Category Book Reviews

Jun 3 2014
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Book Review: Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

independent studyTitle: Independent Study

Author: Joelle Charbonneau

Series: The Testing #2

Genre: Teen Dystopian

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies . . . a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government’s murderous programs put her—and her loved ones—in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her.

independent study 2

The Review:

While I only liked The Testing, I absolutely loved Independent Study! The testing process was what initially drew me to this series, and I was concerned that once the testing in the first book was over there would be nothing to carry my interest over to the second book. The awesome part is that the testing does continue, it just does so in a slightly different way (in the form of new student initiation). There were a lot of tasks and obstacles for the main character, Cia, to overcome, and I was wildly entertained to see how she managed to cope with each one.

I have read some criticism that Cia is just too smart to be a realistic character. While I totally see why some people would feel that way, it wasn’t something that bothered me at all. Even though Cia always had the answers, I always felt like she had to work for them, and that effort was more important to me than anything else. It took a lot of creative construction on the author’s part to not only come up with the tests, but to think up answers that were complex enough to challenge the characters. I love reading books about tests/trials and books about competitions, and Independent Study was a great combination of the two.

Although it took me a while to get used to, I actually like the voice the book is written in. Charbonneau was a very unique way of saying things that (I eventually decided) adds a great deal of personality to Cia. Charbonneau also uses the language to create phenomenal pacing – both speeding up passages for excitements and slowing them down to make sure you understand the gravity of what she’s talking about. It worked really well, I only wish I had caught on to what she was doing more quickly so I could’ve studied it better.

Overall, this book is definitely getting a spot in my top ten books of 2014. Now all that is left to do is to read the third one, Graduation Day, and hope it is just as good! While the series is not terribly unique compared to the myriad of dystopian’s on the market, I think it’s cool concept and voice (and the sheer awesomeness of the second book) are enough to make me want to recommend it to other readers.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Jun 2 2014
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Book Review: The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

The crown of embersTitle: The Crown of Embers

Author Rae Carson

Series: Fire and Thorns #1

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Elisa is a hero. She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as the country’s ruler should be secure. But it isn’t. Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from foreign realms and even from within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled. To conquer the power she bears, once and for all, Elisa must follow a trial of long-forgotten—and forbidden—clues, from the deep, hidden catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her go a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man whom—despite everything—she is falling in love with. If she’s lucky, she will return from this journey. But there will be a cost.

The crown of embers

The Review:

Okay, prepare yourself for total fangirl book review that’s only semi-helpful. ;)

When I read Girl of Fire and Thorns, I was certain I’d found my new favorite book EVER! As you can imagine, I was reasonably terrified that this second book wasn’t going be nearly as good as the first. But you know what? It was phenomenal… and I read it way too fast.

Pretty much everything I geeked out about in my review of The Girl of Fire and Thorns carried over into this book. Even though I’m tempted to sing its praises all over again, I’ve decided to settle for a summary. Here are some of the reasons why I am LOVING this series:

  • The rich character development
  • The epic adventures
  • The breathtaking settings
  • The diverse and interesting cultures
  • The addicting “can’t put it down” plot
  • and The killer love-story

It has all of those things and more, and I am one book away from building a little shrine among my bookshelves for this series. That one book is book three in the trilogy (The Bitter Kingdom) and I am resisting the urge to pick it up right away – I just don’t want the story to be over yet!

I think it’s important to note that even though this book was geared towards a young adult audience, it had everything I look for in my robust high fantasy novels. This new trend of what I’m calling Teen High Fantasy is definitely my new favorite genre. All I have to say is, if there are any Throne of Glass and Graceling fans out there who haven’t tried this series yet, you are missing out!

Other books you might like:

Our YA Escape Reality Book Club has actually chosen Girl of Fire and Thorns as June’s  Selection, so if you’d like to read along or even just geek out with us, visit The Escape’s Reality Book Club Launch Post for more information on how to get involved (it’s easy).

by Niki Hawkes

May 30 2014
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Book Review: Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

Not a drop to drinkTitle: Not a Drop to Drink

Author: Mindy McGinnis

Series: Not a Drop to Drink #1

Genre: Teen Dystopian

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The Overview: Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most importantly, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty, or doesn’t leave at all. Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival, and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand.

But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won’t stop until they get it…. With evocative, spare language and incredible drama, danger, and romance, debut author Mindy McGinnis depicts one girl’s journey in a barren world not so different from our own.

