I've sort of been something of an on-again, off-again fan of Tasha Alexander. The first book I read from her popular Lady Emily series was actually the fourth book: Tears of Pearls. I had actually never heard of her until I was this book offered in Amazon Vine, and I decided to give it a try. After, I didn't really keep up with her. It wasn't until a few years later that I stumbled across the first book in the series on the clearance rack at Half Price Books. Since it was only $3, I decided to give it a try. And, well, it certainly answered a lot of questions. Soon after, I grabbed every other Lady Emily book at my local library and started devouring them.

To date, my favorite book has been Death in the Floating City, with fascinating plot and unique storytelling, switching between the mystery in the present, and an account of a tragic pair of star-crossed lovers whose story is essential to the overall plot. In Behind the Shattered Glass, Alexander takes a somewhat similar approach with an "Upstairs, Downstairs" dichotomy, where the stories of the servants downstairs intersect with the nobles upstairs.

So, basically, we can call Shattered Glass the Downton Abbey one, because I couldn't shake that vibe the entire time I read this book. That in mind, it really made me wish that this book stood on its own more and wasn't trying to connect with some trend. Lady Emily is better than that. And, sadly, I felt like Lady Emily deserves better than this book. It felt somewhat rushed show more and much more underdeveloped than previous novels. The characters, for one, felt flat and, in some ways, didn't seem to be acting like themselves. The mystery also seemed like it didn't fit together to me -like there was pieces missing.

As much as I wanted to enjoy this book, it just was a letdown. It didn't feel like the same Lady Emily or even the same Tasha Alexander. Some fans online are even speculating that Shattered Glass was written by a ghost writer. Who knows, but it's just not on the same level. show less

I really enjoyed Stormdancer. It was something truly original, action-packed and just enjoyable to read. It really was something that I thoroughly enjoyed engrossing myself in, and I was still excited about reading the sequel.

Yet, from the beginning it felt like the sequel was off. The biggest problem? Editing. Kinslayer is very very poorly edited -it could easily lose 100 plus pages and probably be better than it turned out. Why you ask? Well, for most of the book, nothing happens. Nothing, just our plucky heroine being angsty about everything that happened at the end of the last book. It gets old fast. Really fast.

While I enjoyed Kristoff's writing style, the unique world seemed to get somewhat blurry in this book in comparison to the first one. It seemed like just about everything that was good about the first book was somewhat diminished here, almost like the author originally intended the book to just be a stand alone, but signed a deal for a trilogy and had to spend much of the second book running around in circle to try to figure out what to do next.

Though Kinslayer needs in a much better place than it started, it is still a major disappointment from the first book that could have used some more time in the editing room.

I'm generally not a fan of these types of books, but I admit that when The Demon Lover first came out (and I had a chance to review it) I decided I should just try it. No expectations, no pre-concieved notions. Just take it for what it is.

And really, even with such an open mind (for me, especially when it comes to a book), I thought the book was just average. Nothing special about it, nothing horrible about it. After skipping the second book in the series, I had yet another change to review the third book, Angel Stone, and again I thought: why not? I many not be entirely up-to-date on what was going on, but I decided to give it a try.

It was better than the first book, complete with plenty of gushing romance and dark gothic overtones that would make an fangirl squeal, but it still was just average. I was also surprised at how short this book is -not a lot of meat here if you ask me, but I guess stories like this don't need that much to them. While I would say that I was still underwhelmed by this series, it's not a bad summer poolside read- though it's not really my cup of tea.

I've enjoyed Gillian Bagwell's novels ever since I stumbled across her (kind of by accident) online. I specifically recall that it was very difficult for me to get my hands on her two previous novels, and instead of going through my usual methods of getting books, I had to order them online for a little bit higher price than I would have liked. Yet, it was more than worthwhile. Then, I had the opportunity to review Bagwell's latest novel, Venus in Winter. I was beyond excited and truly hope this means that she has been gaining more (well-deserved) popularity.

Venus in Winter explores the life of the famous Bes of Hardwick, a fascinating woman who was married four times, obtained quite a bit of money in her own right because of her many marriages and eventually rose to prominence in Court as a friend of the Greys and Elizabeth Tudor. Venus brings in Bess's young life, just before Henry VIII's disastrous marriage to Anne of Cleves. As Bess takes up a post in the household of Lady Zouche, she must navigate the perils of the Tudor court as well as that of our own marriages.

Well, I was somewhat disappointed in this book -though my disappointment is somewhat mixed. First, I have always found Bess of Hardwick to be a fascinating woman, but I felt like this book didn't quite do her justice. Why? Well, it only covers about half of her life -ending just as she marries her fourth husband, and not covering her time as the jailer of Mary, Queen of Scots and her relationship with show more Arbella Stuart. Both of which are significant and interesting centerpieces of Bess's life that were completely ignored. The focused seemed to be more on Bess's younger years, which wasn't super exciting.

While I did enjoy the writing and I thought the style was good, for the majority of the novel it seemed like the story was really about the politics of the Tudor period, rather than about Bess herself. A lot of time and focus was given to discussing Henry VIII's later marriage, Jane Grey, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth Tudor, almost to the point where it felt like Bess was just hearing gossip about all of these events and not doing much herself. It isn't really until about the final 100-ish pages of the book that Bess finally came into her own and was making her own way, instead of having a small satellite role in the drama of Tudor England.

Basically, I really wanted to see more of Bess's later years, when she becomes more actively involved in politics and truly comes into her own as a woman of property. In fact, I was surprised that such a fascinating part of her life was ignored here, but it has such great information to mine for plot reasons.

