And I Darken by Kiersten White

Title: And I Darken (Conqueror's Saga #1)

Author: Kiersten White 

Publication Date: July 7th 2016

Publisher: Delacorte Press 

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

(this isn't the same cover as the book I read, but this one captures the book better)



Goodreads Blurb:

No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.
Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.
But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

After reading Ms. White's other books, I was shocked at the writing style, characters, and literally everything in this book; I can't believe the person who wrote the Paranormalcy series wrote this book! I think it's impressive that an author can try out and succeed with different styles and different genres, and even though I wasn't a fan of this book, many thoroughly loved it.

My feelings about the book itself are definitely conflicted. On one hand, the plot and characters were really complex, but on the other, they were a bit too complex that it was difficult to understand what was going on.

What I Liked:
* loosely based on history
* Lada was fierce, driven, and downright scary
* Radu was sweet and serious throughout the novel
* Mehmed was mysterious
* the narration was intense and the plot was driven
* there were a lot of historical allusions to the Ottoman Empire that I understood
* the writing style was good

What I Didn't Like:
* the plot was too much (for me), and the descriptions were a bit tedious
* Lada was a little too negative and bitter sometimes
* literally only three characters who were fully developed
* the book skipped the shift in Mehmed, from little kid to king
* role of women/ the stereotype was appropriate to that time period I suppose but it was still silly that Ladu was trying to be "manly" and stifle her feminism

Overall, it was not a fun, light read. It was engrossing and tough. The world they live in is brutal and at times a bit too fantastical. It is harsh and there weren't many positive, happy feelings in this book; I found it to be very dark and as a generally happy person, I found it discomfiting and wanted something a little more light. However, it was written in a time period that was harsh and gritty, so this book was successful in capturing that mood.

I recommend it to fans of historical fiction as well as those who enjoy reading dark, intense stories about thriving when the odds are stacked against you, about losing what makes you human, and about the darkness in all of us. Also, if anyone is interested in Vlad the Impaler, Lada is supposed to be the female version of him.

WoW: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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Title: Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

RELEASE DATE: September 29th 2015

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Goodreads Blurb: 

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

Six stories packed in one, each more interesting than the other- how can I not want to read this? Heist, spy, magic, criminal prodigy-- all these words are like little fireworks in my head, promising absolute brilliance. Ever since Heist Society (when is the next book coming out?!) the word "heist" triggers the excitement and a rush of adrenaline one may feel after successfully pulling off a con. Not that I would know first-hand how that feels like...

I will love this book, and of this I am certain. My prediction is not solely based on the fact that the blurb is absolutely fascinating but also on how much I adored Shadow and Bone, Ms. Bardugo's other great novel.

I'm constantly looking for the next awesome book, so feel free to comment below on any books you are waiting for!

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Title: Soulless (Parasol Protectorate #1) 

Author: Gail Carriger

Date Published: 

Publisher: 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Goodreads Blurb: 

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. 

First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire--and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

This is a review for Soulless, specifically, but references (not spoilers) to the rest of the series will be made.  

This steam-punk/paranormal thriller is really good! The MC, Alexia Tarabotti is a spinster who is deeply entrenched in the supernatural world of an alternate nineteenth century England. She is a preternatural, who posses the power to neutralize other supernaturals as a consequence of having no soul. In other words, she can take away the powers of werewolves and vampires and render them humans. The logistics of such a being are explained throughout this series and involve a great deal of discussion regarding aether.  

When I say werewolves and vampires, don't think of the paranormal riff-raff clogging the YA world today. Instead think of regency England, the fashionably dressed nobility, and those aforementioned supernaturals enmeshed into the very threads of society. A few memorable supernaturals from this book include the vampire Lord Akeldama, and the werewolves Lord Maccon and Professor Lyall. They are all such 3D characters, dynamic and full of life. I absolutely loved Lord Akeldama's affected persona and idiosyncratic fashion choices; similar to Magnus Bane from the the Infernal Devices, Lord Akeldama was the epoch of fashion and stylishness. I also liked Lord Maccon's domineering yet sweet personality, and Professor Lyall's practicality. 

