Review of A Court of Mist and Fury

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury 

Author: Sarah J. Mass

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses Book 2
Publisher: Bloomsbury 

Synopsis: 
Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

Rating: I will be giving this book a 5 out of 5 stars. This book was amazing from the very first word on the page to the last. The story picks up right where it left off  from A Court of Thorns and Roses. Between the continuation of the world building, character development, and the twist and turns within the plot it was jaw dropping. Going into this book I had a pict in my head as to what I thought was going to happen but I was beyond surprised with the romance and how things turned out. If you have not read this series yet then I have no idea what has stopped you. If you love fantasy, romance, and adventure then this series is for you. 

 

Review Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine

Title: Of Metal and Wishes 

Author: Sarah Fine

Series: Of Metal and Wishes Book 1 
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Synopsis: 
There are whispers of a ghost in the slaughterhouse where sixteen-year-old Wen assists her father in his medical clinic—a ghost who grants wishes to those who need them most. When one of the Noor, men hired as cheap factory labor, humiliates Wen, she makes an impulsive wish of her own, and the Ghost grants it. Brutally.

Guilt-ridden, Wen befriends the Noor, including their outspoken leader, a young man named Melik. At the same time, she is lured by the mystery of the Ghost and learns he has been watching her… for a very long time.

As deadly accidents fuel tensions within the factory, Wen must confront her growing feelings for Melik, who is enraged at the sadistic factory bosses and the prejudice faced by his people at the hand of Wen’s, and her need to appease the Ghost, who is determined to protect her against any threat—real or imagined. She must decide whom she can trust, because as her heart is torn, the factory is exploding around her… and she might go down with it.

Rating: I will be giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I truly enjoyed this book. Even though the author created her own world and characters I could not help but relate this book to Phantom of the Opera. The entire idea of this book reminds me of the Phantom and the situation that he is in. The author does create her own characters and they are different, the world and setting that is in this book is defenitly a creation of the authors and it is truly brilliant. Also, can we take a moment to really appreciate this cover. Usually I can not stand it when poeple are on the covers of books but this cover is beautiful and goes with the book perfectly. On top of the cover I have to say the author is very creative with her writing and her world building. If you are a fan of Phantom of the Opera then I feel you will truly appreciate this book. 

 

Review of The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Title: The Falconer
Author: Elizabeth May 
Series: The Falconer Book 1 
Publisher: Chronicle Books 
Synopsis: 
One girl’s nightmare is this girl’s faery tale

She’s a stunner.
Edinburgh, 1844. Eighteen-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, has everything a girl could dream of: brains, charm, wealth, a title—and drop-dead beauty.

She’s a liar.
But Aileana only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. she’s leading a double life: She has a rare ability to sense the sìthíchean—the faery race obsessed with slaughtering humans—and, with the aid of a mysterious mentor, has spent the year since her mother died learning how to kill them.

She’s a murderer.
Now Aileana is dedicated to slaying the fae before they take innocent lives. With her knack for inventing ingenious tools and weapons—from flying machines to detonators to lightning pistols—ruthless Aileana has one goal: Destroy the faery who destroyed her mother.

She’s a Falconer.
The last in a line of female warriors born with a gift for hunting and killing the fae, Aileana is the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity. Suddenly, her quest is a lot more complicated. She still longs to avenge her mother’s murder—but she’ll have to save the world first.The first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy, this electrifying thriller combines romance and action, steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read.

Rating: I will be giving this book a 2 out of 5 stars. I had some challenges with this book. The world seemed beleivable, however, I was not a huge fan of the main character in this book. I feel like the idea of this book was a great one but it just wasnt executed in the right way. This book overall was just ok. It was not great but it was not bad. It had some things that were good, like the world, but it also had some things that were not so good, for me this was the main character, I just could not relate to her and some of her choices. If you are looking for something that has a little bit of fantasy and is about the faery race then this book might be for you. 

Review of the Siren by Kiera Cass

Title: The Siren 
Author: Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen

Synopsis: 
Love is a risk worth taking.

Years ago, Kahlen was rescued from drowning by the Ocean. To repay her debt, she has served as a Siren ever since, using her voice to lure countless strangers to their deaths. Though a single word from Kahlen can kill, she can’t resist spending her days on land, watching ordinary people and longing for the day when she will be able to speak and laugh and live freely among them again. 

Kahlen is resigned to finishing her sentence in solitude…until she meets Akinli. Handsome, caring, and kind, Akinli is everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. And though she can’t talk to him, they soon forge a connection neither of them can deny…and Kahlen doesn’t want to.Falling in love with a human breaks all the Ocean’s rules, and if the Ocean discovers Kahlen’s feelings, she’ll be forced to leave Akinli for good. But for the first time in a lifetime of following the rules, Kahlen is determined to follow her heart.

