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. 

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Title: Truthwitch (The Witchlands #1)

Author: Susan Dennard 

Publication Date: January 5th 2016

Publisher: Tor Teen 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Blurb: 

In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.
Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.
Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.
In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

I ended last year with a WoW for this book and sadly after reading over it and comparing my expectations to what it actually turned out to be, I am a bit disappointed. Yes, it was a great book because of the characters, the setting, and the story, but it lacked the depth and presence that characterizes my favorite fantasy novels like ToG and Angelfall. 

Pros:

• Loved the idea of elemental magic, very Avatar-like 
• World building/setting description was good
• Characters were interesting and had lots of potential (there were so many roles and personalities that were full of foibles)
• I gave this book 5 stars because it was fast paced and there was SO. MUCH. STUFF. The details, side-stories, descriptions, character interactions, magic, fights, travelling, and more fighting were all so interesting. I don’t think any one of these aspects of the book were developed as much as they could have been, but they were all undeniably interesting and added to the charm of this book.
• The writing was good and honestly I loved this book even before it came out. Thanks Twitter.
• The map in the front of the book really piqued my interest and I will continue this series in hopes of discovering the other regions. 

Cons:

• with all the build-up and hype, I expected the book to be my fave book ever, but it fell short of an ideal book
• weak character interaction- there wasn’t much tension/humor in the dialogue between the characters- it seemed to fall short of my expectations
• elemental magic could have been explained waaay better- I get that it’s a similar idea to Avatar, but it would have been helpful for the author to include how exactly the elemental witches contributed/played a role in society.
• the history was almost non-existent, I want to know more about Nubrevna, about where Safiya is from, why Safiya has such a high rank but lived like a peasant and how she was unable to help Iseult. The mood and intensity of the book was a little shallow/superficial and it felt like the author was just crafting a pretty story. It wasn’t very meaningful (to me personally).
• To compare to Throne of Glass, this book didn’t hold a candle to the action, suspense or gravity found in ToG. It had exciting moments, but neither of the heroines pulled off the “badass” vibe like Celaena did.
• Safiya and Iseult had a strong bond but it wasn’t the best bond I’ve seen in literature… I compare every “best-friend” bond to that between March sisters and I found this one to be lacking.

Main Characters: 
Safiya: Truthwitch (can discern lies from the truth), impulsive, outgoing, loud, and more lively and I guess this book is more "hers" than Iseult's
Iseult: Threadwitch (can see life threads), for the most part acts calm and secretive. She is an outcast and her backstory is heart-wrenching
Merik: Windwitch, the prince of Nubrevna and his role is to help the his country as Admiral of the Nubrevnan navy
Aeduan: Bloodwitch, tries to kill both Safiya and Iseult... but fails every single time. Complicated character, scary at times, and downright confused at others. 

Favorite scene:
I absolutely loved the dancing scene between Safiya and the captain; it was a sort of turning point and heralded a major conflict in this novel. Also, the writing was very descriptive and almost poetic. 

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 Warrior Witch by Danielle L. Jensen

Title: The Warrior Witch (The Malediction Trilogy, #3)

Author: Danielle L. Jensen

Date Published: May 3rd 2016 

Publisher: Angry Robot

Rating: 5 out of 5 

*ARC provided by NetGalley* 

Goodreads Blurb:

Cécile and Tristan have accomplished the impossible, but their greatest challenge remains: defeating the evil they have unleashed upon the world.
As they scramble for a way to protect the people of the Isle and liberate the trolls from their tyrant king, Cécile and Tristan must battle those who’d see them dead. To win, they will risk everything. And everyone.
But it might not be enough. Both Cécile and Tristan have debts, and they will be forced to pay them at a cost far greater than they had ever imagined.

If there is one thing you should read this book for, it would be the ending.

That ending was a bit idiosyncratic, especially as it did not entirely "match" with the rest of the book. But it was beautiful and quite possibly one of the most heart-breakingly wonderful endings I have ever read. I am now going to create a tag just for that.

Cecile has lost so much over the course of this series. She lost here freedom when she was first kidnapped to Trollus. And then she lost her mom twice, once to the city and then again to the witch Anushka. She loses her innocence as she sees the evil in the world of Trollus as well as in Trianon. And then, this probably doesn't count, but she loses her heart to Triston.