While I still respect and enjoy Bagwell as an author, I feel like she dropped the ball a little bit on this one. show less

Proxy is an interesting concept of what the future could be like, through an unexpected combination of modern issues (such as the 99 percent) and the classic children's novel "The Whipping Boy." All told through the lens of a teen-friendly novel written in a unique voice that doesn't shy away from telling a compelling, though possibly controversial story.

Proxy takes inspiration from The Whipping Boy, a story about a prince and his whipping boy, and how they forge an unexpected relationship. In Proxy, there are the haves and the have nots. Many of the have nots are poverty-stricken and very much in debt. In order to survive, they must sell off their debts to the haves so they can be paid off. In exchange for being "owned" by a rich family, the Proxy becomes a stand-in for their children's punishment, everything from disobeying parents to being hauled into jail for murder. Syd is a Proxy just two years away from being free. He's endured a lot as a Proxy to Knox, the highly disobedient son of a rich businessman. But things are never the same when Knox is found guilty of committing murder -and Syd is forced to take Knox's punishment. When the pair unexpectedly meet, Knox finds that Syd may not deserve to his the punishment in his place.

I really thought it was interesting that the author blended a very old concept -the whipping boy, traditionally a noble boy raised with a prince to take the physical punishments in place of the prince, the hope is that the prince would develop show more a friendship with the whipping boy and would therefore feel bad watching him taking the prince's punishments and hopefully decide to be good -with very modern concepts of consumer debt and the "1 percent" vs. the "99 percent." What was interesting to me, as an older reader, was when these ideas were wrapped into a more teen-friendly package. At some points, I thought the book crossed the line into more adult territory, but it helped give the story more weight.

While I did enjoy the more intelligent themes utilized here, I felt like the story didn't hold up as well as it went on. I started losing interest as it went on, almost like the novelty sort of wore off. I also was never a big fan of either of the main characters -Syd and Knox. I never felt sorry or emphasized with Syd, and Knox is a jerk. The writing in Proxy is strong, but I felt like it didn't hold up.

A very unique, insightful and somewhat prophetic novel that has more to it than the average teen dystopian novel. show less

Ever since Showtime launched The Borgias, a spiritual predecessor to The Tudors, the book industry has dutifully followed, offering a fresh cascade of historical fiction novels about the infamous Borgia clan. Yet, it seemed like everywhere I turned, I just wasn't getting anywhere with these books. One seemed about as dull, slow and obsessed with sex as the other, and I couldn't seemed to find any Borgia book that I would recommend to anyone -or that I even really enjoyed. As a fan of Dunant's other novels, I was hopeful that she would finally be able to get it right for The Borgias.

Well, I have to admit that I was disappointed. Blood & Beauty covered exactly the same ground as most of the other Borgia novels out there. It was slow-paced, especially at the beginning, and I felt like the book was somewhat laborious in places, where things needed to be significantly tightened up and strengthened. The book particularly suffered from telling too much instead of showing, especially in the exposition. For example, Dunant had to specifically tell readers that Juan and Cesare have a rivalry, that Lucrezia was an innocent child, etc. I got tired of it quickly and really wanted there to be more here.

While Dunant does try to stick to historical fact a little more than most other novels I've read ,it just didn't keep my interest.

These haunting words sets the stage for a new and innovative series surrounding the now well-discussed myths of the Henry VIII's many wives, particularly the struggle of Anne Boleyn. As many readers (and fans of Showtime's The Tudors) know, Anne's downfall was her inability to produce a son for Henry. In The Boleyn King, author Laura Andersen temps fate and explores a fascinating "what if" scenario, asking what would have happened if Anne had given Henry the son he so desperately wanted.

After giving birth to Elizabeth, Anne was desperate to have a son. And, in this alternative history, she gives birth to a living son. Having proven herself to Henry, Anne installs herself as his Queen and true wife, while Henry William, known as William, grows into the future King, alongside his sister Elizabeth and half-sister Mary.

Andersen weaves a fascinating and seemingly accurate depiction of how the politics (and future) of Europe would have been significantly different. Yet, I was amazed at Andersen's close attention to detail in her depiction of the radically different European landscape, and just how different history would have played out at this one seemingly small difference. I particularly enjoyed seeing Anne live into an older age, and seeing what may have happened to Anne's family, had it not been completely decimated.

I also found the character of Henry William to be believable as the child of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. I particularly enjoyed that the story remained show more focused on him and how this existence sent ripples through Europe and set the stage for even more drama. I really have to applaud Andersen for being gutsy enough to attempt this -the very first Tudor alternative history novel I've ever seen. It's fresh and innovative, but also feels like it could have been real. show less

After reading and enjoying Catherine Fishers other novels, Incarceron and Sapphique, I was eager to get my hands on another one of her books. So, I didn't hesitate when I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Obsidian Mirror.

We meet Jake, a rebel-without-a-cause looking to escape the confines of his oppressive boarding school. He is the ward of an eccentric godfather, Oberon Venn, after Jake's father died under mysterious circumstances. Jake believes that Venn killed his father, though he quickly finds that Venn harbors many secrets, many of which are hidden away in Wintercombe Abbey, his reclusive home. As Jake starts to dig into the secrets at Wintercombe, he finds that what he knows and believes about his father and godfather are certainly not what they seem.

Obsidian Mirror is a wonderfully fast-paced and enjoyable novel from Fisher filled with fascinating characters and fascinating secrets that fans of her other novels are sure to enjoy. Though there is a stronger fantasy element here than in Incarceron, I thoroughly enjoyed her use of the supernatural against the almost historical gothic-esque British backdrop. it helped to give the novel something a of mystique and a fascination that made it just feel right.

Recommended for fans of Fisher's other novels and teen fantasy novels. A fun and worthwhile read.

