To say I like this series would be an understatement. On to book 3.
What I’m Reading Now: The Righteous by Renee Ahdieh
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Tag Archives: YA novels
Quick Review: The Damned by Renee Ahdieh
I will admit. I am a sucker for a moody vampire. Bastien is the moodiest. Sure I can understand why he is. Afterall, he didn’t choose to be turned. He lost his life, his humanity and the girl he loved. As for Celine. She is recovering from the injuries from the end of the last book. She is struggling with her memory loss. To help her out is Michael, who she is dating, kind of and her friend Poppy. The narrative plays out in multiple POV’s beyond Celine and Bastien. The world has grown. It’s not just vampires but werewolves and the Fey. The story still revolves around Celine and Bastien but it also is no longer just their story. It’s a story of found family and secrets. It’s about overcoming trauma. Really more about dealing with trauma because there are definitely a few that never did deal with it and that is why we are where we are now. I am so glad that Kate recommend this series because I am very much enjoying it. I can’t wait for the next book to become available at my library so I can read what happens next. It sounds like it’s going to be a Poppy centered book and I’m stoked about that. She is the one character that didn’t get a POV chapter and the one I am most interested in.
Review: The Blood Phoenix by Amber Chen
I am not sure how I feel about this book and this series. It’s not that I didn’t like it because I did. I wouldn’t have read the sequel if I had not but there is something about it that…I’m not sure how to explain. I thought maybe of Jade and Dragons it was the narrator of the audiobook that took me out of some moments but I still had trouble connecting with this one as well. So I guess it is the writing. I don’t know. The Book Phoenix takes place about two years after the end of Of Jade and Dragons. Ying is now living in a new village and engaged to a son of Chieftain and Ye-Yang is still the Head Commander. I am still unsettled about how things ended between the two at the end of the last book. With Ye-Yang promising he would come back for her because he doesn’t dream of things, he always gets what he wants. Can we say red flag? In the last book, there were mentions of pirates roaming the sees and the threat to the Nine Isles but now those threats are much more dangerous. They are attacking shipments and have decimated the Antarian fleet. The country has taken a lot of refugees from the Empire, putting more restrain on their resources. Something has to be done. Ying may have walked a way from the Engineer’s Guild but she still continues to create. She has developed the “Octopus” a submarine of sorts. She built it as a means to leave the country but it can be helpful against the pirates. Things change when the pirates, specifically the most feared ship the Blood Phoenix attacks her new home and kills her fiancée. Ye-Yang comes to her for help. He has been keeping tabs on her and knows that she has created something that could turn the tide. In the meantime, he is still engaged to Ying’s younger sister, Nian. The wedding keeps getting delayed but that can only last so long. She and Ye-Yang have yet to connect and she desperately wants to. She has also developed a friendship with Ye-Kan, Ye-Yang’s other brother. The story goes back and forth between the two sisters POV as we get both sides of the conflict. We also get to see how smart both of them are. Ying, has mind to create, while Nian has a mind for strategy. In a lot of ways, they are both are where they are supposed to be. As the story unfolds and we learn more about the complicated history of the clans and the politics on the Nine Isles, it is clear that not everything is black and white. I did appreciate the little bit of a cliffhanger of an ending. I don’t know if there is going to be a third book but if there isn’t. I like of leaving it open ended and up for interpretation. What’s the verdict. Not a bad a series. I liked the story but maybe the not so much the execution.
What I’m Reading Now: The Blood Phoenix by Amber Chen
The sequel to Of Jade and Dragon that I read last month. I didn’t realize that it had already come out and became available a lot sooner from my library then I was expecting. I decided to read the book instead of listening to the audiobook like I did the last one and see how that changes my feelings on the series.
Review: Oathbound by Tracy Deonn
I am so mad at this book. I thought this series was a trilogy, and now I have to wait for who knows how long for the next book after that ending. AAHHH! All of that aside. This series keeps getting better. It starts right after Bloodmarked ended. Bree, after being betrayed by the Legendborn Order, is ready to burn it all to the ground. She teams up with the Shadow King to train to fulfill her potential. She leaves behind Nick, Will, and Sel, and disappears, and they spend most of the story trying to find her. What I found most interesting is the book’s format. It starts with a prologue that is like 3 or 4 chapters long that goes into what Bree is willing to do to get the most of her power. Then it goes back to the beginning with the POV of William, Mariah, and Sel’s mother. It gives us a chance to learn more about the aftermath of what Bree did, and with her missing, how powerful she is, but also what a threat she is. Then it goes into a mixed POV of Bree, William, Mariah, and Sel as they all start to put the pieces together. Then, a section of Bree, Nick, and Mariah reunited at a Demon ball. That was a fun section, and finally, the finale of everyone reunited and a clear picture of who the Order is and what they are willing to do to keep their power. A big part of the story is an effort to take away obstacles from Bree’s training. The King casts a spell on Bree that makes her forget all of her friends and family. It’s sad, but I did set up one of my favorite troops of fake a relationship, but with a twist, because it’s Bree and Nick who are/were in a relationship, but Bree doesn’t remember. I enjoyed that part. I don’t want to give any more away, but I genuinely love this series and I look forward to the next book.
