Tag: romantic

Review: Ruin and Rising

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Ruin and RisingLeigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising

***Warning: SPOILERS for previous books in the series!***

In the aftermath of the battle at Os Alta, the Darkling now sits on the Ravkan throne, and Alina and her followers have gone underground. Literally — they’re hiding out in a system of tunnels and caves beneath Ravka, where they are temporarily under the protection of the Apparat. But the Apparat has his own agenda: he wants Alina to serve as a figurehead for the loyal but uninformed peasants who believe she is a saint. Alina can’t submit to such a plan, especially when the Darkling is continually expanding his empire through the use of dark magic. But once she and her loyal allies escape, Alina knows she isn’t strong enough to defeat the Darkling, especially since she can no longer access her power. She decides to seek a third amplifier for her magic, the legendary firebird, and her sole clue leads her back to the village from which she and Mal originally came…but what she finds there will challenge everything she has ever believed.

Like the other two books in the trilogy, this is a well written novel with great world-building and an interesting plot. But I still find myself liking rather than loving these books. As I mentioned in my review of Shadow and Bone, I think my issue is that I don’t particularly like or relate to Alina as the main character. She seems to be entirely motivated by her momentous quest to defeat the Darkling, and outside of that, there’s not a lot of complexity to her character. I also don’t care about Mal, the main love interest, at all. He’s basically there to be dreamy and help Alina whenever the plot calls for it, and he doesn’t really have a personality outside of that. I found the secondary characters much more interesting, especially Nikolai — I’d love for him to get his own book at some point! I did enjoy the resolution of the plot and found the ending very satisfying. Overall, I wasn’t bowled over by this trilogy, but I’d still recommend it to YA fantasy fans.

Review: The Boy Most Likely To

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Boy Most Likely To, TheHuntley Fitzpatrick, The Boy Most Likely To

Seventeen-year-old Tim Mason has always been good at three things: flirting with girls, being the life of the party, and finding where his father has hidden the liquor. Recently, however, he’s trying to turn over a new leaf, attending AA meetings and staying out of trouble. But that’s not enough for Tim’s strict father, who has given him an ultimatum: if he hasn’t proved that he can handle adult responsibilities by the time he turns 18, his family will completely cut him off financially and give his college fund to his sister. Tim doesn’t have the foggiest idea of how to live up to his father’s demands, especially when one stupid decision from his past comes back to haunt him. But helping him to figure things out are his best friend Jase and the entire Garrett family, including (especially) Jase’s older sister Alice. Alice is beautiful, smart, and tough as nails, and to Tim she’s completely irresistible. But will he find the courage to go after what he really wants, and will their fledgling romance survive all the baggage from his past?

When I read the prequel to this book, My Life Next Door, I wasn’t completely in love with it, but I remember really liking Tim and wanting to know more of his story. So this sequel was definitely up my alley, and overall I really liked it! Tim is the kind of fictional boy I always end up adoring: he’s done a ton of stupid things and sabotaged himself at every turn, but he’s got a good heart and is trying so hard. When he is confronted with one particular past mistake (I don’t want to spoil it, so I won’t be more specific), he doesn’t react in the best or most selfless way, but his thoughts and feelings seem very realistic under the circumstances. As he adapts to this big change in his life, he grows and matures as a person, which is very satisfying to see. And I loved his relationship with Alice from beginning to end, especially the way their flirtatious banter masked deeper, more vulnerable feelings. There is quite a bit of angst and drama in the book, so it might be too young adult-esque for some. But I found it a compelling read and would definitely recommend it to fans of YA contemporary romance.

Review: Siege and Storm

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Siege and StormLeigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

***Warning: SPOILERS for Shadow and Bone!***

After failing to kill the Darkling, Alina and her beloved Mal are on the run. They hope that by staying far away from Ravka, they can escape the Darkling’s wrath; unfortunately, however, he catches up with them almost immediately. Despite the Darkling’s growing power, he wants to bind Alina and her magic more closely to him by searching for a second amplifier, a legendary sea serpent. For this purpose, he hires the notorious pirate Sturmhond to sail them through the northern seas. Alina nearly despairs when the sea serpent is found and the second amplifier placed on her wrist, but she finds unexpected allies in Sturmhond and his crew. After escaping the Darkling’s clutches once again, Alina finds herself at the head of a fragmented Grisha army, whose job is to defend Ravka from a possible invasion. But will her tiny force be enough to withstand the Darkling’s might?