Set in 1950 New Orleans, Out of the Easy is not typically the type of book I would read. Though I'd characterize it as a young adult historical novel, which I generally enjoy, the setting and the basic premise itself wouldn't have caught my attention. It's only because I had the opportunity to review this book that I even considered picking it up. And guess what? I read it in just one day.



Josie came to New Orleans' famous French Quarter at a young age with her mother, a known (and seemingly proud) prostitute. As Josie grows up, she wishes for more out of her life than what her assumed future in New Orleans has to offer: nothing more than the same profession as her mother, a job as a humble clerk or a cleaning lady. As she fights to make a better future for herself, Josie becomes caught up in the New Orleans underground that could threaten to derail her plans for good.

What really pulled me in was the characters, especially Josie, and her struggles. She leapt off every page and drew me into her very realistic and honest struggles, and even though I haven't been through many of them myself, I felt that I could sympathize with her. That I understand her, and I was always cheering for Josie to find a better life for herself and to break the cycle. Josie has a tenacious and inspiring personality that readers will fall in love with. With every twist, every unexpected turn, and every joy and sorrow, I just couldn't stop wanting something more for Josie.

At its core, Out of the show more Easy is a very basic story about a girl's struggle to find more meaning in her life with few complexities. While I tend to prefer more stories with a little more going on, this book still offers a very relatable and honest heroine that draws readers in, set against a unique backdrop. show less

Everything I have ever read by Seanan McGuire has been amazing. EVERYTHING. Every single October Daye novel, all of the Mira Grant zombie novels and even McGuire's new Incryptid series. I am completely addicted to her amazing writing style, imaginative worlds, fast-paced action and incredibly fun characters. Seriously...I have not read one dud yet from Seanan McGuire. So, keep two important things in mind throughout this review: (1) I'm very biased and (2) I have high expectations for this book.

In her last adventure, everyone's favorite changeling turned knight Toby goes in search of another missing child, a fellow changeling with potentially dangerous powers. Powers that can open doors to dangerous places in Faerie that should remain closed and that could destroy the Faerie realm. Toby must find the lost changeling before things get out of control and before the Court of Cats goes nuts.

What is there to say about Ashes of Honor? It may be the sixth book in a series, but the Toby Daye books have not lost their steam at all. The world is just as mystical, vivid and wonderful as always, filled with plenty of new twists and turns that add some new levels to an already engrossing world. Nothing about Toby and her world is running out of steam at all here. There is still so much to explore in McGuire's version of Faerie that it never gets old. And the action never seems to stop for Toby.

Probably the biggest development was the relationship between Toby and Tybalt. After five show more previous book of build up it finally changed -not necessarily in a good way or in the way readers expect, but it's very interesting and it's great that the relationship advanced. But as you might expect, it's not that easy for the two of them with the Court of Cats trying to involve themselves in everything.

If you have not read any of the Toby Daye novels before, look up the first book, Rosemary and Rue and read it. Like now. This is an excellent series that never disappoints and never slows down. You won't regret it. show less

Set in Victorian England, this luscious and mysterious novel evokes the power of a classic inspired-novel with the magnificence of classic language and a hauntingly original plot.

The core plot of The White Forest revolves around one young man's sudden disappearance and the frantic search that ensues named Nathan, a well-born man of prestige. Jane, with her unique paranormal abilities, and her friend Madeline set out to find their mutual friend, only to find that their shared feelings for Nathan could rip their friendship apart. Meanwhile Nathan, fascinated by the occult and metaphysical realities, becomes involved with the Temple of the Lamb, something of a cult-like group. It's up to Jane to solve the mystery of Nathan's disappearance and to get him back -only if she can lock the secrets of her special gift.

From the very first page, I was engrossed in The White Forest. This book is written in an incredibly lyrical and downright gorgeous style that combines historical fiction with hints of fantasy, horror and romance, all wrapped into something of a classic Gothic novel. The writing just worked for this kind of dreamy novel, it helped to paint an incredibly dark and haunting atmosphere that make White Forest into a world all its own.

Aside from the writing style, I wasn't really sure about the plot. It wasn't what I was expecting, and not even in a good way. The book does start out slow and remains slow for a good portion of the novel, but the writing style is so show more memorizing that I could handle it. Once the story really got going, I was surprised at the strong fantasy/paranormal elements here. They were much stronger than the blurb implied, and as the story went out, it started to get a little too weird and out there for me. Even with the good amount of fantasy I typically read, all the strange moments of magic and paranormal elements just didn't work as well here. It was just too much.

While a lyrical read with gorgeous prose, White Forest goes into some strange and unexpected places that isn't really a good thing. I would recommend this to someone looking for a good gothic read heavy on atmosphere, but be warned: the plot is a little out there. show less

Young Celia is new to Suburban High School, a somewhat prestigious high school full of the haves and have-nots. And most importantly, an influential group of sophomores known as the Rosary, who seem to know what darkness is unfolding at the school. Young girls are having near-fatal accidents on the night before their sixteenth birthdays. No one seems to known what is happening or why, and as Celia nears her sixteenth birthday, she is drawn into a mysterious conflict between good and evil.

Strange is a good word for this book It come across as an odd bag of attempts at literary commentary mixed with the day-to-day struggles of high school students in a more market-friendly package. From the blurb, I was expecting something of a slightly off-beat teen mystery with something of a supernatural flair. Instead, Suburban Strange is more of an obscure collision of commentary about teen sexuality and the social pressures of high school with a dark/heaven and hell type mystery. All with far too many goth-y overtones. (And the gothic overtones were so darn angsty and annoying that I almost couldn't stand them. They made the entire book very drab and somewhat difficult to enjoy.)