Not a drop to drink

Thte Review:

Yeah, I totally understand the hype surrounding this book. This first line says it all:

“Lynn was nine the first time she killed to defend the pond…”

Oh, my, where to start? I picked this book up just to flip through the first few pages and before I knew it, it was 3 in the morning and I was more than halfway through it. It grabbed me right from the start and didn’t really let up until the end. I am not a quote-gather by any means, but there were so many beautiful and evoking passages that I was tempted to pull out a highlighter (okay, I wouldn’t have actually marked the book, but I wanted to…). I have been so immersed in the dystopian genre over the past year that I didn’t think it was possible to find another one I liked this much. It was a breath of fresh air and I rank it right up there with amazing books like Partials and The 5th Wave.

Not a Drop to Drink is a prime example of storytelling at its best. It didn’t spend a lot of time focusing on the broader scope of this apocalypse, but it didn’t need to. It was a beautifully contained story of one girl’s struggle for survival, made all the more poignant by its narrow focus. I was completely lost in this story, and I absolutely love it when that happens. The plot didn’t take the direction I thought it would, but it definitely wasn’t one of those books that sacrificed plausibility for the sake of being “edgy.” It was the perfect balance of action/reaction, and I was perfectly happy to go along with the ride. Even though it didn’t have a ton of action scenes, it was just as riveting and exciting as if Lynn were fighting off hosts of zombies. The world always felt dangerous, and McGinnis did an excellent job creating a great tone and atmosphere for her story.

Although the world building an atmosphere was were superb, the characters of this book really stole the show for me. They were relatable and vibrant, and I found myself stressing any time one of them was in danger. There were some fantastic dynamics between each of the characters, which made for some profound character growth arcs that are going to be among my favorites for years to come. It was beautiful and heart wrenching, joyful and sad – all at once, putting Not a Drop to Drink at the top of my recommendation list for the genre.

I’m super fired up about how much I loved this book, especially since McGinnis is one of the authors attending the Vegas Valley Book Festival in October. You’d better believe I’ll have pristine copies of both of her books ready to be signed – I am so excited! If you like dystopians with a bit of a frontier twist (more survival-driven than that futuristic), I recommend this novel highly.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

May 29 2014
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Book Review: Dragon’s Blood by Jane Yolen

Dragon's bloodTitle: Dragon’s Blood

Author: Jane Yolen

Series: The Pit Dragon Trilogy #1

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The Overview: Dragons are trained to fight to the death, and two determined teens help free them in this spellbinding saga. Training a dragon to be a fighting champion is the only way to freedom for fifteen-year-old Jakkin.

[One of the worst overviews ever. Essentially, picture the craggy, wasteland plains of Mars being converted into a penal colony. A gritty society has formed  around the economy of training and fighting dragons. It’s a pretty cool concept. -Niki]

Dragon's blood 2

The Review:

This was actually my second read-through of Dragon’s Blood, and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time around. It’s book one in a four book series, and I wanted to refresh my memory on everything that happens before continuing on. As it turns out, I really hadn’t forgotten much, just that the book was a lot shorter than I remembered it being. Because of that, this review is also going to be short and sweet. :-)

It’s no secret that I love anything to do with dragons. The fact that this series sat gathering dust on my shelf for so long should be considered an ultimate shame in my household. It had an incredibly cool and original concept, some fun and likable characters, a unique setting (for a dragon book), and a plot that had me engaged right from the start!

As I mentioned in the overview, the concept really was my favorite part of Dragon’s Blood. These people were originally sent to the planet as prisoners, but after several generations had formed a gritty, functioning society. Dragons were already native to the planet, so it was only a matter of time before someone thought to capture one. From that grew an economy of selling dragons and their eggs, and training studs to fight each other in the pits. I found the entire thing fascinating and loved how thoroughly imagined Yolen’s society came across. The story starts out with a young slave boy trying to figure out how to steal a dragon egg from his master so he can raise a fighting dragon and win his way to freedom… it was awesome!

The only thing I had a hard time wrapping my head around was the all odd names. There were a lot of double k’s, and I found myself having to reorient a couple of times to make sure I was thinking about the right character. This was by no means a deal breaker, however, as the weird spellings actually had significance – communicating lineage and slavery status. I can get on board with just about anything if it serves a cool purpose, haha. In any case, other readers should probably try to read it a bit more carefully than I did.

