The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Title: The Star-Touched Queen

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Date Published: April 26th 2016

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Rating: 5 out of 5

*ARC provided by NetGalley*

Goodreads Blurb:

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?
Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…
But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself.

Reincarnation! I totally love this topic and although it has popped up in a few books such as Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, Girl of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, and Timekeeper by Alexandra Monir, none of these books skillfully or impactfully weave it in as this one.

I absolutely love the two main characters and the horse.
I absolutely love the magical world of Akaran.
I absolutely love how this parallels Greek mythology and some Indian mythology but at the same time is something completely fresh and new.
I absolutely love the magical and sometimes frightening descriptions of the battles, cities, and palaces.

The plot and the characters were the best part of this novel, only rivaled by the beautiful blend of different mythology. 

The Star-Touched Queen is deep and thoughtful, unlike many fantasy novels being released this year 

Maya is a princess who is written off as a harbinger of death and bad luck. But it's a little more complicated than that as she is the actually connected to the underworld and Death. Cue Amar who saves Maya from her father's awful plan to let her die, and takes her away to be the Queen of Akaran, the place of dreams and nightmares (The Night Court in The Court of Mist and Fury reminded me of this a bit, but this is probably a really bad comparison as these two amazing books are quite different).

So Amar, I think, represents Hades, the ruler of the underworld, Death himself and his Queen is Maya. Except Maya doesn't remember any of her past lives, so she doesn't trust Amar. Cue the villain, Nritti, who is one of the secrets trapped behind the doors mentioned in the blurb. She entraps Maya in a web of lies, making her lose faith in Amar. This turns out to be cataclysmic, and heralds the end of Akaran as well as of peace.

After realizing her folly by discovering her past, Maya fights to get back to Akaran and free both Amar and the rest of the world from the evil of Nritti, And obviously she succeeds but I kinda wish she didn't just so we could have a sequel ;) 

I recommend this book to fans of The Wrath and the Dawn as well as of the fantasy or mythology genres. This novel is one of my favorites this year, and honestly recommending it to literally everyone because this novel is the definition of "magical".

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow

Title: The Scorpion Rules 

Author: Erin Bow

Publication Date: September 22nd 2015

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

*ARC provided by NetGalley*

Goodreads Blurb: 

A world battered by climate shift and war turns to an ancient method of keeping peace: the exchange of hostages. The Children of Peace - sons and daughters of kings and presidents and generals - are raised together in small, isolated schools called Preceptures. There, they learn history and political theory, and are taught to gracefully accept what may well be their fate: to die if their countries declare war.  

Greta Gustafsen Stuart, Duchess of Halifax and Crown Princess of the Pan-Polar Confederation, is the pride of the North American Prefecture. Learned and disciplined, Greta is proud of her role in keeping the global peace, even though, with her country controlling two-thirds of the world’s most war-worthy resource — water — she has little chance of reaching adulthood alive.  

Enter Elián Palnik, the Prefecture’s newest hostage and biggest problem. Greta’s world begins to tilt the moment she sees Elián dragged into the school in chains. The Prefecture’s insidious surveillance, its small punishments and rewards, can make no dent in Elián, who is not interested in dignity and tradition, and doesn’t even accept the right of the UN to keep hostages.  

What will happen to Elián and Greta as their two nations inch closer to war? 

I requested this ARC because the blurb seemed intriguing. But after I read the first chapter, I started questioning if this was actually the book that the blurb was describing. The style of this book is highly esoteric and unlike anything I've encountered before.

Let us first examine the characters, who are oh so serious and proper, with the exception of Elián and Talis who provided much needed comical relief to the reader. Greta, the princess, was respected by everyone and acknowledged by her Precepture ("Amish" settlements where the royalty learn to live off the land) as the "leader". She is the MC but her relationships with the other characters are non-existent at best. She is almost like a robot herself, and although she is portrayed as such for a reason, it did not help me connect to the story what-so-ever. The other hostages Xie, Thanda, Grego, and Han are obviously important, being Greta's closest companions, but there was startlingly little emphasis placed on their thoughts or actions. Elián, however, was portrayed as refreshingly real, but by the end, him and all the other characters seemed so helpless in their society and it was a little frightening. Talis. The Ruler of the World. He was so pathetically childish that I found myself ridiculing the others for following his lead. There was not enough information given to substantiate everyone's profound fear of Talis; yes he did blow up a city (which, btw, was so random and made no sense) but he is so silly.