This novel picks up exactly where The Hidden Huntress ends and, even more than the last, incorporates supernatural forces and alternate worlds.

One big problem (and non-problem) was that Tristan and Cecile seemed to be working for two different end goals and did not feel as united as they were in the first two books. This created more conflict/tension, and although it was annoying, it added a lot of suspense. It opened up a lot of possibilities: Tristan and Cecile were going to become enemies, maybe they were going to reconcile at the end, maybe Cecile realizes that trolls are evil and monstrous.

The freeing of the trolls was the catalyst for everything that happened in this book (which was catalyzed by the death of Anushka). The dilemma of freeing them/ not freeing them ended after Anushka's death. But a new dilemma arose- how would Tristan keep them under control? And who is the new king? SPOILER Tristan's mom and dad die, and although I personally was happy to see the crazy Troll King go, his death allowed another power-hungry to wreak havoc. This begs the question: are trolls evil? And if not for Tristan, Marc & the Twins my answer would have been a resounding yes.

There were a few epic/memorable moments (the singing during the battle, the death/ "rebirth" of one of my fave characters, and the awesome ending, but there were also silly/bad moments, such as when Cecile feels useless and decides to wander off right into the hands of the witch, when Tristan chooses to forget/dissolve the bond (that was truly annoying), and when the fairy King dude forces Tristan to leave to the other realm, which was frustrating.

If you liked the first two book, I think this one will come as a shock because 1) it is much different, and 2) it does not go the way you expect it to. But if you read it without expectations, I think you'll be able to thoroughly enjoy, just as I was able to.

I recommend this to fantasy lovers as well as those who are interested by magical (evil) creatures and life after death ;)

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

Title: The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1)

Author: Renée Ahdieh

Publication Date:  May 12th 2015

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Blurb: 

One Life to One Dawn.
In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.
Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?
Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.

Cast of Characters: (I'm including this part mostly as reference for myself because I'm horrible at remembering character names)

Shazi- MC
Khalid- King, MC
Tariq- Shazi's old friend
Jalal- Khalid's "friend"
Despina- Shazi's new friend/handmaiden/"spy"
Yasmine- small role, interesting princess
Jahandar- Shazi's (crazy) dad


Overall Thoughts: 

One word: serendipitous. This book was such a lovely surprise .
When I first read the description, I wasn't entirely sure this would be my kind of book. But I am so very glad I was bored enough to pick up this book because if I wasn't I wouldn't have discovered one of my favorite books this year (maybe of all time?!).

This is a story of a girl named Shahrzad who sets out to avenge her friend's death, but instead discovers unexpected friends, secrets, and her soul mate. She saves her own life with her wit and storytelling and along the way learns: that things aren't black and white, those she trust the most don't always understand, to forgive.

The Wrath and the Dawn had beautiful writing and magnificent scenes of feasts, the palace, and the desert. The world-building was phenomenal and I loved how this is based off of A Thousand and One Nights. The characters were so real and alive. It has been a while since I related/understood a character as fully and completely as I understood Shahrzad. Her motives, her thoughts, and her actions were so clear. The same cannot be said of Khalid's, however. I didn't know from which angle Ms. Ahdieh was portraying him at first (was he the villain? the good guy?), but in contrast, I loved his enigmatic backstory. The revelation of the curse was entirely unexpected and was a great explanation for Khalid's actions but I wish there was more clarity to the conditions of the curse. The plot was entirely captivating and I enjoyed every exciting moment of this novel.


The Breakdown:

The characters, both main and side, were fully formed and independent beings. Each had a character arc and all of them had such interesting personalities. My favorite "side" character (in my opinion, a side character is everyone except the heroes/heroines) was probably Despina with her sharp wit and
"best-friend" personality. She was intelligent and kind, and wasn't there only to support Shahrzad. Despina and Shahrzad were in the process of building a really strong friendship, and I hope to see it continue in the next book.

The plot twist. Guys I didn't see the end coming. What even. It was fittingly exciting and suited the tone of the entire book. But what a cliffhanger. It was frustrating because one conflict (the curse) was fulfilled and done with, while the consequences of Khalid's actions (which were in reaction to the curse) took over as the main conflict.