Overall, this book had the same essence that made me fall in love with Anne McCaffrey, but was just different enough to feel like something original. If you enjoy Dragon books, I highly recommend adding this one to your list!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

May 27 2014
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Book Review: The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead

Immortal crownTitle: The Immortal Crown

Author: Richelle Mead

Series: Age of X #2

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

Release Date: May 29, 2014

The Overview: “Gameboard of the Gods” introduced religious investigator Justin March and Mae Koskinen, the beautiful supersoldier assigned to protect him. Together they have been charged with investigating reports of the supernatural and the return of the gods, both inside the Republic of United North America and out. With this highly classified knowledge comes a shocking revelation: Not only are the gods vying for human control, but the elect—special humans marked by the divine—are turning against one another in bloody fashion. Their mission takes a new twist when they are assigned to a diplomatic delegation headed by Lucian Darling, Justin’s old friend and rival, going into Arcadia, the RUNA’s dangerous neighboring country. Here, in a society where women are commodities and religion is intertwined with government, Justin discovers powerful forces at work, even as he struggles to come to terms with his own reluctantly acquired deity.

Meanwhile, Mae—grudgingly posing as Justin’s concubine—has a secret mission of her own: finding the illegitimate niece her family smuggled away years ago. But with Justin and Mae resisting the resurgence of the gods in Arcadia, a reporter’s connection with someone close to Justin back home threatens to expose their mission—and with it the divine forces the government is determined to keep secret.

Immortal crown

The Review:

This book is further evidence why Richelle Mead is my favorite author. Having read (and loved) Gameboard of the Gods over a year ago, I was admittedly a little worried I wouldn’t remember enough of the details to get fully invested in Immortal Crown. This was so not the case! From the first page, I was drawn back into the world as if I’d never left. As much as I enjoyed the first book, I think I liked this one even better!

This is definitely one of the most complex series Mead has ever written. It takes place in a futuristic, urban fantasy setting with a mythological twist (which was one of the coolest aspects of the story). It had immersive world-building, superb character development, a heart-wrenching love story, interesting cultures, and fantastic overall conflicts. In short, this is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read, and has all the elements I look for in a great story!

My favorite elements in this book (and in fact, my favorite elements in all of Mead’s books) were the characters. The story contained three POV’s: Justin, Mae, and Tessa and, although they were very different from one another, they were all incredibly relatable. Mead has this way of infusing her characters with flaws and vices that make them more endearing because it makes them more human. It adds a level of complexity to the characters that gets me invested in them every time. What’s more, you can see how proximity to one another changes their behaviors over the course of the series, and that play off of one another is probably the element of her characters I love the most.

This awesome dynamic leads to some of the best love stories I’ve ever read. I very much appreciate Justin and Mae’s relationship in this series, and am most eager to see where their journey takes them next. They have this electric chemistry that’s just plain addicting to read about. Mead builds relationships so well that wherever their story leads, I know it’s going to be epic. I’d like to point out that I’ve found not only one, but two book boyfriends from Mead’s works in the past (Dimitri and Seth, I’m talking to you) so as much as I love Justin, I’m grudgingly okay letting Mae have him to herself this time… I don’t want to be too greedy.

Another thing that I love this author for is the brilliant momentum she creates within her books. As book 2 in the series, The Immortal Crown is where things start to get tougher for the characters and that culminating energy gets set into motion. I always try to savor Mead’s books but, as with all of her novels, that careening snowball kicked in at about the halfway and I couldn’t put it down – it was fantastic! If the third one was out, I guarantee I be already finished with it and eager for the next one!

Overall, this is a strong sequel to a series that I’m absolutely loving so far. It’s such a cool mix of mythology and urban fantasy – it really feels like a new genre on its own. If you haven’t read Richelle Mead yet, this series is an excellent place to start!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

May 26 2014
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Top Ten Books I’m Reading Before the Vegas Valley Book Festival 2014!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week is a topics freebee week, so I’ve chosen to share some of the books I’m hoping to have read before the Vegas Valley Book Festival in October. I went last year and came home with over thirty signed books. It was awesome, but I feel like the experience could have been even better had I read most of the books before getting them signed – I’ve read a lot of them now and wish I could go back and geek about it with the authors and asked them questions. So this year, I’m hoping to make the most of this experience and am planning way ahead!

Top Ten Books I’m Reading Before the Vegas Valley Book Festival 2014!

 Pretty awesome lineup isn’t it? Most of these were on my TBR anyway, and I’ve heard fantastic things about some of them.  There’s a partial list of authors attending on the VVBF website, and a few more in the About section of their Facebook page Things are subject to change, but hopefully the authors I’m most looking forward to will be there!

 Which author would you be most excited to meet?

by Niki Hawkes