The world-building is so lacking; although we know there are more countries, they are never talked about. This book is apparently supposed to be a science fiction (dystopian) novel but it never had that vibe; in judging dystopians, the book I use to scale is 1984 by George Orwell. This book lacked the "reality" that was present in 1984; it simply DID NOT feel real and felt entirely made up, almost as if it was some type of fantasy in which powerful robot dudes had the power to blow up cities.

The best aspect of this book was not the characters, or the plot, or even the backstory/history (which was barely explained unless Greta felt like spouting random facts). The best aspect of this book was the science, in which there could have been more a lot more detail. But, the field of AI is quite interesting and arguably, AI is a misnomer for the robots in this book considering those robots are uploaded with a human "essence", for lack of a better word. I thought the idea of immortalizing a human in a non-organic body quite similar to that of The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson.

The plot was entirely one directional, and uncomplicated. There were no side stories, no surprising twists, and absolutely no depth. I found it extremely stodgy and lackluster- I wanted a story that engaged me and appealed to either my emotions or brain. This story did not have enough science (political or technological) or enough action/dialogue/life to satisfy my expectations. However, if straightforward, uncomplicated books work for you, you will definitely enjoy this novel.

The 2.5 rating I gave this book is based on it's ideas that had the potential to captivate. It is also based on the fact that it was highly unique and took a new (although uninteresting) approach on AI as well as dystopian fiction.

This book was not my type of book; it was dull and I found it hard to appreciate the futuristic world presented. But, like I stated before, the style was esoteric and I'm sure this book will appeal to those who look for and appreciate the subtler connotations to the story. One of those interesting nuances that I appreciated is the fact that the use of hostages is an ancient practice (which is stated in the blurb, not the book... but an interesting fact nevertheless). But even with those connotations, it is hard to naturally enjoy this book. However, if I read this with the intent to uncover those connotations and use my critical thinking skills to pick apart the plot, then maybe what I would find would be thought-provoking. But alas, that was not my approach and consequently I was quite frustrated with the lack intrigue and life in this book.

Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay

Title: Princess of Thorns 

Author: Stacey Jay 

Date Published: August 19th 2014 

Publisher: Random House Children's

Rating: 5 out of 5

*ARC provided by NetGalley*

Goodreads Blurb:

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.
Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?

I loved this book. It was a blend of the classical Sleeping Beauty fairy tale and the contemporary heroine-based novel. And, truthfully it rocked in both those aspects.

Both the main characters, Ror and Niklaas, were fantastic and extremely well developed. They both had a lot of depth and I loved the parallel fate- both were cursed and both had to fight for their future. Ror (Aurora) was a strong heroine and although she was somewhat of the stereotypical YA heroine, I absolutely loved her wit, fighting skills, and character. This book didn't have much depth- it was a lot of fluff. Enjoyable fluff, but still fluff. And other than the prologue/backstory and ogre scenes, it wasn't a very serious book.

Another aspect of the book I loved (and this honestly could have been explained better) was the ogres who took over. Although the setting was beautiful, there wasn't much history or explanation and that really bugged me, because I wanted to more about the kingdom/ogre takeover. SPOILER. The ogres were the "villains" and Ror's destiny was to defeat the ogre king/priest. The ogre Queen, however, was an intriguing character who I ended up really liking.

Aurora's history with the faeries was something that was barely explained and, truthfully, warrants a novella. SPOILER. I definitely did not expect them to ever show up in this book, but I was so glad when they came to the rescue at the very end of the book- I want to know more about these mysterious faerie warriors.