Alexia Tarabotti was an interesting, appropriately witty character yet utterly contradictory. She was depicted very well, but sometimes, I doubted her priorities. Ivy Hisselpenny, however, I knew without a doubt was hopelessly entrenched in absolute vapidity. Although I found Ivy quite amusing, I didn't understand how Ivy could possibly be Alexia's friend. I mean, her HATS say it all. 

I enjoyed the allusions to the Great Enlightenment, Dark Ages, and I believe the Harlem witch trials. I also adored how Ms. Carriger depicted this alternate world in which science rules society. Although it was not the only thing ruling society (etiquette is quite important), science plays a big part in this book and some of the technology mentioned are pretty cool, like the spiky disruptor. The depiction of the English society itself was quite interesting! It paints a thorough picutre of all the major groups in society, as well as the Queen of England herself. And the BUR (supernatural agency) was an aspect that really interested me, but it could have also been described with a bit more detail. 

This book would have been five stars but I did not like the romance aspect of this book, for it was incongruous ad discordant in an otherwise fun and comical read.

I recommend this to fans of steam-punk, which is a a slightly more fantastical sub-genre in science fiction. I also recommend this to those who adore historical fiction, especially Regency England. Ridiculously comical at times and downright interesting at others, this book is a good choice to those who are looking for a light read. 

The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson

Title: The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest (Medieval Fairy Tale Romance #1)

Author: Melanie Dickerson 

Date Published: May 12th 2015

Publisher: Thomas Nelson 

Goodreads Blurb: 

"Swan Lake" meets Robin Hood when the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant by day becomes the region's most notorious poacher by night, and falls in love with the forester.

Jorgen is the forester for the wealthy margrave, and must find and capture the poacher who has been killing and stealing the margrave's game. When he meets the lovely and refined Odette at the festival and shares a connection during a dance, he has no idea she is the one who has been poaching the margrave's game.

Odette justifies her crime of poaching because she thinks the game is going to feed the poor, who are all but starving, both in the city and just outside its walls. But will the discovery of a local poaching ring reveal a terrible secret? Has the meat she thought she was providing for the poor actually been sold on the black market, profiting no one except the ring of black market sellers?

The one person Odette knows can help her could also find out her own secret and turn her over to the margrave, but she has no choice. Jorgen and Odette will band together to stop the dangerous poaching ring . . . and fall in love. But what will the margrave do when he discovers his forester is protecting a notorious poacher?

A retelling of Swan Lake, The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest was as delightful as Melanie Dickerson's others books. 

Odette, a young lady, dedicates her life to feeding the poor. Throughout the day, Odette teaches the poor orphans of her village to read and write, and during the night, she takes up her bow and arrow to poach. The only problem is that poaching is illegal and punishable by death. Cue Jorgen, the margrave's forester, whose job is to take care of the forest and arrest any poachers. 

The main dilemma of this story is that Odette is in love with Jorgen but can't tell him that she is the poacher he's looking for. Comical at times, and downright sad at others, the plot had an amalgamation of engaging elements, including Mathias's jealousy, Odette's uncle's debt, and the supposedly ominous character of Lord Thornbeck. 

My experience with Barbie and the Swam Lake served as my background knowledge for this fairy tale. A few similarities I noticed were the name Odette, the swan costume, the little kids, and the deception (the one where the evil girl disguises herself as the heroine in order to trick the hero). 

Both Jorgen and Odette were orphaned during the great pestilence and faced a great deal of hardship, which helped them better understand each other. It was a bit like love at first sight, similar to how it was in Barbie and the Swan Lake. Both of them were kind-hearted and altruistic; they were a perfect match. I loved Odette; she was the classic Disney heroine in that she held herself with both aplomb and humility. And she didn't let others persuade her to change her ways. 

Very few serious issues were mentioned here, one of them being the morality of hunting and another being civil disobedience. The arguments Odette made weren't particularly unique but it was nice to see the author broach something serious in the midst of all the fairy tale-like ebullience and light-hearted drama. 