Unfortunately, the flaws don't end there. Strange has some serious issues with pacing, especially at the beginning. It was far too slow and took too long to really get going. Yet, when it finally got going the plot did have a lot of promising ideas and some interesting commentary plus some really graphic and show more lovely writing. But I just felt like this book had some compelling concepts that just weren't realized. show less

After enjoying the time-travel twist in Ruby Red, I was eager to pick up Sapphire Blue when I had the opportunity to review it through Amazon's Vine program.

Gwen's life hasn't been the same since she discovered that she was the final member of a secret Circle of Twelve known for time traveling. As she's pulled into the Circle's strange world, Gwen has been trying to unravel the group's secrets while searching through history for her fellow time travelers. In the middle of everything, Gwen finds herself caught in deeper and darker mysteries -all while dealing the attractive Gideon.

For the most part, many of the flaws in Ruby Red were addressed. Yet, I still felt like the translation here was a little awkward. Though I understand that many of the characters were from historical periods, it still seemed like the more modern characters spoke in a highly formal and unnatural way with a strange pension for archaic words and uncomfortable sentence structure. While this is more obvious in the dialog, it's still an issue in the rest of the text and makes the entire story read very flat.

Aside from this, Sapphire Blue is still a readable book with some enjoyable action and a few good moments of time travel awesome. I wouldn't say that it's as good as Ruby Red, however. The story is decent, though not quite as compelling, and the romance was expected. I also think this book suffers a little from "middle book" syndrome. Not as much happens -there's not as much to introduce and not show more everything is resolved. Though Sapphire Blue does do a good job of building some interesting mysteries and offers some unique historical settings, it seems like its running in place for a good portion of the book.

If you enjoyed Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue is a decent sequel, but I know Emerald Green will be better. show less

The undead seem to be in right now. Not just the undead, but in another vine Victorian-period steampunk novels are becoming popular these days. And, strangely enough, I've found that I enjoy the steampunk elements -plus, it's hard for me to say no to an alternative Victorian history. Thus, the oh-so-fun looking God Save the Queen seemed like the perfect fit for me.

In an alternative version of England, Queen Victoria continues to rule 100 years later as an immortal. The aristocracy is immortal -werewolves, vampires and the such -and humans are left to live in fear of the nobles and a horrible plague. Young Xandra is a member of the Royal Guard and her duty in life is to protect the nobility -to the death. Yet, as Xandra digs deeper into the mysterious murder of her sister, she finds a conspiracy hidden in the depths of the London underworld that could bring down Victoria and the empire.

On paper, God Save the Queen seemed like a fun and fairly carefree book. I was expecting humorous dialog, fun moments and a fairly frothy plot. There was some of this in here -plus a good dose of the paranormal and the undead -but this just didn't hold up for me as the book went out. It didn't stay fun, the humor and witty dialog seemed to completely disappear and the plot became strangely...serious. This may seem somewhat uncharacteristic for me, but I was expecting this to be a light and fun read, but it just wasn't frothy enough.

I was also a little disappointing with the setting. The book show more promised a paranormal-driven novel with heavy Victorian steampunk elements, but the setting frequently seemed distant -hard to find sometimes. I was also unhappy with the heavy use of the vampire elements -I thought there was going to be more here than just that, but (and I don't know about you) I'm sick of vampires.

Overall, a decent book that started out okay, but didn't hold up as the story went on show less

In The Lost Girl, young Eva's life is not her own. She is not a normal human, she's just a copy, an echo, an "other" -a complete copy of another person created by the Weavers in order to replace a young girl named Amarra if she were ever die. As Eva studies Amarra's life, her likes and dislikes, her personality, her relationships -she finds that she's not as much like Amarra as she should be, though she may look the same. And when Amarra dies, Eva must take her place.

The Lost Girl has some of the strongest and most chilling writing I've come across this year. So much of this novel is infused with powerful metaphysical questions and vivid, crisp writing that pulls the reader into Eva's head. And as I dug deeper and deeper into this story -and into Eva's head -it was fascinating to see how different and free will she compared with what she was supposed to be. As I was pulled into Eva's story I became more compelled by the overarching plot and the ideas being discussed here.

While I enjoyed Lost Girl overall, I felt like some of the questions and themes brought up at the beginning didn't really stick. They started out with promise, but didn't hold up over time. Though some of the questions about identity did move forward, it did bother me that Lost Girl was a little too focused on the romance by my tastes. For a good portion of the book, the story basically came down to: "can I love who I want or does it need to be the same as Amarra?" While this is a plausible and show more interesting dilemma, I would have liked to have seem more going on.

Though Lost Girl has some great ideas and an interesting premise, I feel like it was a little lacking at the end and that it didn't quite meet up to its potential. show less

Set in Edwardian London, newcomer Adrienne Kress weaves a fun and refreshing tale of action, wit and mystery in her new novel The Friday Society. Following the intertwined stories of three different and rather unconventional young women: Cora, a lab assistant; Michiko, a Japanese fighting assistant; and Nellie, a magician's assistant, whose lives become linked after discovering a murdered man. It's up to these three women, all unique in their own right, to solve the crime. Set in a vivid steampunk work, The Friday Society offers a fun femme-powered whodunit with an unexpected twist.

I was in love with this book from the first page. Kress' writing is just so fun, easy and filled with great wit and vivid description. I felt like virtually every element on Friday Society was new and refreshing in the steampunk genre, powered by vibrant characters who leapt off the page (yes, all three of them). I was especially in love with the strong female protagonists here -they were a joy to read, easy to relate to and honest characters.

On top of great storytelling and well-crafted characters, Friday Society has great action that propels the story forward on every page. Kress has a strong style that captures the action elements almost perfectly, which helps craft the overall product into a fun, witty and downright enjoyable adventure.