To conclude, this was a fantastic, fun, and unique read. I feel as if it was very different from Ms. Jay's Of Beast and Beauty, and in my opinion, much much better. This book is perfect for those who want a fast-paced, loosely-based fairy tale retelling with an amazing heroine and awesome plot. (Yes, this book deserves every single adjective I have used in this review.)

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

Title: Seeker (Seeker #1)

Author: Arwen Elys Dayton

Date Published: February 10th 2015

Publisher: Random House Childrens

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

*ARC provided by NetGalley*

Goodreads Blurb:

Quin Kincaid has been put through years of brutal training for what she thinks is the noble purpose of becoming a revered ‘Seeker’. 

Only when it’s too late does she discover she will be using her new-found knowledge and training to become an assassin. Quin's new role will take her around the globe, from a remote estate in Scotland to a bustling, futuristic Hong Kong where the past she thought she had escaped will finally catch up with her.

When I first read the blurb for this book, I was expecting Shadowhunters. But I was extremely off- there was absolutely nothing in this book that even hinted of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones. To sum it up in two words: futuristic ninjas. 

It stared off as a typical YA book, and I expected it to be unoriginal and boring but I was wrong once again. The characters had great backstories, which were shown through the wonderful flashbacks (my favorite part of the book). The flashbacks also served to add more depth to all the characters and were extremely interesting.  

Although the main point of the story was unclear (the biggest problem I had with the book), there were many side plots that introduced new twists and turns and kept the book exciting. Content-wise, the middle of the book was exponentially better than the beginning or end. The beginning, in my opinion, was too slow and lacked a plot. And the end threw way too much stuff at the reader, failing to competently wrap-up the book (it was NOT a cliffhanger, just an inconsequential ending) and the end did absolutely no justice to the quality of the author's writing.  

To address my biggest problem, I did not see the point of this book- I failed to see the big picture and literally have no idea what in the world a Seeker is supposed to do. And while the characters were wonderfully developed, the setting and the World could have been explained a LOT more. 

To sum it up:

Awesome:                                                                                                                    

• interesting, fully developed characters 
• flashbacks
• continuous action
• Quin was awesome
• amnesia
• the Young Dread (I absolutely despised the other two)

Shabby:

• ending
• lack of main conflict
• continuous action
• dialogue

This book isn't very captivating, and, at times, I found myself struggling to finish. 

But, overall the book is surprisingly original and I recommend it to anyone who wants a break from the stereotypical YA fiction. 

  

Storm Siren by Mary Weber

Title: Storm Siren (Storm Siren #1) 

Author: Mary Weber

Date Published: August 19th 2014 

Publisher: Thomas Nelson 

Rating: 4 out of 5 

*ARC provided by NetGalley*

Goodreads Blurb:

“I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don’t want me. Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you."

In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curse—and the girl—can be controlled.

SPOILERS.
So when I first read the blurb on Goodreads, I was expecting a heroine similar to Celaena Sardothien (from Throne of Glass). But I wrong, and not regrettably so. I was pleasantly surprised with this book after I got over my disappointment. The MC, Nym, is an Elemental who has the power to control, wrong word, summon lightning. She struggles to rein in her emotions and often her rage unleashes storms that always end in death and destruction. She accumulates guilt and that causes her to hate her ability and herself. Nym was definitely not self-assured and at times seemed weak and fearful. But her caustic humour, sarcasm definitely wins some points and her need for redemption is admirable. 

When she is bought by a madwoman at a slave auction after unleashing her "thunder", Nym is given the option of either being executed as punishment for the deaths she's caused. Or a chance to seek redemption by fighting for the kingdom Faelen. When she "chooses" to help, the madwoman aka King's war adviser aka Adora hands her over to her Elemental trainer, Eogan, and the training begins. 

Along with Colin, another Elemental with the power of Earth, Nym learns to control her ability and they both prepare to take on invading forces. After a test on the mountains, Nym explodes with righteous anger at being manipulated and being used as a weapon and causes an avalanche that nearly destroys a nearby village. After another bout of self doubt, Nym lets the curse control her and refuses to use her ability to kill anyone. 

But Eogan complicates everything with secrets of both his and Nym's pasts and then the King of Faelen is betrayed and the legendary, accursed Draewulf attacks. 