I think I enjoyed this book even more than Shadow and Bone, mostly because Alina is more sure of herself and more determined to take charge of her own destiny. I also absolutely loved Sturmhond! What can I say — I can’t resist a swashbuckling pirate with secrets! The plot twist involving his character was somewhat predictable for me, but I still enjoyed it, and I liked watching Alina react to a new set of problems and expectations. The addition of siblings Tolya and Tamar was also a lot of fun…I liked having more characters to care about than just Alina and Mal. Many second books in a trilogy suffer from “middle book syndrome,” but I think this one is a great read on its own, and it also sets up book three very nicely. Speaking of which, my review of Ruin and Rising is coming soon, after a brief detour or two!

Review: Shadow and Bone

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Shadow and BoneLeigh Bardugo, Shadow and Bone

Orphan Alina Starkov has grown up believing she’s completely ordinary. Not particularly pretty or talented, she’s lived in the shadow of her best friend and fellow orphan Mal, who is handsome and popular and a talented tracker for the Ravkan army. But when Alina unexpectedly discovers that she has supernatural powers, her entire life changes in an instant. She is swept up into the world of the Grisha, an elite class of magicians who have the power to control everything from metals to tides to the human body. Alina herself has the ability to control sunlight, a rare and powerful magic that catches the attention of the Grisha’s commander, the mysterious Darkling. The Darkling encourages Alina to harness her power, telling her that she can change Ravka for the better. But in strengthening her magical abilities, will Alina end up losing the most essential part of herself?

After seeing a lot of hype for the Grisha trilogy around the Internet, I was excited to read these books but also nervous that they wouldn’t live up to their reputation. Overall, I enjoyed the trilogy, but I didn’t quite embrace it as wholeheartedly as many others have. This first book does a good job of setting the stage: the world of Ravka is robust and full of interesting details, and the central conflicts of the series are clearly established. I’m not sure how I feel about Alina as a character…she spends a lot of this book questioning herself and moping about her nonexistent love life. And yes, there’s something of a love triangle in the novel, but it’s eventually resolved in a very stark way. (In fact, I wish there had been a bit more ambiguity about it!) Fortunately, Alina does demonstrate some strength as the story progresses, and overall, I liked the book enough to pick up the second installment right away!

Review: A School for Brides

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School for Brides, APatrice Kindl, A School for Brides

The students of the Winthrop Hopkins Female Academy all know that their primary goal is not to receive a scholarly education but to learn the ladylike skills necessary to attract a husband. The problem is that the school is located in Lesser Hoo, Yorkshire, a country village with absolutely no eligible men. There are currently six girls of marriageable age at the school, and they are constantly bemoaning the dearth of potential husbands in the area. Fortunately, a chance encounter with some gentlemen who are visiting a nearby estate for hunting season provides them with all the romance and intrigue their hearts desire. Some of the girls fall in love with relative ease, while others find various obstacles in their paths. But when a valuable necklace goes missing and the school’s footman is the chief suspect, the girls and their paramours band together to clear his name and find the real culprit.

I had previously read and enjoyed Patrice Kindl’s [Keeping the Castle], which is set in the same village and features some of the minor characters in this book. So I was predisposed to enjoy this novel, and by and large I found it a pleasant read. The writing is light and brisk, very evocative of Georgette Heyer’s style (though of course not as good). I also liked the fact that the girls’ romances develop in a variety of ways. Some of them are true love stories with a happy ending, but some of them end in heartbreak, while one girl marries a kind man she doesn’t love after being betrayed by another suitor. This variety of outcomes especially makes sense in the Regency era, when marriage was basically the only choice for a gently bred young woman. The one thing I didn’t like was that, because of the sheer number of characters to follow, none of them are given much depth. I wasn’t particularly invested in any of the romances, nor did the mystery of the stolen necklace hold my interest (mostly because it was so easy to figure out). But for those who enjoy witty Regency fluff, I’d recommend this book as a fun read.

Review: The Other Daughter

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Other Daughter, TheLauren Willig, The Other Daughter

Working-class Rachel Woodley is currently employed as a governess in France, but she must return to England in a hurry when she learns that her mother is ill. By the time she gets back to her native village, her mother has died. As a grieving Rachel sorts through her mother’s possessions, she discovers a shocking secret: her father, whom she believed had died many years ago, is actually alive and well. Moreover, he’s an earl with a wife and daughter — his legitimate family. Shocked and angry, Rachel decides she must confront her father somehow. With the help of Simon Montfort, a young gentleman who is part of the earl’s social circle, Rachel assumes a new identity in order to get closer to her father. As she infiltrates the crowd of Bright Young Things in 1920s London, she manages to meet her half-sister and even obtain an invitation to the earl’s home. But the more she gets to know this side of her family, the more Rachel wavers in her desire for revenge.