If you're looking for something a little different, Friday Society is the perfect read.

Okay, so I'm not really a fan of Gena Showalter. I've read one of her adult novels and tried a handful of her YA novels, but I just never grew into her. Maybe it's because of her super devotion to romance and teen love stories, but I never really got into her other books. Yet, when I saw that she was doing Alice in Wonderland with zombies, I just had to pick it up. How can you go wrong with such a fun and quirky combination?



Alice Bell has never been a normal teenager, especially since her dad is constantly terrified of zombies. Yep -zombies. No one takes him seriously until Alice's life completely changes in one night, and she's left on her own to take revenge on the zombies. Yet, learning to fight the undead could mean dealing with one of the most mysterious, baddest and most dangerous boys in school.

Well, I don't know about you, but I was expected this book to be more like what the title implies: the classic Lewis Carroll novel(s), but with something of a zombie twist. Yet, Alice in Zombieland is nothing like that -the main character's name is Alice (or, Ali) and there's a white rabbit. The similarities pretty much end there. Yep -no quirky or whimsical Carroll overtones, no vain queens screeching "off with their head!" or anything else vaguely wonderland-related. This was the biggest let down for me -the lack of nods to the source material. The zombie aspect was decently-handled, but the romance aspect was certainly stronger -in fact, they may even want to rename this show more book Alice in Romanceland.



Aside from that (and it was incredibly difficult for me to get past this), Alice in Zombieland is an okay read. Maybe it would have gone down easier if I was already a Showalter fan (and thus, knew what to expect), or if I was really looking for a YA romance. But, that's not what I wanted from Zombieland. Thus, I was disappointed by this book, but Showalter fans may enjoy it. show less

Between the gorgeous cover and intriguing title, I couldn't say no to Demon Catchers of Milan. Seriously: demons? Milan? Girls fighting demons? Yep, absolutely sounds like my kind of thing.

Demon Catchers introduces readers to young Mia, a teenager possessed by a powerful demon. When her distant relatives come into town from Italy to save her, she learns about her family's long-time secret as a clan of Italian demon hunters. In order to be safe from demons, Mia must journey to Milan with her family to learn the ancient family business of fighting demons (not to mention learning Italian and meeting cute Italian boys).

Demon Catchers in an interesting read -not truly exceptional, but not horrible. Just overall a quick and enjoyable read with a decent main character. Probably the aspect that really shines through here are the descriptions of lovely Milan and reading about Mia's struggles to learn the language and understand her family's legacy -as well as master it.

In some ways, though, Demon Catchers just felt a little stale to me. The overarching story wasn't that original, the romance was fairly blah and I thought the end was a tad bit anti-climatic. But, regardless, Demon Catchers kept me reading up until the end with its solid writing style and cheer-able protagonist.

Philippa Gregory has long been associated with the highest quality in historical fiction. After reinventing the genre with her highly popular The Other Boleyn Girl, Gregory has consistently turned out quality period novels, taking on Henry VIII's other and somewhat lesser known wives, Queen Elizabeth I and the many ladies of the War of the Roses. In her latest entry into her Cousins' War series, Gregory tells the story of Anne Neville, the daughter of the famous kingmaker, Richard Neville, who put Edward of York on the throne.

It may seem simple on the surface, but there is much more to Anne's story. After Edward's highly unpopular marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, the subject of The White Queen, Anne's father felt betrayed and in order to secure his own connections to the throne, he marries Anne's older sister Isabel to Edward' brother George. When a series of failed revolts forces the Nevilles out of England, Anne is married to the exiled Edward of Lancaster in one last desperate attempt to put a Neville on the throne. But when the last Lancaster push for the throne fails, Anne is left adrift with an uncertain future.

Dare I say that Kingmaker's Daughter is one of the best books in the Cousins' War so far? While I enjoyed the others, especially The White Queen, Kingmaker's Daughter followed an incredibly fascinating young woman and her struggle as a political pawn during one of the most turbulent periods in British history. Through Anne starts off as a somewhat meek and show more weak young woman, she draws strength from her life experiences and grows into a stronger, more intelligent and motivated woman. On virtually every page, I fell more in love with Anne, cheering for her and wanting her to succeed and find happiness in a world that views her as little more than an annoying pawn.

Kingmaker's Daughter is considered Gregory's first "sister" story since Other Boleyn girl. Though the entire novel takes place through the eyes of Anne, there is ample time given to the complex relationship that Anne and her sister Isabel share (and, admittedly, I enjoyed Isabel more than Anne at first). Through all of the drama, the political ambition that seems to have rubbed off on the girls from their father, the greed and their relationship with their mother, Isabel and Anne are still sisters caught up in war and politics in a world where women do not have the power that men do.

I was honestly a tad bit disappointed with how Gregory handled the "sisters" aspect of the novel. Though Isabel and Anne's rivals and dramas were given some page time, the majority of the novel focused on the many other issues of the war and the sisters' relationship, I felt, wasn't given as much time as I would have liked. Also, for a while it seemed liked the working title for this book was "The Kingmaker's Daughters," which implied that it was about Anne AND Isabel. Though Anne's story may be more interesting, I would have liked to have seem some narration by Isabel to help the reader get a peek into her life and get her side of the story.

Aside from the that, the only other small thing that bothered me was the repetition. Since Gregory has already written three novels about this period, it can be a little difficult to discuss fully new events in each book. Though Kingmaker focused on different characters and angles, it still covered the same period and the same conflicts, so at times I felt like I was reading too much of the same things that happened in the previous books.

