Tagged: finn
Stolen Skye by Nina Loard
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
It’s been years since the car accident, but with every disappointment Evelyn finds herself wondering about her forgotten days in London. After being dismissed from her job, she unknowingly wanders past an old friend who reintroduces himself by breaking into her home. Armed with a photograph and a handful of gems, he convinces her that after dropping out of her study abroad program, she befriended a group of accomplished thieves. Drawn to the handsome stranger in her living room and seduced by the idea of finally knowing the truth, Evelyn travels to London to face her past and understand what could’ve caused her to make such uncharacteristic life choices.
As conflicting memories surface, Evelyn fights her attraction to the Irish rogue, Finn, while sparring with the intimidating group leader, Ari. There’s the added problem of forgetting where she’s stashed a small fortune. Realizing too late that darker forces are closing in on her, Evelyn fights to save herself and the lives of those she’s grown to care for.
I hate to admit it, but the only reason I even considered reading this book is that it was free on Amazon at the time. Normally something like this would scare me off because I’d think “Oh, just another action movie wannabe”. You could say that I’m a little judgmental with these things, but I still did go into Stolen Skye with an open mind. You never know, right? It might actually be good.
The truth is, it’s better than good. It’s great!
I know it sounds like Evelyn has Hollywood Amnesia and she sort of does, but at least Nina Loard justifies it as the rare fugue amnesia (where victims can get their past memories back and don’t lose the memory of how to do basic things like tie their shoes). The main reason why I didn’t throw this book at the wall despite the amnesia cliche is that it wasn’t actually a cliche in this book. Evelyn is significantly hindered by her lack of past memories and she knows it. Sometimes memories come back to her if she’s in a setting from that memory, but it’s not a great big rush just when the plot finds it convenient.
Evelyn was a great character, to be honest. She’s smart and determined when she has a goal, but at the same time she’s still a little unsure of herself. I know I would be too if I was in the place where I lost my memories with these people who knew my former self. The whole art theft ring wouldn’t help either. Ari and Finn are two very different men and no, it’s not a typical love triangle in this case. Evelyn naturally grows attracted to Finn, but then something happens to sort of spoil their relationship. I can’t say anything without giving away a major spoiler, but let’s just say that it both did and didn’t surprise me.
For a character-driven novel, Stolen Skye is quite fast-paced. Of course there’s Evelyn rediscovering her past, but then a lot of the plot consists of her re-training as a thief and helping to plan a theft at one of the most famous museums in the world. (This particular theft not being illegal as they were hired for a publicity stunt.) We also see Evelyn try to learn what led to her accident and subsequent amnesia. Trust me when I say that where there’s lots of money involved, there’s a lot of criminal activity and the people with said money become targets.
What really stood out for me in Nina Loard’s book were her vivid descriptions of the locations. I’ve never been to London (something I plan to remedy in the future) but through her writing I felt like I was right there along with Evelyn. Her descriptive style appeals to me and although it’s not typically what you’d see in an action thriller, it somehow works because she has a good sense of timing. Few authors can both describe the characters’ surroundings adequately and still have lots of action going on. It’s an important skill and Nina Loard certainly has it.
This was definitely one of the best books I’ve stumbled across, paid or free. I’m so glad that I gave it a chance and went into it with an open mind because I’ve found a great new series that I’m dying to read the next book of. So check out the Skye Trilogy, people! It’s hard not to love it!
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
(Cover picture courtesy of It’s All About Books.)
Incarceron, the living prison, has lost one of its inmates to the outside world: Finn’s escaped, only to find that Outside is not at all what he expected. Used to the technologically advanced, if violently harsh, conditions of the prison, Finn is now forced to obey the rules of Protocol, which require all people to live without technology. To Finn, Outside is just a prison of another kind, especially when Claudia, the daughter of the prison’s warden, declares Finn the lost heir to the throne. When another claimant emerges, both Finn’s and Claudia’s very lives hang on Finn convincing the Court of something that even he doesn’t fully believe.
Meanwhile, Finn’s oathbrother Keiro and his friend Attia are still trapped inside Incarceron. They are searching for a magical glove, which legend says Sapphique used to escape. To find it, they must battle the prison itself, because Incarceron wants the glove too.
My thought process throughout the novel basically sounded like this: Okay, that’s interesting…Huh?…What’s going on?…That was random…What the heck?…I don’t get it.
It is very rare that I have absolutely no clue what’s going on in a novel, but I admit I had no idea what was going on in Sapphique half of the time. There was no real explanation for why Incarceron turned so evil, how it made those horrible creatures and the humans within it, what happened before Protocol in Claudia’s world, what the warden’s motivations were…there were so many questions that were never answered. I don’t need to have all of the answers, but some of them would be nice so I could understand the novel.
Once again, I couldn’t really connect with the characters. Claudia I sympathized with a bit in the beginning, but was utterly bored by her near the end; Finn was horrible and Attia didn’t have much depth. The only character that managed to interest me in the least was Jared and he wasn’t the greatest character I’ve ever read about. It’s like Verdi’s opera Don Carlo, in which the only remotely sympathetic character dies.
The world of Sapphique and Incarceron had so much potential, but there really was no depth to it. To me, it felt like Catherine Fisher assumed readers knew as much about the world as she did and didn’t bother with any explanations. It’s very frustrating and about halfway through the novel, I was mentally calculating how much time I had left to finish.
I give this book 1.5/5 stars.