While I adore Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series, her standalone novels have been a bit less successful, in my opinion. They usually lack the humor that makes the Pink Carnation books so much fun, and Willig’s trademark dual narratives (one historical, one contemporary) would split my focus in a way that I found very distracting. Happily, in this book, there is no contemporary framework narrative; the entire book follows Rachel’s journey in the 1920s. Perhaps for this reason, I ended up really liking the novel! I found Rachel’s motivations and feelings very believable, as she tries to deal with the fact that her entire identity has shifted. I also like that her feelings slowly change as she realizes that neither her father nor her half-sister is the pure villain she imagined at first. Of course, there’s a romance in the book as well, which I enjoyed very much — Simon is a delicious hero with a very interesting backstory. Overall, I liked this book a lot and would definitely recommend it to fans of historical fiction!

Review: First & Then

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First & ThenEmma Mills, First & Then

Devon Tennyson is a high school senior who couldn’t be more ordinary. She’s a decent but not exceptional student; she’s an only child with a stable home life; and she has no idea what she wants to do after graduation. For now, she’s happy to ignore the future and concentrate on having fun with her best friend Cas, who she’s hoping will finally notice her as more than just a friend. But when Devon’s freshman cousin Foster moves in with her family, her life slowly begins to change. Foster is strange and socially awkward, but while Devon finds him annoying at first, she eventually becomes very protective of him. Foster also introduces Devon to star quarterback Ezra Lynley, who’s recently transferred to their high school. Ezra is handsome, popular, and a shoo-in for a football scholarship, so Devon immediately assumes he’s an arrogant jerk. But the more she gets to know Ezra, the more she realizes that her first impression may not have been justified.

I’d been dying to read this book ever since I saw it promoted as “Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights.” I think that’s a fair comparison, in the sense that if you like those two things, you’ll probably like this book as well. Devon is a refreshingly ordinary heroine, and I enjoyed her wry, self-deprecating voice. I also really loved the progression of her relationship with Foster from distant cousins to (essentially) brother and sister. The romance with Ezra was nicely developed (the slowest of slow burns), but for some reason I didn’t find it especially compelling. Maybe that’s the reason I didn’t quite fall in love with this book the way I wanted to. But I do love the fact that Devon’s relationships with Foster and Ezra also open her up to other friendships. Initially, Devon’s only friend is Cas, and she’s so invested in him that she doesn’t really pay attention to anyone else. But throughout the course of the novel, she realizes that she’s been a bit self-absorbed and makes more of an effort to reach out to other people. So overall, I’m glad this book wasn’t just about the romance, but I still wish I’d felt a little more of the connection between Devon and Ezra.

N.B. An ARC of this book was graciously provided by the publisher. Publication date is October 13, 2015.

Review: How My Summer Went Up in Flames

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How My Summer Went Up in FlamesJennifer Salvato Doktorski, How My Summer Went Up in Flames

It’s the first day of summer, but Rosie Catalano is feeling anything but excited. Her boyfriend Joey, whom she had thought was the one, recently dumped her. In retaliation, Rosie had the not-so-bright idea of burning his stuff in his driveway, which resulted in an accidental car fire — and a restraining order against her! Now Rosie is dealing with humiliation as well as heartbreak, and her parents are more than a little bit concerned. But Rosie’s next door neighbor and best friend Matty has a solution: he and his two friends, Spencer and Logan, are driving from New Jersey to Arizona, where Logan will be attending college. He invites Rosie to come along, and her parents, worried about the consequences of her remaining in town, encourage her to go. Rosie is very reluctant about the trip at first, and her quick temper results in some very uncomfortable moments, especially with the standoffish Logan. But as she and the guys travel west, stopping at various landmarks around the way, Rosie reflects on the choices she’s made in the past and learns a little bit about herself. She may even find herself getting over Joey and falling for someone new.

This book was a gift, and while I probably wouldn’t have picked it up myself, I love a good road trip story! Overall, though, this book didn’t quite meet my expectations. First of all, it’s much more a coming-of-age story than a romance. While Rosie does eventually end up with one of the guys from the road trip, it’s very unclear whom she’ll choose for most of the book. On the plus side, this means the love story wasn’t predictable; on the minus side, I had absolutely no investment in the outcome of the relationship because I didn’t know whom I was supposed to be rooting for! I also wasn’t a huge fan of Rosie as a character. She makes a lot of bad decisions in this book, especially towards the beginning, and she never really stops to think about the consequences of her actions. Maybe I’m judging her unfairly because I can’t relate to her at all, but I found her antics more annoying than adorable. And finally, I was somewhat disappointed in the road trip aspect of the story. I can’t even remember the places they visited, except they might have gone to Graceland and/or Dollywood. Overall, the book’s not a bad read, but it just didn’t do anything for me.