Yet, despite these few stumbling blocks, Gregory still delivers an incredibly exquisite, well-constructed world of high historical detail and compelling characters. Kingmaker's Daughter is one of the standout novels of the Cousins' War, with a lot of action, politics and great character conflict that's exactly what Gregory fans have come to crave. show less

It's hard for me to say no to a Victorian-period novel, especially one with a gorgeous cover like this. Combine that with Libba Bray connections and a compelling quote and I was hooked. I had to try this book. And, for the most part, I felt like it delivered (though I admit, it does seem like much of what's in here has been done before).

In England 1915, young Lora has always known that she's difference from those around here. She hears songs that no one can here, she hears voices in her mind, she has strange yet oddly prophetic dreams and she knows how important it is to hide her abilities. After she's sent off to an elite boarding school, Lora finds herself in a gorgeous gothic castle where she meets two boys -one who will open the door to her future, one who threatens to destroy her future.

From the very first page, I was hooked. Author Shana Abe has an incredible writing style that's lush and romantic, yet tinged with an eerie and unsettling sense. Almost like the words are haunted with some dark past behind then that the reader can't quite touch. Through the unexpected and riveting opening, Abe was able to build a spellbinding atmosphere that offered a unique level to this book and kept me riveted to every page.

Aside from the incredible writing and atmosphere, other elements of the book felt a little weak to me -probably because these eerie undertones were so strong and so well done. The characters were just okay -they didn't really stick out, but they didn't really show more fade into the background either. The plot was sadly a little predictable seemingly well-trodden, but the book does deliver exactly what the blurb promises: a romantic Victorian historical in the vein of Bray and Kate with a supernatural element. And that supernatural element was really compelling and very well depicted -it didn't feel cheesy or absurd, and it was one of the more original aspects of the book.

Which brings me to my one main beef with this book: it's not that original. I've read this story before. Several times, but in a somewhat different setting. But, overall, this book is exactly what someone would expect based on the blurb. A solid and haunting read. show less

I don't know about you, but I'm getting sick of those "frilly" dystopian novels that are focused almost solely on romance with a thin semi-dystopian backdrop that really doesn't do much other than just offer yet another teen romance. I'm just tired of this old warn out approach to the same or very similar subject matter. Thus, one of the things I liked about The Forsaken is that it's not about romance -it's about offering a unique and thought-provoking read steeped in more hard-core science fiction with a gritty sense of frightening realism.

The Forsaken takes place in the near future, where Mexico, the U.S. and Canada have joined into one mega country called the U.N.A and the government rules with an iron fist. Ever since the night when Alenna's parents were taken by the government, she's become an obedient ward of the state. But, at the age of sixteen Alenna fails a government-mandated test meant to identify offenders with high capacity for brutal violence and is sent to The Wheel, an island filled with criminals.

Yeah, it may seem a little convoluted at first glance, but it really works well. Author Lisa Stasse has an incredibly tight and vivid style that perfectly combines action with science fiction with just a sprinkling of thought-provoking dystopian over it. I loved the dark and gritty sense here -and the wold conspiracies that unraveled as the reader delved deeper into the wild world of The Forsaken.

This book isn't for fans of more dystopian romances such as show more Matched, but better suited to people who are just ready for something a little different, a little more mature and want something beyond just a teen romance. While a few things at beginning did seem a little rushed, I have no other criticism for this book, it was non-stop action from beginning to end. show less

After reading some of Laura Bickle's adult novels, I was curious to see how she transitioned to the world of YA fiction, especially the currently-popular YA dystopian genre. After reading the summary, though, I wasn't really sure what to expect. This sort seemed like the Bickle I knew, but not really -the Amish element seemed to be throwing me off. Interestingly, I have some knowledge of the Amish and their culture going into this. Since much of my family lives in Ohio, I took several trips there as a child and encountered many Amish and I was also so fascinated by their simple, yet strikingly different way of life. Thus, I was interested to see how Bickle approached it.

The Hallowed Ones follows the adventures of Katie, a young Amish girl on the verge of her Rumspringa, the unique time in every young Amish person's life when they get the opportunity to experience the outside world, known as The Outside. But, as Katie prepare, rumors of unrest and plague trickle in from the Outside. Afraid of the danger, the Elders rule that no one is to come in or go out. But when Katie finds an injured man, she can't leave him to die. But with this act, she invites the plague in (and, vampires!).

Something about The Hallowed Ones is just chilling. Bickle does an incredible job of building a powerful and eerie atmosphere that captures the sense of horror and edginess perfectly. This book was so darn creepy it was almost difficult to read at certain times. Yet, I couldn't put it down. The show more eerie atmosphere captivated me completely and the underlying horror elements were incredible.

And Bickle's depiction of Amish life is incredibly vivid and very accurate. I especially enjoyed seeing this accuracy in fiction -it added a level of realism to it that made it even more chilling. It really added to the overall novel to have the juxtaposition of this very simple Amish world with that of the frantic, "murderous" outside world. Just really well done.

Though this is a quick read, it's denser than most YA dystopian novels out there, so be warned. show less

After having far too much fun with the first book, I could not wait to read Dearly, Beloved, the second zombie novel by Lia Habel. Something about the book's quirky combination of neo-Victorian, steampunk, science fiction, romance and zombie horror was just so much fun to read. Thrown in an interesting plot and some imaginative writing, and Dearly, Departed was a winner for me, even in all of its oddities.

And Dearly, Beloved continued that quirky yet compelling blend.

Now in a relationship with zombie Bram, Nora faces the prejudice of the neo-Victoria society against zombies -and even worse, Nora's father. But now, a new war is brewing, one that could tear the nation of New Victoria apart. A war between a group of sentient and dangerous zombies and a group of terrorist-like guerrillas we are determined to take out every last one of the living dead. While Nora's father races to find a cure for the zombie "plague," it just may not be enough.