This book was brilliant from start to finish; I can't really say which my favorite part was (beginning, middle, end) because it was consistently great. However, there was one thing I found lacking: Shazi's backstory.  I want to hear more about her adventures with her childhood friends and little sister.

I love the mythology & folklore of other cultures. This book perfectly integrates the Arabian setting with the magical atmosphere, complete with curses, a flying carpet, and elemental (fire) powers, that I loved in Aladdin. The crowded city, the palace, and the desert were described in detail and I found myself right next to Shahrzad, watching her overcome challenge after challenge. I think something really makes TW&TD really stand out is it's diversity. There haven't been many YA novels with PoC as the main characters and I just love how this is a pretty accurate and positive portrayal of a different culture.


Favorite Quotes:

“So you would have me throw Shazi to the wolves?”
“Shazi?” Jalal’s grin widened. “Honestly, I pity the wolves.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“You are not weak. You are not indecisive. You are strong. Fierce. Capable beyond measure.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“For without a measure of arrogance, how can one attempt the impossible?”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

Reawakened by Colleen Houck

Title: Reawakened (Reawakened #1)

Author: Colleen Houck

Date Published: August 11th 2015

Publisher: Delacorte Press 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Blurb: 

When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.
And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.
But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.
From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes an epic adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself.

*SPOILERS*

As a fan of Colleen Houck's Tigers Curse series, I was ecstatic when I first stumbled upon this book on Goodreads about a year ago. It seemed too good to be true- Egyptian mythology! Mummified princes! Ancient Curses! But sadly I was a bit disappointed- Reawakened did have everything that was promised, but while reading this book I was bored and didn't feel the same sort of excitement that was ever-present with the Tigers Curse series. 

So why the 4 stars? With this one I'll admit that the rating reflects my love for the Tiger's Curse series (and this cover!) more than it does for the content of this book.

Now, don't think this book is bad- it's not. It was filled with mummies, Egyptian princes, funny moments, and a few interesting characters. It had all the elements of a 4 star book in the fantasy genre. But what I found lacking was the life. Reawakened was boring. I felt no excitement whatsoever and characters & events were formulaic, lifeless, and middle-grade. I'm thinking that this book is directed at a younger, middle grade age group rather than my usual YA- this might be the reason I find it lacking. *shrugs* I'm not sure why I didn't have a blast with this book when I absolutely loved Tigers Curse and I know, I know. I should stop comparing it to Tigers Curse. 

|OK, lets start the review portion of this post.|

The main character, Lily Young, is the only child of two wealthy parents and, as you can imagine, quite lonely. She is a bit unsure of herself and has a "bubble-wrapped" view of the world. She doesn't really have a defining character trait (not funny, smart, or bold) except for her "hidden" sarcasm, which seems to be the main trait that is required in all YA/middle-grade heroines. 

The male MC is Amon. He's an Egyptian prince who was awakens every couple thousand years or so to perform a ritual that is meant to protect his people from Evil (aka Seth). This time, he wakes up in the Metropolitan Museum. Amon starts off weirdly backwards and slowly gets more modern as the book goes on. He was an interesting character with a background I really wanted to know about but sadly his thoughts/personality didn't shine through and he wasn't quite a dynamic character. 

The plot itself was interesting- Amon had to travel back to Egypt, locate his two brothers, and perform the ritual but of course things don't go as planned. Amon can't find his canopic jars (preserved organs) so he was to use Lily's organs. Then while trying to locate his organs/brothers, the evil Seth makes life difficult and sends henchmen to impede their progress and/or kill them. However, the narration was often dry. The climax of this book (the fight between Seth and the brothers) was anti-climatic because there was already so much fighting going on that it was a bit too much. The Indiana Jones-type scenes that were present in Ms. Houck's Tigers Curse series were in this book; they were pretty good and had me engaged.

My biggest problem: lack of character development. There were only a handful of characters in this book. I personally enjoy a large cast (such as in the Throne of Glass series) but a small one can be nice as well since it helps the author focus on developing each individual. However, in the case of this book, the characters were mostly flat. Interesting but not quite alive. Hopefully Ms. Houck will develop the three brothers in the next book.

