Book Review- Frozen Tides- Morgan Rhodes

Title: Frozen Tides
Authors: Morgan Rhodes
Publication Date: December 15th 2015
Publisher:  Razorbill
Pages: 413
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 4 of Falling Kingdom

Plot: Rebels, royals, and monsters wage war over the Mytican throne in the shocking fourth book of the Falling Kingdoms series, from New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes.

CLEO: Reeling after a bloody showdown in Limeros ending with Amara’s abduction of the water crystal, and a vacancy in the Mytican throne, Princess Cleo must cast aside her feelings and look toward her kingdom with the eyes of a Queen.

MAGNUS: With the kingdom in chaos, Princess Lucia still missing and quite possibly in danger, and a shocking realization about Cleo, the steely prince is once again torn between love and duty, leaving him wondering whether he’s strong enough to rule his people.

LUCIA: The young sorcercess has had her vengeance after the cruel death of her first and only love. Heartbroken and unable to trust anyone, she allies with the awoken Fire god, who also seeks revenge.

JONAS: After escaping death by the skin of his teeth, the defeated rebel—along with a mysterious stranger–leader reunites with Princess Cleo, only to find himself a mere pawn in a dangerous hunt for the elusive Kindred.

KING GAIUS: Abandoned by Melenia and betrayed by his own children, Gaius flees Mytica and sails to Kraeshia, where he attempts to ally with the famously brutal emperor across the Silver Sea.

Reading Period: August 15, 2017 - August 30, 2017

Book review: Wolf by Wolf- Ryan Graudin

Title: Wolf by Wolf
Authors: Ryan Graudin
Publication Date: October 20th 2015
Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 400
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of Wolf by Wolf

Plot: Her story begins on a train.

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s Ball in Tokyo.

Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin’s brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move.

But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

Reading Period: May 14, 2017 - May 20, 2017

Gathering Darkness - Morgan Rhodes

Title: Gathering Darkness
Authors: Morgan Rhodes
Publication Date: December 9th 2014
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 416
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 3 of  Falling Kingdoms

Plot: In GATHERING DARKNESS, book three of the New York Times bestselling Falling Kingdoms series, the stakes have never been higher as three teams push forward on a race to find the Kindred, the four elemental crystals possessing ancient all-powerful magic, first:

Prince Magnus has just witnessed torture, death, and miracles during the bloody confrontation that decimated the rebel forces. Now he must choose between family and justice as his father, the cruel King Gaius, sets out to conquer all of Mytica. All Gaius needs now are the Kindred - the four elemental crystals that give godlike powers to their owner. But the King of Blood is not the only one hunting for this ancient, storied magic...

• THE KRAESHIANS join the hunt. Ashur and Amara, the royal siblings from the wealthy kingdom across the Silver Sea, charm and manipulate their way to the Kindred, proving to be more ruthless than perhaps even the King of Blood himself.

• THE REBELS forge ahead. Princess Cleo and vengeful Jonas lead them, slaying with sweetness, skill, and a secret that can control Lucia's overpowering magic - all so they can use the Kindred to win back their fallen kingdoms.

• THE WATCHERS follow Melenia out of the Sanctuary. They ally in the flesh with King Gaius, who vows to use Lucia's powers to unveil the Kindred.

The only certainty in the dark times is that whoever finds the magic first will control the fate of Mytica... but fate can be fickle when magic is involved. 

Reading Period: 21 April, 2017 - 30 April, 2017

The Copper Gauntlet- Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

Title: The Copper Gauntlet
Authors: Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
Publication Date: September 1st 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 304
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 2 of  Magisterium

Plot: Callum Hunt’s summer break isn’t like other kids’. His closest companion is a Chaos-ridden wolf, Havoc. His father suspects him of being secretly evil. And, of course, most kids aren’t heading back to the magical world of the Magisterium in the fall.

It’s not easy for Call . . . and it gets even harder after he checks out his basement and discovers that his dad might be trying to destroy both him and Havoc.

Call escapes to the Magisterium -- but things only intensify there. The Alkahest -- a copper gauntlet capable of separating certain magicians from their magic -- has been stolen. And in their search to discover the culprit, Call and his friends Aaron and Tamara awaken the attention of some very dangerous foes -- and get closer to an even more dangerous truth.

