Tagged: masq1
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
(Cover picture courtesy of Never Too Fond of Books.)
Finn cannot remember his childhood. He cannot remember his life before Incarceron—a prison that has been sealed for centuries, where inmates live in cells, dilapidated cities, and unbounded wilderness. No one has ever escaped. But then he finds a crystal key and a girl named Claudia.
Claudia’s father is the Warden of Incarceron. And Claudia is about to become a kind of prisoner herself, doomed to an arranged marriage. If she helps Finn in his escape, she will need his help in return.
But they don’t realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and far more than they know…because Incarceron is alive.
There is only one word to describe Catherine Fisher’s Incarceron:
Weird.
There is no other world to describe this futuristic science fiction-fantasy hybrid but weird. Truly, even as widely read as I am, I have never read a book like this. It’s unique in a good way, with excellent world-building and interesting themes. I’m not even going to hazard a guess as to where the inspiration for the world of Incarceron came from. It probably wouldn’t make sense to most people anyway.
The fantastic and bizarre world of Incarceron sort of makes up for the characters, which were somewhat lacking. For whatever reason, I just really couldn’t connect with either Claudia or Finn. Claudia is like me in some ways, so I should have been able to connect with her, but I just couldn’t. Finn…I really didn’t like him from the start, so there was no hope there. In my eyes, Catherine Fisher just couldn’t breathe life into her characters.
The plot is fast-paced and switches points of view in all the right places to keep people reading. There are a few predictable plot points, but I certainly couldn’t predict every plot twist. So if you like fast-paced novels with great world-building but don’t mind poorly developed characters, you’ll love Incarceron.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
(Cover picture courtesy of Mundie Source.)
In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.
With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the friendly devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.
Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?
As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.
After reading Clockwork Prince, I’m starting to like The Infernal Devices even more. Finally characters like Will and Jessamine acquire depth and I can actually sympathize with them. Whereas Clockwork Angel focused mainly on Tessa’s entrance into the world of the supernatural, Clockwork Prince focuses more on the characters and setting up the final book, Clockwork Princess. We also get a lot more information about the world of the Shadowhunters, which builds on both the first book and the parallel series, The Mortal Instruments.
Tessa is still a strong character in this book and readers will feel her love for Jem, but also her growing attraction to will, despite his horrible behavior toward her at the end of the first book. She hates her brother Nathan for betraying her and the Shadowhunters, yet she still has a bit of sisterly affection for him, even if she doesn’t want to admit it. Her choices in this novel have direct consequences for the people she loves, so Tessa is even more conflicted about her decisions than before. Will also acquires a lot more depth and I actually feel sorry for him as he uncovers an ironic tragedy worthy of Sophocles himself.
The plot of Clockwork Prince is moderately fast and almost every scene advances the action. What I admire most about Cassandra Clare is that she perfectly intertwines her two series together so that if you read them in order of release, you will have a much richer experience. From a marketing perspective, the way she releases these books is brilliant because fans of the first three books will want to keep reading The Mortal Instruments to see what happens to Clary and the others. They’re also more likely to read The Infernal Devices because it gives them some backstory on some of their favourite characters. It’s hard to read one series without reading the other. Brilliant.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
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.
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
The Mortal War is over, and Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at least. And—most important of all—Clary can finally call Jace her boyfriend.
But nothing comes without a price.
Someone is murdering Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her. His mother has just found out that he’s a vampire and now he’s homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side—along with the power of the curse that’s wrecking his life. And they’re willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he’s dating two beautiful, dangerous girls—neither of whom knows about the other.
When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.
Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.
With all of the little unanswered questions at the end of City of Glass, I couldn’t help but be eager for the fourth book. So now that I’ve returned to The Mortal Instruments series, I can finally review it.
In City of Fallen Angels we see a lot of different characters’ points of view, which I actually like. Clary has taken a bit of a backseat to Simon, who is coping with being a Daylighter and bearing the cursed mark of Cain. Did I mention the idiot is dating two girls at once since he doesn’t know how to say no? Come on, things like that hardly end well and the love triangle feels a bit forced. Other than that, Cassandra Clare’s characterization is decent, but nothing truly exceptional.
The plot is well paced and there are some unexpected twists. We also meet some of the characters from Clockwork Angel, which I would recommend you read first. It’s not necessary, but it helps you understand the vampire Camille and Magnus’ past, especially when Camille and Magnus allude to their past together. One of the best things about City of Fallen Angels is that we finally get to learn more about demons and their origins as well as about the history of the Shadowhunters. And with the cliffhanger at the end, I’m anxious to read the fifth book, City of Lost Souls.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
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.