Review: Circling the Sun

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Circling the SunPaula McLain, Circling the Sun

Beryl Markham is known to history as one of the pioneers of aviation: she was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west. But this novelized version of her life focuses on her childhood and youth on an African farm in what is now Kenya. Beryl’s family moved to Kenya when she was four years old, but her mother had trouble adapting to African life and soon returned to England. As a result, Beryl’s upbringing was unconventional, and her education was sporadic at best. She grew up with a deep love of the land and creatures surrounding her, and she loved to ride, shoot, and train horses. But as she approached adulthood, her father’s farm fell on hard times, and he eventually decided to sell the property and relocate to Nairobi. Distraught at the thought of leaving her home, and unwilling to be a burden on her father (with whom she was not close), Beryl married a neighboring farmer. But the marriage was not a happy one, and Beryl soon left him to become a horse trainer in her own right. The novel follows Beryl’s attempts to stand on her own against the odds, and it also chronicles her friendship with Karen Blixen — better known as Isak Dinesen, the author of Out of Africa — and her love affair with Denys Finch Hatton, whom the book portrays as the great love of Beryl’s life.

This book initially caught my interest because I find the early days of flight fascinating. It’s amazing to me that traveling by plane is so common now, when back then it was terribly dangerous, and only the most daring adventurers were brave enough to attempt it. Unfortunately, this novel has almost nothing to do with Beryl Markham’s career as an aviatrix; but I still ended up enjoying it a lot for the setting and characters. I don’t know much about Beryl’s life, so I can’t say how accurate the book is in its details, but it certainly paints a vivid and compelling picture of her character and of life in British East Africa at that time. The Beryl of this book was certainly ahead of her time in many ways. She married and divorced multiple times, and she had several extramarital affairs, including one with Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. She pursued a career at a time when most women were still relegated to the home. Such characteristics make her a compelling heroine, and I enjoyed reading about her adventures — although this book focuses a lot on her various romances, when I really wanted to know more about her professional life and aspirations. But I did enjoy the novel and would like to learn more about this era. I’ll have to read Out of Africa and Beryl’s own memoir, West with the Night!

Review: Uprooted

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UprootedNaomi Novik, Uprooted

For as long as anyone can remember, Agnieszka’s tiny village has lived under the shadow of the Wood, a forest possessed by dark magic that corrupts everything and everyone that ventures too close to its borders. Fortunately, the village is also protected by the Dragon — not a literal dragon, but a powerful wizard whose magic helps to keep the Wood at bay. But the Dragon demands a price for his services: every ten years, he takes a girl from the village back to his tower with him. The girls always return at the end of ten years, apparently unharmed, but they never stay in the village for long. Agnieszka was born in a Dragon year, so she has the potential to be the one chosen as the next tribute. But everyone knows the Dragon will choose Kasia, the kindest and most beautiful girl in the village, who happens to be Agnieszka’s best friend. Agnieszka already hates the Dragon for taking Kasia away. But of course, when the Dragon actually comes, it’s Agnieszka whom he takes. At first, torn from everything she’s ever known, Agnieszka is shocked and afraid, and the Dragon treats her with coldness and contempt. But when she discovers that she herself has magical abilities, she is eventually able to stand with the Dragon in the fight against the Wood.

This is, hands down, my new favorite book of the year so far! Everything about the lush, magical writing completely sucked me in; I wanted to devour it and savor it at the same time. I’m actually somewhat at a loss to describe exactly why this book worked so well for me. For starters, Agnieszka is a heroine after my own heart. While she’s not immune from fear and self-doubt, she doesn’t allow those emotions to rule her life. She also remains staunchly loyal to her friends and family back home, and when Kasia needs help later in the novel, Agnieszka is the first person to rush to her aid. I also really grew to love the Dragon, although he’s an indisputable jerk at first — a bit Darcy-esque, in a way, which possibly explains things. 🙂 And the plot is just as compelling as the characters: I completely believed in the menace of the Wood and Agnieszka’s growing belief that it needs to be stopped once and for all. In short, have you ever started a book and felt like it was written specifically with you in mind, because it has everything you love and unfolds so perfectly? Uprooted is definitely one of those books for me! It’s everything I want my epic fantasy to be, and I wholeheartedly recommend it!