I like the history and the world building was adequate but what needed the most improvement was the explanations and background of the characters- I felt as if there was a slight case of info-dumping. 

Personally, the last couple of chapters were the most suspenseful and tense moments of the whole book. And that ending. That Ending. The Ending. Like I totally thought it would be a happy ending but who was I kidding? Definitely myself- that ending was so brilliantly unexpected and so artfully done. I mean, it wasn't a great ending in and of itself but how the author springs it on you the very last minute/paragraph was what made me decide I really liked this book. 

The Tyrant's Daughter by J.C. Carleson

Title: The Tyrant's Daughter 

Author: J. C. Carleson

Publication Date: February 11th 2014

Publisher: Random House Children

Rating: 5 out of 5

*ARC provided by NetGalley*

Goodreads Blurb:

From a former CIA officer comes the riveting account of a royal Middle Eastern family exiled to the American suburbs. 
When her father is killed in a coup, 15-year-old Laila flees from the war-torn middle east to a life of exile and anonymity in the U.S. Gradually she adjusts to a new school, new friends, and a new culture, but while Laila sees opportunity in her new life, her mother is focused on the past. She’s conspiring with CIA operatives and rebel factions to regain the throne their family lost. Laila can’t bear to stand still as an international crisis takes shape around her, but how can one girl stop a conflict that spans generations? 
J.C. Carleson delivers a fascinating account of a girl—and a country—on the brink, and a rare glimpse at the personal side of international politics.

The Tyrant's Daughter was a mash up of political tension and teenage worries- two that normally wouldn't go that well together. But the clash is what makes this book more real and unique. Also, the fact that Ms. Carleson has background knowledge and experience makes it impossible to doubt this book is based on a true story.  

My only peeve is that we didn't get to know all the characters better- they all had so many stories to tell and although I enjoyed listening to Laila's voice, I wanted to know her mother's story, and also the stories of all the others deeply affected by this war. But through Laila's voice we are able to see the stark contrast between the two worlds and how she struggles to find which one she belongs in. Throughout the book, Laila compares her values to the ones of others around her and struggles to make sense of whether or not she should move on. 

After moving to America, Laila discovers her sheltered upbringing and also her one sided view on the war- she realizes that everything she was told as a child was wrong and that her father was not a fair king but actually a ruthless tyrant. So when her mother gets re-involved with the crisis, Laila has the choice to ignore the painful reminders of her exile and move on, or attempt to get involved and find out how her family was responsible for  the war ravaging her country. She chooses to uncover the secrets- but her actions only further ensnare her in her mother's trap. At times, I really felt as if the mother and Laila were on opposite sides and the mother's motives, personally, were hard to understand. 

The other characters in this book were colorful additions and helped emphasize both Laila's hidden baggage and her complex personality. I enjoyed this book and especially enjoyed how the author was able to effectively present Laila's point of view.   

John Dreamer by Elise Celine

Title: John Dreamer

Author: Elise Celine 

Publication Date: February 12th 2014

Publisher: AuthorBuzz

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

*ARC provided by Netgalley*

Goodreads Blurb:

Andy wasn’t usually sure about much, but she was absolutely certain this was the weirdest day of her life as she stood stranded in the middle of a great white room with six strangers. Well, they were mostly strangers. She could have sworn she’d seen the guy with the green eyes before, and maybe that was why he kept staring at her. 
When a man calling himself the Guardian appeared and said they had come to make their deepest dreams come true, they embark on an adventure none of them ever imagined, and the consequences of their actions would change them forever.
"John Dreamer" is the first in a series of books set in the confines of the Great White Room. 

In John Dreamer, Andy is transported to the Great White Room and meets with six other, interesting people who share the same birthday. As they struggle to make sense of their situation, they are thrown into different scenarios that push them out of their comfort zone and force them to overcome their faults. 

