The final book in the Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten series. Let’s see how this one ends.
What I’m Reading Now: The Iron Warrior by Julie Kagawa
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Tag Archives: YA novels
Review: Endure by Sara B. Larson
*Spoilers Ahead*
This is the final book in the Defy trilogy. For those who are not familiar it follows Alexa who is a guard to Prince Damian but she has to be pretend she is a boy named Alex or be subjected to the cruel breeding houses. Over the series Alex is exposed as Alexa, saves the Kingdom from the evil King of Antion, fall in love with the Prince but also have feelings for her fellow guard, Rylan. Then after all of that has the save kingdom once again from the even more evil King of the neighboring country of Dansaii. That’s a real simplified synopsis but you get the idea. It’s sort of the typical YA novel where the girl must defeat evil while trying to figure out who she loves at the same time. It’s really isn’t much of a love triangle as Alexa is pretty clearly in love with Damian and Damian makes it pretty clear that he is in love with her but you know he’s the Prince and later the King and she’s just a guard. It can’t be simple as them saying I love you and be done with it.
Alexa is a good character. She’s a fighter both figuratively and literally. In this world there are sorcerers that have powers to create fires or earthquakes. Alexa isn’t but a revelation that her father might have been one and she may have inherited some of his powers in the form of quick reflexes, which makes her on the best fighters in the Prince’s guard. She is steadfast and loyal and despite many tragic deaths she still pulls though and gets things done. As for the other characters, they are not as fleshed out as Alexa is. Damian is giving more time. We get that he’s vulnerable and his doubts of his own abilities and loves Alexa. The same with Rylan. He’s a good guy who always stands by Alexa but not much else. I would have liked to know more about them and the other characters. Maybe one of the flaws of first person story telling. I get this feeling that YA authors are getting over their fears of killing off characters, no matter how important they are. I think this is great because it does give books a little more drama. I used to feel a little cynical when characters were in trouble because you sort of knew that authors wouldn’t risk alienating readers by killing off popular characters. Well not any more. Now it anyone can go and boy the body count is high in this one and many I was sad to see go.
It was good series with a good ending. I’m glad that I read it but it’s not going to go down as one of my favorites.
What I Can’t Wait to Read in 2016
It’s 2016! Happy New Years!! A new year means new books! And we love new books even if they just add to our TBR pile. So here a 10 books that I’m super excited to read in 2016!
- The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater- The final book in the Raven Cycle and I couldn’t be more excited and dreading at the same time. It is well documented about how much I love the series and Maggie as an author. I can’t wait to see what will happen to Blue and the Boys but at the same time not ready to say goodbye.
- The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan – The first book in Rick’s new series The Trials of Apollo is going to be good. I just know it. For one thing Percy is back! That’s really all I need to know. I also hope it means that Leo is also back and happy and in love with Calypso. That would be the best.
- Untitled by Sarah J. Maas – So the next book in the Throne of Glass series doesn’t have a title but hasn’t dampened my excitement for it. Aelin has all but declared her intentions and now heading for home. The real fight for Erilea is abou to get real.
- A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir – An Ember in the Ashes was one of the books that I loved the most last year. A mixture of historical fiction, dystopian and fantasy it was truly something refreshing. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
- The Last Star by Rick Yancey – The final book in the 5th Wave series should be interesting. The 5th Wave was full and real but the The Infinite Sea was a intriguing but not as entertaining. Now that we know that who the aliens are and not things are really going to go down. Not to mention the movie for the first book comes out soon and I’m quite interested to see how it transitions from page to screen.
- Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard – The Red Queen was the other book by a new author in 2015 that I really loved. The other was Ember in the Ashes. It was quite a debut. I can’t wait to see what Mare will do now.
- Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare – It’s been over a year since Cassandra’s last series ended. She has filled the void with her novella series Tales from Shadowhunter Academy it hasn’t been the same. Now we are moving from New York City to LA with Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorne five years after the end of The Mortal Instruments so of course the world is once again in peril and it’s mostly the Clave’s fault. I do hope it’s better then the last 3.