Basically everything I enjoyed about the vivid steampunk/science fiction/semi-historical setting from the first book was even stronger here. Even more than in the first book, I was able to dive deeper into this fascinating world and get a better understanding of how it ticks. But this time, Nora finds herself as more of an outsider to her country and her family because of her zombie boyfriend (even though there are intelligent zombies and other, brainless classic zombies that exist in this world).

While I didn't enjoy Beloved as much as show more Departed, it's still a great follow up that expands on the first novel instead of rehashing it. But be warned -if you haven't read the first book, you'll be a little confused here. There's really so much going on aside from just the main story and readers can easily get confused without the background. But don't let that concern you -just be sure to pick up Dearly, Departed first. You won't be disappointed. show less

After thoroughly enjoying Little Bee, I was excited when I had the opportunity to review Chris Cleave's new novel, Gold. While my expectations were high, honestly, Cleave actually exceeded those expectations and delivered something incredibly heartfelt, emotional and delightful to read.

Just in time for the 2012 London Olympics, Chris Cleave offers a new novel about a part of olympic-level cyclists who have been best friends for years. Through all their training, determination and focus, Kate and Zoe have stuck together and supported each other through national competitions and even the Olympics. Now, they are facing the most difficult trial of their lives: the 2012 Olympics amid the trials of age, responsibilities of family and the unexpected difficulties that life tends to throw in your way. While Kate is naturally talented at the sport, she is dealing with her daughter Sophie, who is battling possible leukemia remissions. And Zoe, always competitive, is so desperate to win the gold, even at the expense of her friendship with Kate, that it could cost her her sanity.

Gold is an incredibly well-written and emotional novel that captures the drama of the Velodrome linked with the trials of family life and friendship. Even though I actually read an Advanced Reader's edition of Gold, Cleave's writing was already tight and crisp. Every sentence resonates with the reader and draws them deeper into the story. I especially enjoyed the sections where Sophie narrated, much of which show more centered around Star Wars reference which really appealed to the nerd in me.

Speaking of Sophie, it was incredible to see how she got lost in the world of Star Wars as a way to cope with her leukemia and other family issues. It's a very normal human response, especially for a child, and Cleave builds an incredible character through her quirky narration that make readers fall in love with her. And Sophie isn't the only character here that is well-constructed. Kate is an honest and realistic woman that has to balance work and home life while still trying to follow her dreams. Zoe, on the other hand, does seem a little contrived at times -her somewhat insane and compulsive personality is primarily tied to trauma over her brother's death, and all of her issues are conveniently tied to this one incident. At times, this can come across as somewhat contrived and her personality seems a little over-the-top, but I didn't think it was outrageous enough to harm the novel overall.

By the end of this book, I was on the edge of my seat and was almost in tears. The characters and their struggle became so real to me that I wanted to be part of every moment. Though this is not Little Bee, Gold is an excellent novel that delivers an incredibly emotional story with engaging characters. show less

There are far too many books out there about Henry VIII and his many wives. There, I've said it. The Tudor fiction genre has been completely saturated with countless novels just recounting the same stories over and over and, at this point, I've kind of had enough of it. I know the queens, I know all of their life stories, so there isn't really much out there to explore that's new. Yet, despite this, I was strangely impressed by To Die For, Sandra Byrd's first Tudor-period novel in her Ladies in Waiting series. Why? Because of the added story of a fictional lady-in-waiting infused the novel with something unique that made it stand out from the other books in the genre. Byrd continues to offer something new in the Tudor genre with her second Ladies-in-Waiting novel, The Secret Keeper.

The Secret Keeper tells the story of Kateryn Parr (or, Katherine Parr) through the eyes of Juliana St. John, the daughter of a prosperous knight. Through the family's connections with the Seymour family, Juliana is introduced to Kateryn Parr (Lady Latimer at the time). Soon after, Lord Latimer dies and Henry VIII proposes marriage to Kateryn. Unable to refuse the king, Kateryn leaves for court, taking Juliana with her. The entire while though, Juliana tries to hide her mysteries gifts of prophecy, even though her ominous visions seem to keep coming true.

In traditional Tudor fashion, The Secret Keeper is packed with plenty of vivid history, political intrigue and religious politics, all woven show more together seamlessly. Yet, instead of just reciting the well know tale of Kateryn Parr's life (complete with the many different Tudor monarchs of the time), Byrd brings a unique angle to the novel with Juliana's original story. Though it is a little light on romance for much of the novel, Juliana's story is strong enough to stand out from Kateryn's and equally as engaging. Though I felt like there were stretches of time where there was too much focus on Kateryn and not enough on Juliana, Byrd still did a good job overall of painting the period, telling the overarching story while balancing elements of the original plot line.

The writing style in Secret Keeper is solid and, overall, am improvement on To Die For. Though it may not be as poetic or in-depth as many of the other Tudor novels out there, Secret Keeper is a quick and solid read that offers something a little different for readers who are getting tired of the same old Tudor drama. show less

When it comes to historical fiction, I'm a little bit of junkie. And like most readers, I have my favorite periods, which tend to land closer to Renaissance period, medieval, 12th century or even sometimes up until the 17th century, but I generally don't go much past that (except for maybe Prohibition-era America). So, I was going out on a limb a little bit with Vivaldi's Muse, a historical novel set in the 18th century around the career of one of the most amazing composers of all time.

Vivaldi's Muse tells the story of Annina Giro, a young woman who became the lifelong opera protegee of Vivaldi himself. From a young age, Annina has dreamed of being an opera singer, even if that means giving up a traditional life with a husband and children and leaving her family behind. At first installed as the student of another composer, Annina builds a unique relationship with Vivaldi, becoming something of a surrogate daughter. After surviving the perils of opera rivals, betrayal, scandal and romance, Annina finds herself at the center of a lucrative opera career -and the loving protegee of Vivaldi.