The first who is allowed to leave this Place of Dreams is Marcus. When the seven subjects are captured by soldiers, Marcus uses his karate skill and frees himself from his captors. He "saves" the day, and in the process discovers that he is brave. After Marcus disappears, the others realize that the key to being free of this Room is to discover and overcome whatever prevents them from truly living their life.  

Similarly, Olivia learns self-acceptance, Linda learns to overcome her shyness, Roy learns gratitude, and the Matty finally feels appreciated and known. And they all move on to be great people who truly change the world.

The two others, John Dreamer and Andy fall in love at first sight but the constantly moving plot prevents anything real communication between them. But at the end, these two are the ones left in the Place of Dreams and find out that they met as children and finally confess their deepest secrets. Andy confesses that she has been unable to connect to anyone after her mother's death and John reveals just how heartbroken he was over his dad's desertion. 

This book can be a little overwhelming at times and starts off with a bang but has a great moral, interesting plot, and engaging characters. And Ms. Celine really draws the readers in by making the characters understandable and realistic. The supernatural theme is overshadowed by her ability to convey important, human truths such as our ability to change and accept. 

A bit like the Wizard of Oz, this book is about self-discovery, accepting change, and learning to be a better person. 

Don't Even Think About it by Sarah Mlynowski

Title: Don't Even Think about it

Author: Sarah Mlynowski

Publication Date: March 11th 2014

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

*ARC provided by NetGalley*

Goodreads Blurb:

We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.
Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.
So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening. 

Don't Even Think About it presents a completely new and different premises than most of the YA books being published. Its about a classroom of teenagers who all receive mutated vaccination shots and end up developing telepathic super powers. 

This book is an extremely light read, and was a bit pointless- throughout the story multiple secrets are uncovered, the characters with the telepathy all get annoyed at one another, and everyone with telepathy knows everything everyone is thinking. So there is absolutely no privacy and way to many pointless conflicts. 

But I applaud the creative factor in this story and how Ms. Mlynowski introduces the telepathic powers. I also like how she collectively writes through the voices of all the characters, who are all telling the story together. 

I also disliked the "teenagers" in this story and believe all the emotions weren't exactly genuine. The main conflict, teenagers vs. telepathic powers, was too stretched out and way too much insignificant information was given. But I suppose all that info was added to further the effect of confusion and disbelief so I don't really have a problem with it. What I did, however, have a problem with was connecting to the story- sure it was interesting, but I never really connected with it or felt as if I was "in" the story. 

Defy by Sara B. Larson

Title: Defy (Defy #1)

Author: Sara B. Larson

Publication Date: January 7th 2014

Publisher: Scholastic Press

*ARC provided by NetGalley*

Rating: 3 out of 5

Goodreads Blurb:

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.
The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

An amazing debut that leaves you waiting for more- Defy will capture your attention. But, I warn you, that might be all that it does. 

Alexa, disguised as Alex, is sworn to protect the seemingly sullen and uninterested prince and at the same time make sure no one discovers her secret. After her brother is killed, things quickly spiral out of control and soon Prince Damian, Alexa, and a fellow Gaurd member, Rylan, are kidnapped by the enemy and travel through the jungle. 

The main character Alexa, reminds me of Katsa from Graceling with her superior fighting skills and tough exterior.
In the jungle, several interesting revelations take place and Alexa has to decide exactly who to trust. This book was fast-paced and intriguing, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Graceling and Mulan.

I really enjoyed the plot, although it was sometimes lacking. I felt as if the romance took over at times, but overall this book was enjoyable. SPOILER. There is a love triangle.

This book was riddled with revelations, secrets and hidden agendas. I liked how all those fit together to make the book interesting. Even though I felt as if there was too much being thrown in, it was altogether satisfactory.

Although the book was definitely good, I do have some qualms. The world building was practically nonexistent- yes there were definitely some details that seemed interesting (ex: black sorcerers, jungles, the war) but overall there could have been more. Also, this book wasn't particularly creative- it had too many elements from the standard fantasy YA books that were altered a bit to fit the author’s taste. So even though this book didn’t make me go “OMG this is one of my favorite books!” or even “This book is spectacular!”, I still recommend it to anyone looking for a light, enjoyable read.