- A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas – I’ll admit that I was only so so on the first book but I think this series has real potential and I’m willing to give it a go.
- The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan – Magnus and friends stopped Ragarnok from happening at least for now and now he’s going to have help from his cousin Annabeth. (Annabeth is going to be very busy this year) We know from the last book that Thor lost his hammer and judging by the title that is going to be a major part of this book but he won’t be the only God as we also know that Loki has been pulling strings for a long time. Things should get interesting.
- The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon – Now I’m not sure if this book is really going to come out this year or not but according to Goodreads, it’s scheduled for 11/3 so *crosses fingers* Paige has taken over the syndicate only to be betrayed by her former boss. It’s time to start a revolution against Scion but I have a feeling they won’t go down without a fight.
And so many more books I want to read and not to mention try to complete our reading challenges. It’s going to be a busy reading year. How about you? What books are you looking forward to reading this year?
Books that Rocked My Face off in 2015
This year it was hard to narrow it down to just 10 books as there were so many books I really loved this year. So to narrow it down, I had to ask myself which ones was I still thinking about even after I started reading the next book? Those are ones I choose for the list. (These are really in no particular order
- Beauty Queens by Libba Bray – This book I really wish I read when I was a teenager as so many of the messages I could have really used. You would almost think that a book about teenage beauty queens stuck on a desert island would be caricatures but they weren’t. They were very like girls I know or were me. I could pretty much identify with all of their struggles. Plus it was a lot of fun.
- Winter by Marissa Meyer -I am really going to miss this series so much. Cinder, Scarlet, Cress and Winter made me laugh, cheer, angry ( on their behalf) and proud of all of them. Winter was by far the longest book of the series and it was non-stop action. There wasn’t any filler or time to relax. It was the perfect ending.
- Carry On by Rainbow Rowell – A little bit Harry Potter and a little bit of fanfiction. It was a great final book to an imaginary series. I was surprised by many of the twists and turns and touched by the romance.
- Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray – I loved the first book in the series and so I was nervous this one wasn’t going to be as good. It was better. Now my only complaint is that she doesn’t write fast enough.
- Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – It was fun, tense and very interesting. I thought I knew where things were going and then I didn’t. I’m looking forward to what lays in store in the next book.
- Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow – This wasn’t anything like I thought it would be. It was surprising. It was fresh. It had the sassiest A.I. in the history of A.I.’s. For that reason alone, you all should read it.
- An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – It was sorta historical fiction with a dystopian vibe and boy did it work. It was brutal and it was tense but entertaining.
- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – This was very much an Ocean 11’s style caper with a little bit of a magic and darkness in only the way that Leigh Bardugo could do it. It’s set in the same world but after the events of her last series but a completely different vibe.
- The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson – This is the third book in the series so the stakes are so much higher and it didn’t disappoint. It’s full of humor, action and ghosts. What else can I say.
- The Rose Society by Marie Lu – This is the second book in the series that tells the story from the villainess point of view (though I’m not convinced that Adelina is the real villain but whatever) It was intense and was surprising, maybe a little problematic but worth the read.
There was two books that I enjoyed so much that I read the other books in the that were out in the series this year too. So I thought they would get their own category.
- Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas – For those looking for a Game of Thrones fill in until George publishes the next book, I recommend this. It was has all the twists and turns and is not afraid to kill of a character or two. I’m never really sure where it’s going to take us next but I know it will be well worth the ride.
- Talon series by Julie Kagawa – It has a little bit of everything. A Romeo and Juliet Love, a love triangle, a betrayal and yeah dragons. Who doesn’t love dragons? Ok, the idea isn’t that original but I do love it anyway.
What I’m Reading Now: Endure by Sara B. Larson and The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
I don’t normally read two books at once but I got Endure an ARC downloaded to my iPad and well my iPad and case doesn’t fit in my new purse. I need something to read on the train to work. This is a must. So it came down to this, move everything into a new bag so I can take my iPad with me to work or find another book to read on the train and read this at home.
