Month: March 2017

Review: Glimmers of Glass

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Glimmers of Glass

A Glimmers Novel #1

by Emma Savant

Description:

Hidden in the city of Portland, Oregon is a shimmering world of magic—one faerie Olivia Feye doesn’t want to touch with a ten-foot wand. She’d rather study biology, or garden, or floss her teeth, or do literally anything except pay attention to the Glimmering world and her internship at Portland’s premier faerie godparent agency.

But when her supervisor is hospitalized after a flying pumpkin carriage accident, Olivia is thrust into the middle of a case. And this one won’t be easy: Her client is Elle, a barista whose plans don’t include an enchanted prom or Prince Charming.

The reward for a happily-ever-after is enough gold pieces to get Olivia out of the Glimmering world forever. But as she comes face-to-face with the complexities of faerie godmothering, she’s forced to wonder: How much is she willing to sacrifice for her own happy ending?

Review:

Image from Dollar Photo Club

I adored this book! I have to admit, I have a soft spot for fairy tale retellings, but this one did not disappoint.  I can’t believe it has so few ratings on both Goodreads and Amazon. It’s such a gem.

Oliva’s world is developed and grows more interesting as the story progresses.  There were lots of details that all came together in the end — or left me wanting more.

It’s hard to say much without giving things away, but Oliva is helping be a fairy godmother even when she thinks she doesn’t want to. The choices she has to make to fulfill wishes as a fairy godmother are difficult ones.

Her family is a very realistic spot. Her parents and brother aren’t perfect, but then neither is she. They still have a lot of growing to do ahead of them, but I liked the little details we got about them here and there. I especially like Oliva’s brother Daniel. He is brave in his own way.

The romance for the main character is almost nonexistent in this book, but there are hints of it throughout.  I love the possibility of there being more without feeling forced. Though I’m really hoping something happens in the next book. Not a lot, just enough to keep me satisfied.

Image from Google Images

There is some mild language throughout. Otherwise it’s a fairly clean book.

This book is perfect for anyone who like YA Fairy Tell Retellings. This is especially fun as it comes through the point of view of the fairy godmother and has a whole interlaced world that could become very complex in the books to come. I whole heartedly recommend this book.

Review: Haven

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Haven

by Katherine Bogle

Princess Haven was never meant to be Queen.

Her immortality has saved her time and time again, but when the last of her royal family dies at her feet, she is next in line to rule a nation on the brink of war. With no formal training on how to be Queen, Haven must rise to the occasion with the help of her best friends, and personal guard, or risk losing everyone she has ever loved.

With war to the West, and no escape to the East, the evil tyrant Kadia sets her sights on the six kingdoms. Haven’s neighbors are quick to fall under the swords of Kadia’s shadow soldiers, leaving a sea of bodies and a clear path to Haven’s only home.

As Kadia’s obsession with Haven mounts, little time remains, and Haven must make a choice; join together with her fellow Royals, and test her immortality in a final stand against the evil Queen, or flee across the sea to a foreign republic in hopes of salvation. Both choices have a cost. Both plans could go awry. Haven must decide quickly, or she might be the only one left.

Review:

I’m going to be honest, I picked this book up because of the cover. I liked it a lot. And then when I read the synopsis, I was hooked. I had a lot of expectations for this book, and I’m not sure they were quite realized.

For starters, I think the synopsis is a little off on what happens in the book. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but things didn’t stay on the same path as I expected from the description. I really wanted to see what the beginning of the description talked about with Haven having the last of her family die at her feet, but we only see it in a quick flashback. It was disappointing because I really wanted to feel what Haven was feeling, to see her anguish in that moment and get to know her better, but it didn’t happen. The rest I can’t say without spoiling, so let’s just say the synopsis is a little off.

Haven is very weak in the beginning, at times unlikeably so. Yet, there’s lots of growth in the book so that’s very forgivable. Haven goes through a lot in this book, and seeing how she handled it was alright. Not as good as I had hoped, but the development was still there. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I connected with Haven, but I was never really able to.

A lot of the book was Haven training. It got a little repetitious after a while, but then, I personally don’t like scenes of just training unless they have something more in them to hold my interest. I’d rather have tension from something more that was lacking in this book.

My favorite part of the book was when Haven was with Kadia. I found the Mad Queen interesting and wished we would have learned more about her. She was intriguing . I wanted to know what made her tick, and we never found out.

The love interest was…random. It felt as if it came out of nowhere. Once it started though, I did enjoy the interactions between Haven and her love interest, I just wanted more of them. Wanted to be really fulfilled by their relationship. Instead, there was a brief satisfaction.