 The role of a girl who disguises herself as a boy to fight/poach is becoming more common in YA fiction. For example Defy by Sara Larson, The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace, Scarlet by AC Gaughen, and Dauntless by Dina Sleiman. But the concept was swimmingly integrated into all of these books, so I have no complaints. 

Ms. Dickerson has such wonderfully, aesthetically pleasing covers for all her books, and this one is no exception- the braid is beautiful and border on the bottom seems so whimsically classic. She is definitely my favorite medieval times author, and she captures the settings very accurately and contextually. 

The margrave, Lord Thornbeck was impenetrable and it was literally impossible to discern his motives and character until the very last few chapters. I won't give away which side he was one, but he was one of the more interesting characters who each need to have their own book. 

This book was a fun, sweet read and I recommend it to anyone who just wants to relax.

A School for Unusual Girls By Kathleen Baldwin

Title: A School for Unusual Girls (Stranje House, #1)

Author: Kathleen Baldwin

Date Published: May 19th 2015

Publisher: Tor Teen

Rating: 5 out of 5 

Goodreads Blurb: 

 It’s 1814. Napoleon is exiled on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, has become one of Regency England’s dark little secrets. The daughters of the beau monde who don't fit high society’s constrictive mold are banished to Stranje House to be reformed into marriageable young ladies. Or so their parents think. In truth, Headmistress Emma Stranje, the original unusual girl, has plans for the young ladies—plans that entangle the girls in the dangerous world of spies, diplomacy, and war. After accidentally setting her father’s stables on fire while performing a scientific experiment, Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam is sent to Stranje House. But Georgie has no intention of being turned into a simpering, pudding-headed, marriageable miss. She plans to escape as soon as possible—until she meets Lord Sebastian Wyatt. Thrust together in a desperate mission to invent a new invisible ink for the English war effort, Georgie and Sebastian must find a way to work together without losing their heads—or their hearts...

This book was surprisingly awesome. I totally expected a stereotypical plot (no offense but Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriager was what I was anticipating from reading the blurb) and dull characters but I was so wrong. The genre is historical fiction (one of my favorites) and had three important elements- balls, science, and spies. Ahem, sorry. Diplomats. 

So when Gerogie (yup we're on a first name basis) was sent to the finishing school by her abominable parents, I was hooked. I totally felt her emotions as my own and her character was extremely endearing, not only because she was incredibly smart, but also because she had a crazy passion for science. That was pretty awesome, since most MCs rarely come off as being blue stockings. She was prodigious but wasn't a super ninja like Tess, or a wonderful diplomat like Maya. She just seemed like an ordinary girl, and that, more than anything else, emphasized the fact that she was absolutely brilliant.

Another well done factor in the book was the finishing school. The peculiar characters, like the headmistress, Madame Cho, Ravencliffe, and the girls were extremely dynamic and all of them clearly had depth. Although the specifics and history of a few characters, like Jane and Maya, weren't thoroughly enough described to satisfy my curiosity, the resulting, enigmatic persona only added to their charm. The General and his nephew, Sebastian (OMG, I think Cassandra Clare has well and truly ruined that name for me. Sigh. I totally forgive her though, her novels were wondrous) were ruggedly noble characters. 

The secret spy vibe going on was too cool, and all the parts of the book (the espionage, the war against Napoleon, Stranje house, Georgie's life, Sebastian's still murky past) were all combined seamlessly and left me wanting to know a looooot more about each and  every character. Especially Headmistress Stranje (what is up with her and the Captain), who I adored. 

This book was uniquely its own and I believe it is easily on my top 25 list for 2015. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of any of Gail Carriager's novels (either the Finishing School series or the Parasol Protectorate series, which btw is FAB) or a fan of steampunk, Regency London, bluestockings, and teenagers with superpowers (I know that this doesn't seem to fit in with anything I previously described but trust me, this was the most germane description I could think of).

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.