Recreated by Colleen Houck

Title: Recreated (Reawakened #2)

Author: Colleen Houck 

Date Published: August 22nd 2016 

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Ratings: 2 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Blurb: 

From Colleen Houck, New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger’s Curse, comes Recreated, the second book in the epic Egyptian-inspired Reawakened series, in which a seventeen-year-old must literally go to hell to save the love of her life.
Lily Young thought traveling across the globe with a reawakened sun prince was a grand adventure. Now she’s about to embark on the journey of a lifetime.
When Amon and Lily part tragically, he transports himself to the Netherworld—what mortals call hell. Tormented by the loss of his one true love, he’d rather suffer in agony during Lily’s mortal years than fulfill his duty to protect humanity.
Heartbroken, Lily seeks refuge on her grandmother’s farm. Yet she can feel Amon’s pain, and she has been having dreams—dreams of Amon continually suffering. For before he departed, Amon gave Lily something very special, an item that connects them even though they are worlds apart. Now Lily must use this object to free him, and to free their realms from darkness and utter chaos. She will do whatever it takes.

Isn't that cover absolutely brilliant?

Sadly the book itself does not hold a candle to the cover. I am terrible disappointed with how this book fails to deliver. The characters were awkward, the plot annoying, and the writing absolutely lifeless. I loved Ms. Houck's Tiger's Curse series, it was fabulous. But all I was thinking while reading this book is what went wrong? 

I think its because the plots are almost completely recycled. Yes, this book is based on Egyptian mythology (and any reference to that made in this book I loved, hence the 2 stars), but it was similar to the books in her previous series in that they follow a formulaic pattern! First the character is presented with a challenge, she goes through some kind of transformation that makes her a bit different from who she was in the last book (either mentally or physically), has to solve/figure out around 2-4 small challenges, then she fights the big "battle", and at the end of the book, just when everything seems resolved she's dragged into another problem. 

Yes, I've heard of the Hero's Journey, and that's pretty much what I described above, but most authors tend to employ it a bit more creatively! There should be more to the story than following this mold, and I think that is exactly the reason I disliked this book so immensely. However, there were bites of Egyptian mythology which I happily gobbled down, and even some of the characters seemed like they could be interesting. One (two?) such character being Lily+Lioness= Sphinx. 

The Sphinx is the only interesting concept in this book. Literally. To explain a bit, in order to save Amon from the Netherworld (in which he inadvertently finds himself in while quitting his "job"), Lily has to turn get turned into a Sphinx, which happens when a spell is cast and Lily kills a lioness. But Lily fails to kill the lioness. Instead, the lioness sacrifices itself, and this complicates everything because now the Lily the Sphinx is now Lily and Lioness the Sphinx. The issue with this is both have to share the same body, and the fight for control plays out well. Another aspect of the book I can say I enjoyed is "meeting" all the characters. We are introduced to some Egyptian gods, better introduced to Amon's brothers, and also a crazy Pixie (which I honestly don't understand, because how in the world does it fit in with Egyptian mythology?) that takes up residence in Lily's head. Along with Lily and the lioness (this being the problem that the book ends with). 

The fight for control between Lioness (aka Tia) and Lily took center stage as the most interesting part of this book. Hearing them converse/argue was fun, and the only time I laughed during this book was because of Tia. I recommend this to those who enjoy Egyptian mythology and haven't read Tiger's Curse, because there is a good chance you will not get tired of the homogeneous plots. 

Mini- Reviews #1: May 2016

This will be a new feature on my blog and in these posts I will write short reviews for about 3-5 books I've read throughout every month that I didn't have too much to say about, but felt the need to review for whatever reasons. 

Title: Scarlett Espstein Hates It Here 

Author: Anna Breslaw

Date Published: April 19th 2016

Publisher: Razorbill

Ratings: 3 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Blurb:

Meet Scarlett Epstein, BNF (Big Name Fan) in her online community of fanfiction writers, world-class nobody at Melville High. Her best (read: only) IRL friends are Avery, a painfully shy and annoyingly attractive bookworm, and Ruth, her pot-smoking, possibly insane seventy-three-year-old neighbor.  

When Scarlett’s beloved TV show is canceled and her longtime crush, Gideon, is sucked out of her orbit and into the dark and distant world of Populars, Scarlett turns to the fanfic message boards for comfort. This time, though, her subjects aren’t the swoon-worthy stars of her fave series—they’re the real-life kids from her high school. Scarlett never considers what might happen if they were to find out what she truly thinks about them...until a dramatic series of events exposes a very different reality than Scarlett's stories, forever transforming her approach to relationships—both online and off.

