mysterious young man rumoured to have been kidnapped by fairies, not knowing his past holds a secret that threatens everyone close to him—including Jenny.

An Earthly Knight is one of those books that stays with you, even years later.  I decided to re-read it a few weeks ago and it was just as good as I remember.

Based off the ballads Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight and Tam Lin, it is both a mixture of historical fiction and fantasy.  Since I have never read either of these ballads, I will not comment on how close An Earthly Knight sticks to them because I have no idea.  However, I do recognize many fairy tale elements, like evil fairies and false love, so readers who love fairy tales will also enjoy this book.

Lady Jeanette, usually called Jenny, is the wonderful main character of this novel.  She is three dimensional, strong for a woman of her time and does not fall instantly in love with Tam Lin.  Her sister Isabel is actually my favourite character because although she is only a secondary character, Janet McNaughton did not neglect her character development.  Or the character development of any other secondary characters, for that matter.

An Earthly Knight may be a bit slow-paced for some readers because of the descriptive writing style, but I still enjoyed it.  Janet McNaughton draws her readers into a world where history and myth collide, where love and loyalty are put to the test and traditions are challenged.  If you like fairy tale re-tellings, fantasy, and/or historical fiction, this is the book for you.  As long as you don’t mind a little cliché, that is.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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The Fires of Merlin by T. A. Barron

(Cover picture courtesy of Free Book Notes.)

The dragon called Wings of Fire has awakened from his enchanted slumber—a spell cast by Merlin’s grandfather—and only the descendant of the wizard who first defeated the dragon possesses the power to stop him.  Before Merlin can go to battle, he must confront the sorceress who has stolen his magical talisman—a talisman needed to stop Wings of Fire.

But according to the prophecy, the one who destroys the dragon also dies…

The stakes are higher than ever before in The Fires of Merlin, the third book in The Lost Years of Merlin epic.  Merlin must save Fincayra once again, but this time it may cost him his life.  With Wings of Fire awakening, Merlin and Rhia must go on a dangerous adventure that will take them across Fincayra once more, meeting all kinds of interesting people and creatures.

What I really love about T. A. Barron’s writing is that he uses a variety of fantasy creatures, rather than just sticking with all of the familiar ones.  I mean, in what other series are you going to find living carnivorous rocks and endangered deer people?  Barron uses his imagination and because of my rant about the lack of diversity in fantasy, I really appreciate the effort he put into his series.  More fantasy writers should follow his lead.

In addition to his excellent world-building, Barron really pays attention to his character development.  Merlin has changed slowly over the past two books and his development continues in this book.  We are finally seeing a bit of a transition from awkward teenage boy to slightly less awkward, more mature teenage boy.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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Discord’s Apple by Carrie Vaughn

(Cover picture courtesy of Carrie Vaughn’s blog.)

When Evie Walker goes to spend time with her dying father, she discovers that his creaky old house in Hope’s Fort, Colorado, is not the only legacy she will inherit.  Hidden behind the basement door is a secret and magical storeroom, a place where wondrous treasures from myth and legend are kept safe until they are needed again.

Of course, this legacy is not without its costs: There are those who will give anything to find a way in.

With the help of her father, a mysterious stranger named Alex, and some unexpected heroes, Evie must guard the storeroom against ancient and malicious forces, and protect both the past and the future even as the present unravels.  Old heroes and notorious villains alike rise to fight on her side or to do their best to bring about her defeat.

At stake is the fate of the world and the prevention of nothing less than the apocalypse.

I received Discord’s Apple as a late birthday present from a friend last year, which brings me to two points.  1)  As you read this review, keep in mind that I am biased because this is not a book I would normally read.  2)  For whatever reason, when I receive books as birthday presents from friends, they always end up being late birthday presents.  This last point is nothing but trivia, however, keep in mind that I never would have read this book unless it was a gift.

Discord’s Apple is a very fast-paced book, a bit too fast for my liking, to be truthful.  To me, it seems like Carrie Vaughn sacrificed natural character development for a fast plot.  Sinon is a well-developed character, but Evie Walker, the novel’s protagonist, doesn’t seem real enough to me.  She falls in love with Sinon very suddenly and accepts that she and her father are the guardians of a magical storeroom quite readily.

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t exactly accept that Hera was after the legendary apple of Discord very quickly, especially if it was a complete stranger telling me that the apple in question was sitting in my basement.  My general feeling about the characters is that Carrie Vaughn spent far too much page time on Sinon’s backstory and neglected Evie, who had great potential as a protagonist.

Aside from the characters, I didn’t really mind Discord’s Apple.  It has a very interesting premise and Carrie Vaughn’s writing style is very clear and direct; she does not ramble on for pages about how exotic the landscapes are or how handsome Evie’s love interest is.  The ending was very satisfying in my opinion because I love symmetry.  The ending really does bring the story full circle, so that probably coloured my perception of the book as well.

So if you don’t mind a slightly unbelievable protagonist, but a decently written book with an intriguing premise, I would recommend Discord’s Apple to you.

I give this book 3.5/5 stars.

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