Rating: I will be giving this book a 3 out of 5 stars. Overall, I am not really sure how I feel about this book. I have mixed emotions. This book was a fast read, but when I see the name Kiera Cass my mind instantly goes to the Selection series and all its wonderful detail and beauty. However this book was not what I thought it would be and I guess in a way the Selection series made me have ver high expectations for this book which this book did not deliver. I was not a fan of the Ocean and how she controlled the girls, to serve the thing that killed your family did not sit well with me and to then develop feeling for it, to look at it as the mother you lost, even though she was the one that killed the main character’s mother, it just seemed wrong. I am still uncertain if I should even be giving this book a three but for it to make me step back and think about the characters and the Ocean I thought I might as well because it must have touched something inside for me to really just think about it. 

Book Blitz of The Neverland Wars by Audrey Greathouse

The Neverland Wars
by Audrey Greathouse
Genre: YA Fantasy/ Fairytale Retelling
Release Date: May 9th 2016
Clean Teen Publishing

Summary from Goodreads:

Magic can do a lot—give you flight, show you mermaids, help you taste the stars, and… solve the budget crisis? That’s what the grown-ups will do with it if they ever make it to Neverland to steal its magic and bring their children home.
However, Gwen doesn’t know this. She’s just a sixteen-year-old girl with a place on the debate team and a powerful crush on Jay, the soon-to-be homecoming king. She doesn’t know her little sister could actually run away with Peter Pan, or that she might have to chase after her to bring her home safe. Gwen will find out though—and when she does, she’ll discover she’s in the middle of a looming war between Neverland and reality.
She’ll be out of place as a teenager in Neverland, but she won’t be the only one. Peter Pan’s constant treks back to the mainland have slowly aged him into adolescence as well. Soon, Gwen will have to decide whether she’s going to join impish, playful Peter in his fight for eternal youth… or if she’s going to scramble back to reality in time for the homecoming dance. 

  

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble

Advance Praise:

“Gwen’s description of growing up and high school life is one of the most accurate that I’ve ever read.” (Across the Bookiverse)

“The author creates such a peaceful and serene place that it felt likeescape just reading about it…Through this world, the author explores the themes of what it means to grow up.” (K.E. Carson, The Underground)

Help support The Neverland Wars on the Thunderclap app! http://thndr.me/jC4wXi

About the Author

Audrey Greathouse is a Seattle-based author of science-fiction and fantasy. Raised in the suburbs, she became a writer after being introduced to NaNoWriMo during her sophmore year of high school. Since then, she has drafted more than a dozen books, 100 sonnets, and 800 other poems, and a handful of short stories and one-act plays.

After dropping out of her university and beginning training as a circus performer on the aerial silks, she returned to school to study at Southern New Hampshire University College of Online and Continuing Education to earn her B.A. in English Language and Literature, with a minor in Computer Information Technologies.

Audrey Greathouse is a die-hard punk cabaret fan, and pianist of fourteen years. She’s usually somewhere along the west coast, and she is always writing.

Author Links:

   

GIVEAWAY:

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Excerpt:

They landed and moved slowly through the jungle for the last few hundred feet, giving Peter time to explain to Gwen as she walked at his side.

“If you’ve never met a mermaid before, there are a few things you should know about them.”

“Like what?”

“Like they are the most cunning and conniving creatures you will ever cross paths with.”

“Really?” Gwen asked, astounded. “I would have thought mermaids would be… I don’t know, beautiful and sweet.”

“Sirens, all of them. They’ll do anything to get what they want. Mermaids have no qualms about the means to the end, so long as it’s their end they get to.”

“Well, what do they want?”

“It’s always some kind of trouble… not that they’ll ever tell you what they want.”

Peter barreled through a clump of vines, hanging low in his way. Gwen followed after him, her curiosity compounding with every moment. “Are they dangerous then?”

“Terribly,” Peter responded. “So there are three rules for whenever you confront mermaids. First, don’t get too near to them; second, don’t get too close to them; and third, don’t ever get in the water with them.”

“Alright. Easy enough,” Gwen said, wondering if there was a working difference between the first and second rule.

“The best thing to remember,” Peter continued, “is that mermaids will never tell you what they’re after, and it’s best to assume it’s something dastardly. Whatever they want from you, whatever they want you to do, just don’t.”

“Well, if they’re so terrible, why are we going to meet with them?” Gwen asked, not seeing what good could come of the encounter.

“Because mermaids know things, and they can learn things you and I couldn’t ever possibly learn, even if someone spent a hundred years trying to teach us… and they have information right now that I need.”

Peter caught sight of a papaya tree and reached up to pick its fruit. It seemed impossible  for Peter to pass up ripe fruit, so he beckoned to Gwen and filled her satchel with a few. He found a mango tree, and tossed Gwen a few of those fruits as well.

“Will the mermaids tell you?” Gwen asked. “If you’re so bent on thwarting them, what’s to stop them from giving you misinformation to spite you?”

“They’re very easy to coerce,” Peter said, his mouth full of mango, “and the one good thing about mermaids is they can’t lie.”

“They can’t?”

“Nope. Not even a tiny white lie. Mermaids don’t go against their word, and they stick to the bargains they strike. But that makes them even more dangerous, obviously.”