I found this novel a bit awkward at times, especially the interactions between the characters, however Scar's voice (both IRL and online) was genuine and hilarious. I literally cried when the Ruth died and it was such a big moment in the novel; I just wish that there were more Ruth + Scarlett scenes because they were so funny and honest. But I feel like the author definitely used Ruth's death as a way to advance the plot and I really didn't like how it was "thrown-in" for that purpose.

There was a lot going on, but the author did a really really good job telling it from Scarlett's point of view, and the vibes I got from this book were overall positive and warm.

I don't often read realistic fiction, but this was a light read. Fans of realistic fiction will probably love this, as the character is so relatable.

Title: Sword and Verse

Author: Kathy MacMillan

Date Published: January 19th 2016

Publisher: HarperTeen

Ratings: 2 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Blurb: 

Raisa was only a child when she was kidnapped and enslaved in Qilara. Forced to serve in the palace of the King, she’s endured hunger, abuse, and the harrowing fear of discovery. Everyone knows that Raisa is Arnath, but not that she is a Learned One, a part of an Arnath group educated in higher order symbols. In Qilara, this language is so fiercely protected that only the King, the Prince, and Tutors are allowed to know it. So when the current Tutor-in-training is executed for sharing the guarded language with slaves and Raisa is chosen to replace her, Raisa knows that, although she may have a privileged position among slaves, any slipup could mean death.
That would be challenging enough, but training alongside Prince Mati could be her real undoing. And when a romance blossoms between them, she’s suddenly filled with a dangerous hope for something she never before thought possible: more. Then she’s approached by the Resistance—an underground army of slaves—to help liberate the Arnath people. Joining the Resistance could mean freeing her people…but she’d also be aiding in the war against her beloved, an honorable man she knows wants to help the slaves.
Working against the one she loves—and a palace full of deadly political renegades—has some heady consequences. As Raisa struggles with what’s right, she unwittingly uncovers a secret that the Qilarites have long since buried…one that, unlocked, could bring the current world order to its knees

I've been wanting to read this book forever, as I am a fan of high fantasy, but honestly this was so disappointing. Nothing original except the dual story line (which honestly wasn't very interesting). I did enjoy the mythological aspect of it and how it played out alongside the "real" plot, but it seemed unconnected to the actual plot and was really boring. 

The main character was an utter bore and I had no respect for her or the prince, who were both spineless and boring.

This novel really doesn't have anything original going for it and the justification for those two stars is the very literal interpretation of language having power, as only the upper class in this society were allowed to read and write.

Sword and Verse is based on an interesting concept but the the execution of it was entirely uninteresting. I would not recommend this book to anyone.... Unless you were writing an essay about how language consolidates power.

Title: Ruined (Ruined #1)

Author: Amy Tintera

Date Published: May 3rd 2016

Publisher: HarperTeen

Ratings: 2 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Blurb: 

A revenge that will consume her. A love that will ruin her.
Emelina Flores has nothing. Her home in Ruina has been ravaged by war. She lacks the powers of her fellow Ruined. Worst of all, she witnessed her parents’ brutal murders and watched helplessly as her sister, Olivia, was kidnapped.
But because Em has nothing, she has nothing to lose. Driven by a blind desire for revenge, Em sets off on a dangerous journey to the enemy kingdom of Lera. Somewhere within Lera’s borders, Em hopes to find Olivia. But in order to find her, Em must infiltrate the royal family.
In a brilliant, elaborate plan of deception and murder, Em marries Prince Casimir, next in line to take Lera’s throne. If anyone in Lera discovers Em is not Casimir’s true betrothed, Em will be executed on the spot. But it’s the only way to salvage Em’s kingdom and what is left of her family.
Em is determined to succeed, but the closer she gets to the prince, the more she questions her mission. Em’s rage-filled heart begins to soften. But with her life—and her family—on the line, love could be Em’s deadliest mistake.

Sigh. This book is so similar to others in this genre. Overdone themes/ideas present in this book include, but are not limited to:
* magic wielders are persecuted/feared
* the assassin falls in love with the person they are trying to kill
* the parents are evil, and the children "pay" for their "sins"
* the MC is a fabulous fighter, super smart, and tries to hide her true emotions/ can't trust anybody
* the MC has one sidekick/ helper that remains loyal to them, yet they are treated by the MC as expendable and unimportant

Credit where credit is due, the narration was mostly exciting and the writing was not bad. The character were extremely under-developed however, and this more than anything was the real reason for only 2 stars.


I recommend this to those who enjoy any of the aforementioned themes.

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".