It’s not that this book is bad, it just didn’t live up to my expectations. And note that this book is very, very dark. Torture, an almost rape, violence. I excepted it to have some dark moments based on the blurb, but was surprised at how dark it went. If i had known that before I started, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up.

This would be a good book for someone who likes dark, war driven stories with minimal romance.

Stars: 3 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Apple

Source: NetGalley – thank you to the publisher & author for providing it for me to read! In no way did this affect my review.

Review: Like a River Glorious

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Like a River Glorious

Second book of the Gold Seer Trilogy

by Rae Carson

After a harrowing journey across the country, Leah Westfall and her friends have finally arrived in California and are ready to make their fortunes in the Gold Rush. Lee has a special advantage over the other new arrivals in California—she has the ability to sense gold, a secret known only by her handsome best friend Jefferson and her murdering uncle Hiram.

Lee and her friends have the chance to be the most prosperous settlers in California, but Hiram hasn’t given up trying to control Lee and her power. Sabotage and kidnapping are the least of what he’ll do to make sure Lee is his own. His mine is the deepest and darkest in the territory, and there Lee learns the full extent of her magical gift, the worst of her uncle, and the true strength of her friendships. To save everyone, she vows to destroy her uncle and the empire he is building—even at the cost of her own freedom.

After a disappointing first book, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one, though I was hopeful. My hopes did not disappoint.  This book, Lee is a lot more interesting to follow. I found myself cheering for her and her friends.

Her uncle Hiram is an interesting character, and I’m glad we finally got to spend some time with him. Well, not glad, the guy is a jerk beyond measure, but for story purposes it made for some good conflict and mystery. It was interesting to see how Lee acted around him, sometimes going along with him, other times fighting against.

Not only were the characters interesting in this book, but I found the use of Lee’s powers to be a lot better. They were more fitting with what I expected from a girl who has the power to witch out gold during the California gold rush. They made for a much more interesting read than the last book.

The one thing I will say about this book is that I’m not sure I want to keep reading the trilogy. The last book is set to come out in October, and usually I’d be dying to get my hands on it. This time is different though. I felt like there are still a few questions left up in the air, but everything was wrapped up well enough that  I don’t really have a desire to pick up the next one.

All in all, I’d say it’s worth your time to pick up the first and second book if you like historical fantasies and are willing to invest some time into the series before you get a payout.

Review: Walk on Earth a Stranger

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Walk on Earth a Stranger

by Rae Carson

Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes.

Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more.

She also has a secret.

Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift.

My Review:

Rae Carson’s Girl of Fire and Thorns is one of my favorite novels. I was so excited to learn that she had had another series coming out, I was thrilled. When I read the description, I was even more excited. A girl who can sense gold during the gold rush? Sounds awesome to me. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.

Lee is a fine character. I liked her well enough, it’s just that she and the plot were not what I wanted out of the book. I wanted more of her using her powers and fighting against the villain. Instead, this felt more like a book about crossing the country during the rush of ’49 with a girl that happened to have powers she used a few times.

It’s not that it was bad, it just wasn’t what I was hoping for. I am hopeful for the sequel. Without spoiling the first, I have to say, I think that the second book holds more promise.

If you like historical fantasies and are interested in reading about a young adult crossing the US, pick up this book.

Review: Sacrificed by Emily Wibberley

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Sacrificed by Emily Wibberley

Knowing the future can save her city – but not her heart.

Born to serve the merciless Oracle, Clio wants nothing more than to break free. But when her entire family is murdered by Mannix, the king’s adviser, Clio inherits the Oracle’s power, a power she never wanted and doesn’t understand.

Hunted by Mannix, Clio is forced to flee her home in Sheehan and seek refuge in a foreign city where oracles are forbidden. If she’s found out, she will be sacrificed atop its great pyramid.

Clio has no choice but to win the trust of Riece, an enemy warrior. Despite the undeniable attraction between them, Clio knows that if he finds out who she really is, he won’t hesitate to execute her.

Clio tries to hide her budding powers, but the Visions she keeps having of Mannix and his barbarian army slaughtering her people torture her conscience. She alone has the strength and foresight to stop him, but only if she can embrace her destiny and sacrifice everything.

My Review:

I adored this book! I think I have a new favorite author. Clio has a lot of growing to do and grow she does.  Not only is her character well developed, but the world-building is very well done.

Clio and Riece were amazing.  I enjoyed their relationship. I’d like to say I look forward to having more of them together, but I’ve already finished the series, and I have to say, if you haven’t read it yet, you should really get on it.

Stars: 5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Source: Purchased the ebook