My favorite part: the backstory. There are periodic flashbacks through this book and provide context for most of the events. The flashbacks definitely provided more depth to the mysterious brothers, whose individual personalities I found to be lacking. The flashbacks also felt like the most solid and well executed part of this book, and without them, I think there wouldn't be such a clearly defined plot/purpose.

Overall, this book was good. Maybe not exactly 4 stars but it had so much potential. I recommend it those looking for a beach/light read and those who enjoy Egyptian mythology.

WoW: The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May

A weekly post hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

Title: The Vanishing Throne (The Falconers #2)

Author: Elizabeth May 

*RELEASE DATE: November 19th 2015

Publisher: Gollanzc 

Goodreads Blurb: 

1845.
The battle is over. Edinburgh stands in ruins. Only Alieana Kameron, former heiress and debutante, now murderess and fae-slayer, remains amid the destruction.
Humanity has moved on - but the war has only just begun.

So this book released in the UK in November but its going to release in the US in June (2016). I don't see why/how that's reasonable. Sigh. I still haven't read this book and that is a veritable problem. I must acquire a UK copy (maybe from Amazon?) and read this book ASAP. 

The Falconer ended with the biggest cliffhanger possible and I am very not happy with how long it took for the book to release (to partially release? to selectively release? why can't books release on the same date throughout the entire world?). Here is my review of The Falconer. 

Although I'm not happy with the release date, I am content in my knowledge that this book will be amazing and I guess it won't hurt to wait a bit until I can get my hands on this book. 

What I'm most looking forward to is Alieana growing into a warrior and saving the world. Because I'm sure that's going to happen. Also Kiaran's transformation might be interesting as well. Hopefully there will be copious amounts of witty banter and it won't be boring. 

Book, please don't be boring. 

*Note: Yes, technically this book is released but only kinda released so we're going to let this dubious WoW slide*

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Title: The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1)

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Date Published: March 4th 2014

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers

Rating: 5 out of 5

Goodreads Blurb:

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love...
As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.
One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.
But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.
Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

This is one of my all time favourites.
Why, you ask? 
Because of the realistic and beautiful setting. 
The believable, intelligent characters. 
The style of writing- engaging and poetically elegant. 
The fast, unbelievably unique plot.
And (an equally contributing factor to my adoration of this book), the fact that this book is (loosely) based on a phenomenon called the "Winner's Curse."


DEFINITION OF 'WINNER'S CURSE'
"A tendency for the winning bid in an auction to exceed the intrinsic value of the item purchased. Because of incomplete information, emotions or any other number of factors regarding the item being auctioned, bidders can have a difficult time determining the item's intrinsic value. As a result, the largest overestimation of an item's value ends up winning the auction."       
(Source: Investopedia.com)


From a historian's point of view, the world-building was incredible. Almost as good as Narnia. Almost. And the history between the two countries, the war, the enslavement of a whole race- it was almost textbook perfect. But, note that I said "unique" while I was listing the wonderful qualities of this book. It was unique: every dialogue, action, scene, and character was literally incomparable to those of any other book. While the structure of the society and the conflict was based on that of historical societies, all the small details of this book were remarkably distinct. I absolutely loved Kestrel's home- it was described beautifully and if I had to compile a list of fictional vacation sites, her home would be on it. 

Kestrel was an awesome female protagonist, comparable to my other favorites (Calaena, Penryn, and Tessa) solely because they were all wonderfully brave and witty. But the similarities end there. Kestrel is the daughter of the General, living among the nobility of Valoria. She's pressured by her father to join the military, but all she wants to be is free from the constraints of society. She doesn't believe in the subjugation of the Herranis and defies the rules of her society by showing them kindness. She's also incredibly manipulative and is tightly wrapped in armor- she doesn't give away any feelings and is constantly on guard. 

Similarly, Arin is extremely reserved at the beginning of this book solely because he had a BIIG secret to hide [won't give it away this time]. He is kind but also resents the Valorians for stealing away his home and country. This resentment fuels his secretive actions, but by the end the tables are turned and Arin's character changes significantly once he starts to trust Kestrel. 