As the mysteries of the Magisterium deepen and widen, bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare take readers on an extraordinary journey through one boy’s conflict -- and a whole world’s fate.

Reading period: April 17, 2017 - April 20, 2017

Book Review: A Bond of Venom and Magic - Karen Tomlinson

Title:  A Bond of Venom and Magic
Author: Karen Tomlinson
Publication Date: October 14th 2016 
Publisher:  Smashwords Edition
Pages: 324
Link to Goodreads: Here

Part of a Series: Book 1 of The Goddess and The Guardians

Plot: The Wraith Lord is hunting; his prize, the key to unleashing darkness and Chaos upon the eight Kingdoms.

For Diamond Gillon the war raging in the south seems a remote danger until her home is brutally attacked. Having lost everything she holds dear, Diamond is catapulted into a terrifying new world in which legendary beasts arise, magic is condemned and half blood fae, like her, have no rights. Despite her growing feelings for her saviour, Commander Hugo Casimir, he remains a paradox – not only is he a heartless killer, he is owned by the cruel immortal fae queen; a queen who will murder her own people for magic.

As Diamond’s circumstances become ever more perilous she is drawn deeper into Hugo’s world and discovers the lengths to which he will go to save what he holds dear. Will Hugo become her friend, her protector, or – an enemy not worthy of her trust?

A Bond of Venom and Magic is a tale of two people bound by magic and secrets, but trapped in the complexities of love and betrayal. It is the beginning of an epic journey, one that will test Diamond’s resolve and determination to battle an evil that threatens not only her world but that of Eternity, the land of The Goddess and The Guardians.

Reading period:  November 18, 2016 - December 08, 2016

Book Review: Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard

Title: Glass Sword
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publication Date: February 9th 2016
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Pages: 444
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 2 of Red Queen

Plot: If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. 

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. 

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. 

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul. 

Reading Period: March 04, 2016 - March 24, 2016

Book Review: Five Seven Five - C.E. Wilson

Title: Five - Seven - Five
Author: C. E. Wilson
Publication Date: November 20th 2015
Publisher: C.E. Wilson
Pages: 200
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of the Boy with Words

Plot: Take only what can be used. Take only what won’t be missed. The Creators are watching all of us.

White Frost lives in a world cloaked in darkness and ignorance. While most people in her society are content to live in fearful peace, White’s cousin brings her words from the mysterious Unknown. Strange collections of written words that tease her that there may be more to the world than candlelight and dank hallways.

But when tragedy strikes, White can no longer rely on the words to give her solace. She must discover what lies beyond the only world she’s ever known… no matter the cost.

Eventually, White finds her way to the skies and there she discovers that the tantalizing clues of her words are only pale reflections of the massive and wondrous world above. Colors she never thought possible. Blinding light. And an impossible being who may or may not be the Creator of it all.

But this information comes at a price White Frost is not sure she can pay.

White’s hunger for knowledge proves to be her greatest strength and weakness as she strives to learn more. But as she learns, she has to wonder – is there such a thing as too much information? And what will happen as it brings her closer to a being who could destroy everything she’s ever known?

Reading Period: November 27, 2015 - December 2, 2015

Review

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This book turned out to be something I didn't expect, I was surprised by the different outcome the story took at about one third of the book. So if you read the first chapters and you can already imagine how the story is going to be, I can assure that it will be completely different.

The story is written in the first person point of view and it's told through the eyes of White Frost, a girl who has lived her entire life underground with her community and has never been outside. Going outside it's a privileged (or a curse) that only the Chosen Ones have. Her cousin is one of the Chosen One and in his expeditions outside into the Unknown to get supplies for the community, he brings back to White pieces of paper with words written on them. Words like rain, green, blue sky...   Words that White doesn't  understand because she has never seen them.

And her curiosity and her thrive for knowledge will take her outside of the safety of her walls. But what will she find in the Unknown?  Will she meet the Creators? Mystical beings that have created her people, or so she have been told her whole life. 

The book is well written. The pace is good and the end leaves you wanting more. There's a bit of romance, if you like love story. But I think the story really makes you think about the power of words and knowledge. Could you understand what a word mean if you have never seen the object or colour? If you have always lived without seeing the blue sky or the rain or the green grass, what would be your reaction when you discover them?