So that’s what I decided to do. The Royal We was on sale a couple of weeks ago and since I follow both the authors on twitter and love their blog, Go Fug Yourself, and I have been looking for more romances, I thought I would give it a go.
So these two books will end my reading experience for 2015 and bring me into 2016. What are the last books you are reading this year?
Review: Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes
With all of our talk about whether or not to reread previous books before starting the latest book in a series, this should have been one that I did that. This series has so many characters, subplots, locations and so many dead characters it’s hard to keep track. It’s very Games of Thrones like that. Which is actually what I think it’s trying to be or at least the teen version or it. While not as ambitious, it’s the same concept of multiple parties fighting over thrones and kingdoms but also looking for the mysterious kindred that grant to the owners with unprecedented powers to rule them all. So there is a lot going on. *Spoilers* Continue reading
Series I said Goodbye to in 2015
For my last Series You Should Check Out post of the year I thought I would do something different. In the spirit of Award Shows In Memoriam segments. I thought I would take the time to highlight and say goodbye to the series that I loved that came to their conclusion this year. It was only 4 and I know that I have highlighted them once (or many times) before but all good things need a proper send off. So without much further ado. Here are the Series that I said Goodbye to in 2015.
- The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
What can I say about this series that I haven’t already said? I am truly going to miss this it. The mix of fairy tales and sci fi was perfect. It never felt forced. How Miss Meyer was able to incorporate this familiar stories into her own new world and combine them with such ease was truly impressive. It all came off naturally and fun. It was full of romance, action, wonderful heroines and even a little social commentary on how we treat those who are different and the difference between tyranny and freedom and the lengths one goes to lead. Next year Meyer will release a collection of short stories that revolve around reverse perspectives of important scenes and even a wedding for one of our couples but it had the perfect ending for a fairy tale. They all lived happily ever after. - Penryn and the End of the Days by Susan Ee
This series was very different in it’s look at Angels. As they are not all that angelic like at all or at least how we have come to think of Angels to be like. It touched on two major trends in YA of late with both it’s dystopian and fantasy elements and they blended nicely. It also had a strong lady protagonist in Penryn. She was brave, smart and fierce. She had flaws though. She had to get over her own fears and even prejudice to truly win the fight. It was an uneven trilogy as the second book wasn’t as strong as the first but it was still a great read. I’m curious to see what Susan Ee does next now that Penryn has come to a very satisfying ending. - The Goddess War by Kendare Blake
Greek Gods and Goddesses living in the modern world is not a new idea. We all know of Rick Riordan’s work but this was a little different. Instead of Gods and Goddesses that live on top of the Empire State Building overseeing what is going on in the world. These Gods and Goddesses actually live in it though barely does anyone know who they really are. It was a twist on the Greek Champions. Instead of them being the children of the Gods, they are the original Champions, reborn. Once again, we are introduced to Odysseues, Hector, Achilles, Cassandra and more. Instead of reliving the Trojan War they make their own paths to save the Gods and Goddess of Olympus. It was fun, a little romantic, action packed and a new take on everything we have grown to love about Greek Mythology. - Finishing School by Gail Carriger In this steampunk version of England there is a girls finishing school that not only teaches girls to be the finest women in all of England but also the deadliest. Sophronia is the best student at Madame Geraldine’s. Through four books she has drove every teacher banners with her constant curiosity and always in the thick of things. She knows every square inch of the ship that is her school and every secret there is to know in England. From the inter-workings of vampire hives and werewolves clans to evil secret society of the Picklemen. She has thwarted evil plans and made friends with those all over the class spectrum. From the charming Soap who is black and one of the sooties who works on the ship to the devilishly handsome Felix who is a Duke’s son. She may be a women in Victorian England but she is anything but helpless. More then once she uses her own skills and intelligence to save the realm from treasonous acts. It’s funny so funny and filled with action and excitement that I’m sorry it’s ending but good news is that Gail Carriger has other series set in this world.