By the end the two characters seemed incompatible, especially since once was a slave while the other, a master. But hopefully everything works out well in the next book (which I have already read, but I'm trying not to let it influence this review). 

Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was Kestrel's love of playing the piano and her skill at the game of Bite and Sting (check out Marie Rutkoski's website to play this interesting game!) I also adored the Herrani Gods, and although there wasn't very much information about them, it helped add to the culture and background. The idea of such gods is similar to the idea of Saints; for example, there is a Herrani God of Lies. 

If I had to choose, I would say the end was the most enjoyable part of the book. Because literally everything was falling apart, I was truly in a tailspin and everything that happened from the last ball (that's right, there are balls, who doesn't like balls?) to the end of the book was wonderfully unexpected. It was however infuriatingly incomplete and I was raging at the cliff-hanger, because believe me, the last few pages are so crazy they will knock your socks off. 

I recommend this to fans of historical fiction as well as those who enjoy witty banter. Actually I recommend this to EVERYONE, because this book has drama, love, wit, and war. At the risk of sounding like an ad, this book has something to suit everyones's tastes.    

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.)

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. 

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

Title: Tiger's Curse (The Tiger Saga #1)

Author: Colleen Houck 

Publication Date: January 11th 2011

Publisher: Splinter

Rating: 5 out of 5

Goodreads Blurb:

Would you risk it all to change your destiny? The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world.But that's exactly what happened.

Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.Packed with magic, action-adventure, and romance, the epic Tiger's Curse series will keep you breathless and yearning for more.

Kelsey, a seemingly ordinary girl from Oregon, gets a summer job at a circus. There she meets a white tiger called Dhiren, and from that moment, she is pulled into a 300-year-old curse involving otherworldly adventures, extremely handsome tigers, and awesome super powers.

This is one of my favorite books ever! I love the Indian mythology, I love the romance, I love the characters, and I love the my tigers!

 SPOILER. Dhiren, the white tiger from the circus, is actually an Indian prince who was betrayed by his brother and was cursed by the evil sorcerer Lokesh. Lokesh is the power-hungry monster that wants to unite the pieces of the Damon amulet to control all the elements.

So, Kishan (the brother) and Ren have both been living as tigers for more than 300 years. Now how does Kelsey Hayes fit in? She is the warp =D To be a little less incomprehensible, let me explain. Kelsey Hayes is given the task of breaking the curse by completing five sacrifices and finding four gifts by the goddess Durga (controller of the Damon amulet). Their guide and mentor, Mr. Kadam is the reason that they are able to figure all the prophecy mumbo jumbo out and quite frankly, he is the only reason they were able to find out how to enter Kishkindha, the realm of the monkey, Kappas, and predatory plants.

While in Kishkindha, fighting for their lives, Ren and Kelsey fall in love. Cue the silly,cute romance. But after a while, Kelsey convinces herself that Ren is too good for her (he is a prince) and rejects Ren. And after that the romance portion of this series goes in never ending, circles. But in the end it all works out perfectly.

After they avoid the scary plants, they find the gift mentioned in Durga’s prophecy- a Golden Mango that provides an endless supply of food. On the way back, however, both the monkeys and Kappas decide to attack them and they both barely escape with their life. In fact, Kelsey gets poisoned by a Kappa and would have died if it weren't for Fanindra, the golden snake given to them by Durga.

After they leave Kishkindha, Ren discovers that he can turn into a man for a longer period of time (6 hours to be exact) and he is determined to convince Kelsey that they belong together. Kelsey, being ridiculously stubborn, compares herself to a radish, and leaves a heartbroken Ren behind while she flies back to Oregon.

Kelsey- Loves poetry and used to read to Ren at the circus. She is courageous and cares about her tigers.

Ren- The white tiger, loves Kelsey, and also enjoys literature/poetry, quiet, fierce, and extremely prince-like, very handsome

Kishan- The black tiger, Ren’s brother, withdrawn from society, blames himself for what happened, kind/caring, also very handsome

Tiger’s Curse and the rest of the series are so delightfully wonderful that I can’t wait for her next series about Egyptian sun gods and awakened mummies! I am positive Ms. Houck will not disappoint.