Review: Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
I liked this book, but there was something missing to make me love it. It had all the elements that I like. The morally ambiguous heroine, a school or trial setting, and dual identities. Ying is a clever girl from a small clan in the Nine Isles. She is a bit of a rebel as she is more interested in building things than traditional roles. Her world is turned upside down when she witnesses her father being murdered. This leads her to the path of the Engineer’s Guild in the capital. She knew her father was once a member before moving back home, but she knows very little else about him. On her way to the Capital, she meets, Ye-Yang, a prince in the high command. She has to disguise herself as one of her brothers because women are not allowed to join the Engineers’ Guild, even though they are capable of doing it. She is sure that the answers as to who murdered her father are there and is determined to do what is necessary to find justice. As always the case, there are a lot of twists and turns, and she finds it hard to know who to trust. She, of course, starts to fall in love with Ye-Yang despite the obvious red flags. Always a complication to everything. In the end, Ying will discover how far she is willing to go to avenge her father and the cost along the way. There is nothing wrong with the book itself. Maybe a little too many times, reminding us of the stakes and at times a bit over description, but that is par for the course with novels like this. I got the audiobook from my library because it was available right away, and maybe that had something to do it with it. The narrator’s voice was very breathy and at times didn’t match the scenes she was reading. I don’t know. It was a good book. I still plan on reading the sequel. Maybe I’ll check out the physical book if I can and see if that makes a difference.
What I’m Reading Now: Oathbound by Tracy Deonn
My pick for our TBR Project book club is Oathbound, the latest book in the Legendborn Cycle. The theme is Heroic Romance, and what is more heroic than a play on the Arthurian Myth? I do love this series, and I am surprised it has taken me so long to get to ir.
What I’m Reading Now: Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
They had me at Mulan meets Iron Widow.
Review: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
Y’all, this was so fun. Cecilia Bassingthwaite is a very proper young lady and also a very proper scoundrel. She is thrilled to find out, in the first pages of the novel, that someone has put a hit out on her. Maybe she’ll finally be invited to become a full member of the Wisteria Society. Plus, the assassin who has been sent to kill her isn’t at all terrible to look at and that is a nice bonus.
Cecilia and her Aunt become involved in highjinks. There are flying houses, other lady pirates, some of whom are on their side and some of whom are dirty traitors. There is a villain who is obsessed with Branwell Brontë and who also happens to be Cecilia’s father. Can Cecilia prove that she is nothing like the terrible rogue? Can she save the day?
I know I’ve already said this, but this was incredibly fun. I liked Cecilia and the cast of characters who surrounded her. The back and forth between her and her charming assassin was delightful. Her Aunt was a hoot. The flying houses were thrilling. I enjoyed every second of this book and I cannot wait to get my hands of the next one, as soon as its available from the library.
I purchased my copy of this from The Ripped Bodice; when I am not supporting my local library, I enjoy supporting independent bookstores. (Not to pat myself on the back or anything. Think of this more a little reminder to myself to keep putting my money where my mouth is ;))
Review: The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare
This took me a little bit longer to finish than it normally would. Not because I didn’t like it, but mostly because I’ve been working from home more recently and commuting less. I do most of my reading these days on the subway. I thought this was a good sequel. It picks up not much after the end of the last book. I will admit that some of what happened was predictable, but there was one reveal at the end that I did not see coming. Lin, who claimed she is the Goddess, now has to prove it. Kel is investigating the Shining Gallery incident with the Ragpicker King’s and his crew’s help. Conor is doing his best to be mature and rule, and Antonetta is prepping to marry. A lot is going on, and they have no idea where the real threat is coming from. I do like how Clare can weave together so many interconnected stories so seamlessly. It just flows very nicely together. For me the character that really was the star was Conor. The events of the last book and his feelings for Lin have changed his perspective, and we can see that growth. I do think people underestimate him. That he knows more of what is going on than he leads people to believe. I am really looking forward to where is story goes next. I do love a good mystery, and adding a bit of magic is just a bonus.
2 Women, So Many Books 