So those are series that ended that year that I love. What series did you love that ended this year?
What I’m Reading Now: Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes
This is one of those series that I should have reread the previous books before hand just to refresh. There are so many characters, plots, deaths, betrayals and so on that it’s hard to remember it all.
Quick Review: Manners and Mutiny by Gail Carriger
There is so many things to love about this book and this series in general. It’s beyond funny. Sophornia is in finishing school but it’s not just any Victorian age finishing school. Yes, Miss Geraldine’s teaches her girls how to behave like a lady and how to land a good husband but also how to kill them too. Miss Geraldine’s develops the best lady intelligencer’s in the majesty’s realm. Sophronia and her friends may still be students but they are all that stands in the way from the evil Picklemen taking over the realm and keeping peace with the vampires and werewolves. So don’t take these girls lightly. They may have all the charm and manners of a lady of quality but that only makes them more deadly. If there was one downside to this and that it needs more Soap. Soap is Sophronia’s one true love. In a world where social class is important, they are a forbidden match. Sophronia doesn’t come from most wealthiest of families but she is expected to marry a certain class of gentlemen and a black sootie is not that class. At the end of the last book he is turned werewolf to save his life. In this Steampunk London, supernaturals are granted equal footing with the upper class but he’s still the wrong race and well now the wrong species. His role is a little lesser then in past books since he is no longer at the floating school. He is not really given much to do but he does make the most of the time he does have. All and all it was a good ending to a great series. I’m going to have to read Gail’s other series that take place in the same world because if these are any indication, they will be a hoot.
Rereading Winter by Marissa Meyer
This is it. I don’t want to say that this will be the last time I read Winter or The Lunar Chronicles but I am ready to move on. This was a very lovely series that was just fun to read. So here we go. My last few observations Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Winter, Kai, Throne, Wolf and Jacin.
- I liked all the romances but Scarlet and Wolf’s is the best. Wolf is torn from his family, forced into the army, his body physically altered and none of this he wanted. He spent the entire series fighting what was done to him so he could have his own choice. That he wasn’t just a monster he was made to be and Scarlet saw him. Maybe from the very beginning when he was just sitting in the tavern, maybe in the fight pit or maybe on the train but she saw HIM and even after everything, that’s all she ever saw. That’s love.
- I do love Throne’s devious plan to prove he’s worthy of Cress’ love. That my friend is a criminal mastermind.
- Winter is adorable. I’m not sure what I think of Jacin. He’s still a jerk but he does have his reasons. If I was raised in the Lunar court I would probably be like that too. I saw that they both truly cared for each other but I wasn’t quite connected with them as a couple as the others. Maybe since I only really got one book with them and they spent most of the book apart from each other.
- Cinder is amazing. After everything that she has been through. She still finds away to be fair to Adri and Peony when they had never been fair to her. A lesson we all can learn. She will make a great leader. I think that best leaders are the ones who don’t want to but do when needed.
- I do hope that she and Kai do stay together
- I’ve said this before but I do love the friendship between Cinder and Throne. He was the first to follow her and to go along with what she wanted and needed. True at first he thought their would be money involved but he was game for everything. I think that is what made he final battle that much more powerful.
- Levana is a terrible person but she also had a terrible upbringing. I read Fairest, the prequel, and we find out that she was never shown love from her parents. Her sister was cruel to her and was responsible for her own burn injuries. She had always felt inferior and really just wanted to be loved. She was the second daughter. The second woman in his husbands life. Well really the third after Winter. She was never anyone’s first until she ascended to the throne and only because she manipulated everyone. I’m not saying any of this excuses her behavior but terrible people are not created in a vacuum.
- Whatever Marissa Meyer will write next. I’m totally going to read it.
What did you all love about The Lunar Chronicles?
2 Women, So Many Books 