Gwen didn’t see how that was obvious at all. If anything, it seemed like that would make them less of a threat, but there wasn’t time to press the conversation further. They broke the tree line and found themselves on the edge of a small cliff. Crude steps carved into the cliff’s face led down to a rocky lagoon. Below, the beautiful bay of blue-green water was so clear and still that it was easy to make out the silhouettes of the slender, aquatic nymphs swimming beneath the surface.

Review of Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

Title: Labyrinth Lost 
Author: Zoraida Córdova
Series: Brooklyn Brujas Book 1
Publisher: Sourcebooks

Synopsis: 
Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives.

I fall to my knees. Shattered glass, melted candles and the outline of scorched feathers are all that surround me. Every single person who was in my house – my entire family — is gone.

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can’t trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange markings on his skin.

The only way to get her family back is to travel with Nova to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland…Beautiful Creatures meets Daughter of Smoke and Bone with an infusion of Latin American tradition in this highly original fantasy adventure.


Rating: I just wanted to take a moment to thank Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an advanced copy of this book for my honest review. This book should be available on September 6, 2016. So let me start off by saying that I truly stepped outside of my comfort zone when it comes to this book. After reading the synopsis I knew it had magic in it and it seemed like it was set in modern time. I rarely read these kinds of books and when I do I am usually very hesitant going in. With that being said, I will be giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars. The magic was amazing and I loved our main character Alex. The author takes you on a journey that reminded me a little of Splintered. Overall, this book was a great read and if you are looking for something with a little bit of magic and adventure then you will definitely enjoy his book. 

Review of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

Title: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms 
Author: N.K. Jemisin 
Series: Inheritance Book 1 
Publisher: Hachette Book Group Orbit

Synopsis: 
Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle.

Rating: I will be giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars. This book immediately got my attention. I have not really read anything like this book and I truly enjoyed it. There were some parts that I was a little confused about and I had trouble with but overall this was an excellent read. This truly a fantasy book and the author does a great job with world building, character development, as well as struggles that are both internal and external. I do not want to give too much away with this review due to the politics and plot but I will say if you like fantasy then I feel you will truly enjoy this book. 

Review of the Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins

Title: The Great Hunt
Author: Wendy Higgins 
Series: Eurona Duology Book 1 
Publisher: Harper Teen

Synopsis: 
“Aerity…” Her father paused as if the words he was forming pained him. “I must ask you to sacrifice the promise of love for the sake of our kingdom.”

She could only stare back, frozen.

When a strange beast terrorizes the kingdom of Lochlanach, fear stirs revolt. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity knows her duty to the kingdom but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger…until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. There’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast—but the princess continues to surprise him, and the perilous secrets he’s buried begin to surface.

Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.


Rating: I will be giving this book a 2 out of 5 stars. Overall, this book was ok. I was really expecting a lot more out of this book and from time to time I ended up not paying attention or skimming through it. The synopsis of this book is what originally got my attention in wanting to read it. However, between the author jumping around from character to character and the book having some dull moments, I found myself not really enjoying this book. I also had a very hard time connecting with the heroine, Aerity, in the book. If you like retellings then you might be interested in this book. I personally had a rough time with this book but you might have a different experience. Comment below if you have read this book and tell me your thoughts. 

Review of the Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

Title: The Glittering Court 
Author: Richelle Mead 
Publisher: Razorbill

Synopsis: 
Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor. But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands…

Rating: I will be giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars. This book has a lot of positives and some negatives. Overall, this book transports you into a world of glitter and courtship. With that being said,  I did have a slight issue with this book. This book started off really well and then suddenly you jump to a year later. You miss things that have happened during the time Adelaide is within the Glitter Court School as well as throughout the entire book. This in no way ruined my experience with the book but it did make it go by quick. I truly loved the development of this main character. From what I have heard this book is going to be a series but told from different perspectives and I think I know who those books will revolve around. I am looking forward to the books that are to come in this series. If you liked the Matched, Walk on Earth a Stranger, or the Selection then you need to pick this book up. 

Review of Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Title: Passenger
Author: Alexandra Bracken 
Series: Passenger Book 1
Publisher: Disney- Hyperion

Synopsis: 
Passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home… forever.

Rating: I will be giving this book a 3 out of 5 stars. This book has gotten so many wonderful reviews that I could not wait to pick it up. I have seen people on BookTube and Goodreads praise this book for so many different reasons. So going in I had extremely high expectations. Sadly, they were not met, at least not until almost the end of this book. I had such a hard time getting into this book and really connecting with the characters. That is not to say that the characters were not believable, I just personally struggled with it, and it was not until the end that I truly became engaged with the characters and their development. I did, however, really enjoy the world and the rules of time travel. They were so well thought out and believable that it made sense, which from some of the other time travel books that I have read, it didn’t really work but you just kind of go along with it. I am definitely considering pick up the second book when it does come out just to see where the author is going with this plot and the time travel that is woven within the story. If you are looking for something with a little bit of romance and time travel that is executed well then you need to pick this book up.