No one can answer the question: Where do we come from? But if someone gave you an answer, would you accept it without question it or would you try to find the truth yourself?

This is a great YA that makes you reflect on all this, I really recommend it. 

The story continues in a second book.

RATING

Book Review: The Iron Trial - H. Black & C. Clare

Title: The Iron Trial
Author: Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
Publication Date: September 9th 2014
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 299
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of Magisterium

Plot: Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial.

Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.

All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.

So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing.

Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.

The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .

Reading Period: September 03, 2015 - September 04, 2015

Review:  

I must say that I hadn't heard of this series until it appeared as book of the month in two book clubs in Goodreads. 

The Iron Trial is the first book of the Magisterium series. It is classed as middle grade book. In fact the language and story are easy. 

I read different conflicting reviews about it. A lot of people didn't like it because they said it was too similar to Harry Potter.   I can see the similarities with Harry Potter, but the story is unique in its own way. Yes, there are three main characters (two males and a female), an enemy similar to the Dark Lord, a school of magic, but the end will surprise you and you will find out the main character, Callum, isn't exactly the Chosen One.

Personally, I really enjoyed. I read in a couple of days and it was a quick easy going read. 

I know the second book just came out, I hope I'll be able to read it soon.  I also hope it will become a movie. A must read for fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson

RATING

Book Review: An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir

Title: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publication Date: April 28th 2015
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 446
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of An Ember in the Ashes

Plot: 

Laia is a slave. 

Elias is a soldier. 

Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. 

Reading Period: May 06, 2015 - May 12, 2015

Review

This one was a book of the month for a Reading group. 

After reading the first part of the book I didn't know what to make of it. If I was going to like or not. The setting was great. It reminded me of the Ancient Roman society and I liked the details.  In the second part of the book I was finally enjoying it more. But as I was going through the pages I kept wondering how it was going to end all, and when I arrived at the last page I found out... it wasn't. there's not a real ending. When I read this it was classed as a stand alone novel. fortunately it got picked up as a series.

The main characters are Laia and Elias and we alternate their POV.  Laia is a scholar who is in search of her brother ans she ends up as a slave in the Academy. Elias is a Mask, the academy commander's son. They are both trapped in a life they don't want. They will help each other to get free.

What I had trouble picturing are the masks. The students at the Academy have to wear these masks that in time will become one thing with the face. It's a strange concept.

There is strong violence too. Maybe the same level of Red Rising and Golden Son.  There is some romance, in right amount.

Overall is a good YA fantasy novel, although some parts seemed incomplete. I guess since the author didn't know if she was going to continue the series, she might have rushed some parts.

The second book is scheduled to come out in April 2016.

If you have liked Pierce Brown's series. You might like this one too. For now I'm keeping my initial rating. I'll wait for the second book to make a more concrete opinion.

RATING

Book Review: Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard

Title: Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publication Date: February 10th 2015
Publisher: Orion
Pages: 383
Link to GoodReads: Here
Part of a series: Yes

Plot: The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of

those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

Reading Period:  March 03, 2015 - March 10, 2015

Review: 

Joining the YA Dystopian Book Club in Goodreads gave me a lot of opportunities to read books that I might not have picked up at first. I'm glad I did.

Red Queen is a great début book by Victoria Aveyard.  At first when I read about the society being divided into Reds and Silver I thought "Oh no, it's going to be like Red Rising, why is it popular among writers today to divided society into colours?" So, I was a bit sceptical during the first chapters, But Victoria writing is so good and the story so compelling that I immediately got involved with the characters and plot. The author creates this new world to the minimal detail, you can really imagine in your head every scene.

This is a book about power and how to rise to the challenge. Mare is a heroin but she is also flawed. She doesn't know who to trust in this new word, and she often gets involved with the wrong people and makes mistakes along the way. 

If you loved Hunger Games and Divergent you will love this new dystopian fantasy.  There are a lot of plot twists, surprising revelations. palace life, power games, betrayals, magic.  

I don't know how much to say without spoiling the book. To really understand why people love it, you must read it. Personally I can't wait for the second book and even before that the short novella that Aveyard has promised us. 

“Rise, red as the dawn.” 

RATING