Ascend by Amanda Hocking
(Cover picture courtesy of …It’s Always Something…)
Wendy Everly is facing an impossible choice. The only way to save the Trylle from their deadliest enemy is by sacrificing herself. If she doesn’t surrender to the Vittra, her people will be thrust into a brutal war against an unbeatable foe. But how can Wendy leave all her friends behind…even if it’s the only way to save them?
The stakes have never been higher, because her kingdom isn’t the only thing she stands to lose. After falling for both Finn and Loki, she’s about to make the ultimate choice…who to love forever. One guy has finally proven to be the love of her life—and now all their lives might be coming to an end.
Everything has been leading to this moment. The future of her entire world rests in her hands—if she’s ready to fight for it.
To tell you the truth, I had very serious doubts about Ascend as I was reading. Things weren’t going the way I expected (and wanted) them to and it really looked like things were going to turn out badly. By badly, I mean it seemed like it would turn out to be the last act of Tosca. Amanda Hocking really does know how to manipulate her reader’s emotions and since I’m not usually very emotionally involved in a novel, this was a refreshing change!
Wendy surprised me constantly, but in good ways. Her temper that often flared up in Switched? Controlled. Her trying to put love before duty in Torn? Gone, for the most part. Wendy has finally matured as a character and in Ascend, she becomes the Princess everyone knows she would be. She thinks with her head, but also allows her heart to guide her. She knows that her duty to all of Trylle supersedes the own longings in her heart. Very, very few female protagonists in YA are like this and that’s why Wendy is one of my new favourite heroines.
The final battle felt a bit rushed to me, but then again, I tend to lean more toward books in the 500-600 range (the Trylle series doesn’t surpass 350). Still, what happens at the end makes sense and Amanda Hocking really did work hard on building up the suspense. You know how the climax is also called The Darkest Hour in writing circles? Well, the climax of Ascend really does deserve that title. The ending was satisfying and the best part was that it was not perfectly happy. There’s nothing I hate more than a completely happy ending.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Torn by Amanda Hocking
(Cover picture courtesy of A Beautiful Madness.)
When Wendy Everly first discovered the truth about herself—that she’s a changeling switched at birth—she knew her life would never be the same. Now she’s about to learn that there’s more to the story….
Wendy shares a closer connection to her Vittra rivals than she ever imagined—and they’ll stop at nothing to lure her to their side. With the threat of war looming, her only hope of saving the Trylle is to master her magical powers—and marry an equally powerful royal. But that means walking away from Finn, her handsome bodyguard who’s strictly off-limits…and Loki, a Vittra prince with whom she shares a growing attraction.
Torn between her heart and her people, between love and duty, Wendy must decide her fate. If she makes the wrong choice, she could lose everything—and everybody—she’s ever wanted…in both worlds.
I rarely ever get involved in the typical fangirl Boy1 vs Boy2 debates about love triangles. It’s usually obvious which boy the narrator will choose and besides, I’m not really the type to get fanatical about anything. (Except Harry Potter because I was 9 when I read it. Looking back, I laugh at my fanaticism.) However, I will take a side in the Finn vs Loki debate: Loki.
In Torn, Wendy is even stronger than before, both power-wise and character-wise and we see her moving away from Finn. Why? Finn has chosen his duty as a tracker and bodyguard over his supposed love for her. I say ‘supposed’ because I mean he’s manipulative and a jerk, the kind of guy your mother warns you about and your father threatens violence toward. Besides, Finn has no sense of humour whatsoever whereas Loki is hilarious. Another hour of reading the last book in the trilogy, Ascend will see who wins.
What I really like about Torn is that unlike a lot of second novels in trilogies, it doesn’t drag on as it sets things up for the final battle. Amanda Hocking expands on the Trylle universe and gives us some backstory about Elora and the truth about Wendy’s father. At the same time, she’s not info-dumping and keeps Torn moving along at a fast pace without the usual sagging middle. Finally, an author who knows how to properly pace a novel while having an engaging world!
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
Switched by Amanda Hocking
(Cover picture courtesy of Macmillan.)
When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.
Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.
Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…
I had never heard of Switched before my best friend read it. Being my best (and only) friend, we like to share what we’re reading frequently so I soon heard all about the world of Switched. She lent me the entire trilogy, so I figured I’d give it a try. I most definitely had my doubts about the whole changeling premise and the love triangle, but they turned out to be unfounded.
Wendy is nothing like your typical YA heroine. She’s smart and resourceful and uses her head rather than her heart to make decisions, especially near the end of the novel. I honestly can’t thank Amanda Hocking enough for creating a realistic but strong female narrator who doesn’t fall in love with every single male she sees. And Wendy is powerful, yes, but she has to work hard to develop her powers, unlike many YA protagonists. She also catches onto the whole changeling thing fairly fast and accepts it, rather than going through the “magic doesn’t exist” phase until she encounters other magical beings.
This is not a vampire, zombie, werewolf or fairy novel. It’s a troll, or Trylle, novel. Trolls, of course, are nothing like the ones found in fairy tales and legends, but Amanda Hocking still stuck to the basics of the species: bad tempers, unruly hair, an unusual hatred of footwear, etc. The world Wendy is catapulted into is believable and fantastically built with all kinds of wonderful little details.
I would highly recommend Switched to anyone, male or female, who’s sick of weak YA protagonists, old clichés and traditional non-human fantasy beings.
I give this novel 5/5 stars.