Author Sarah Bruce Kelly offers an unique exploration of the relationship between Annina and Vivaldi, and how it shaped both of their lives. Told in a strong and vivid style, Kelly does an incredible job of painting a fantastic and believable portrait of 18th century Venice with all the glitz and glamor of the stage, the politics of art and the scandals of the nobility.
Though it was show more fascinating to read about the relationship between Vivaldi and his protegee -and there are so many fascinating things going on here! -this book seemed a little anti-climactic to me. Sure, there was drama, there was scandal, but it seemed like the drama just wasn't strong enough to carry the entire book and it didn't feel "big" enough to be the culmination of the entire novel. The book seemed to just trail off at the end into a natural ending, but without hitting the right dramatic notes near the end.
Even though this kind of bugged me, it wasn't enough to break the entire novel. Vivaldi is still an enjoyable historical novel about a little-known historical figure that comes to life on each page. show less

Elysia is a Beta -the first generation of teen-aged human clones. Elysia is only part of a larger experiment on the technologically advanced island paradise of Demesne, the playground for the wealthiest citizens. Despite her experimental nature, Elysia has been genetically engineered to be perfect in every way -and to never question her human superiors. When she is purchased by the wife of one of wealthiest inhabitants of the island as a replacement daughter, Elysia soon finds that her new home is only a fancy gilded cage. As she begins to feel human emotions and yearn for something beyond a life of servitude, Elysia learns that there is more to the slave-clones of the island then it may seem.

Beta was one of those books that really amazed me. And absolutely not in a bad way -only in a good way. After barely a page, I was completely sucked into this fantastic book. Cohn has an incredible writing style that perfectly captures the characters emotions and paints a highly detailed and refreshing new world. While Elysia may have been a little difficult to connect with early on (well, she's an emotionless clone, so that makes sense), Cohn's world in Beta was strong and incredibly believable. On top of that, the side characters have more characterization than the average side characters, and even though I didn't like some of them, I enjoyed hating them, I understood them and I wanted to read more.

Between the incredible characters and the rich setting, it was hard to go wrong on show more any other front. Cohn's writing is tight and strong, and the plot is engaging for the most part. The only small issue I had with this book is that it does seem to get a little lost in the middle. At the beginning there was so much going on so quickly that there almost never seemed to be a moment to breath. Then, as I got deeper into the book, it felt like things really slowed down and even became somewhat tedious. For around 50 pages or so, Beta became a bit of slog, where the story became out subtle details and little action.

Then, everything changed as I moved into the climax. Everything came together and exploded into a seriously epic climax that was incredible. I flew through the last part of the book, hung onto every word and cannot wait until the next book. Beta was one of those truly original novels that got every element right. show less

Science Fiction takes a unique turn in What's Left of Me, a debut YA novel from author Kat Zhang. Drawing on some unexpected premises, What's Left offers a refreshing take on the science fiction genre and asks some interesting questions about the nature of the human soul.

In What's Left, some people are born with two souls. Eva/Addie is one of these people. As they grow up, Eva and Addie's parents how that there divided daughter will eventually "settle" like most children with the same issue. Yet, they don't. Only after intense therapy does Addie finally take over completely and Eva becomes little more than a whisper in the back of Addie's head. That is, until Addie becomes friends with other issue students who long to let their other halves out again. It's not long until the authorities start to suspect and Addie/Eva are shipped off to a government institution to "fix" their condition.

The first few pages of What's Left completely drew me in. Zhang has an incredibly polished and sharp writing style that perfectly captures emotions, senses and a haunting atmosphere with perfection. I was entirely captivated by Eva's conflicts and the unique struggles that occurred only in the characters' minds. Completely fascinating and so engrossing -as is the plot for the majority of the book. Up until Eva/Addie got to the government institution, the action didn't seem to stop, but it seemed to come to a screeching halt once the reader finally got into the real meat of the story.

I think show more what really ruined this final section of the book for me is that I felt like this was the time to finally explain some important things about the novel and give a little more background. Yet, this never happened. Up until the very end I was left wondering why on there certain people in this world just happen to be born with two souls, why exactly it's bad and what real interest the government has in these people. A few of these issues are touched upon, but I felt like there was so much background information about the world that never came out that I was a little lost. Since many of the main conflicts and concepts of the story seemed lack any real grounding, their importance was incredibly diminished and it made the setting feel less realistic.

Which brings me to the setting itself and the general lack of description for much of this book. It's implied that it takes place in the near future, but it doesn't really feel futuristic enough. Once I got over my fascination with the tight writing and the unique concept, I didn't find much else of interest here. The plot just didn't hold up and the lack of background information made the book very unbelievable for me. What's Left of Me had great, great potential, but it just didn't make it. show less

I have always loved the classic myths surrounding the Valkyries, a little known group of flying horse-riding warrior women whose job is to guide heroes to the afterlife. It sounds so simple (and somewhat grim reaper-like), but there's something about it that's compelling. I loved the Valkyries so much that I devoted an entire project to them in one of my college classes and read just about every source text (which isn't that much) about them. The main thing I found is that they are blonde warrior women beholden to Odin.

So it's not surprising that I was drawn to Ingrid Paulson's Valkyrie Rising. Here, young Ellie is visiting her grandmother in Norway with her oh-so-perfect and very-popular-with-locals brother Graham. Life seemed to be slow and dull for Ellie in Norway until boys started disappearing, mostly Graham's friends -and even Graham himself. Fueled with the need to find her brother, Ellie finds that she's descended from a long line of mythical woman warriors and it's here destiny to take her place as a warrior.

Okay, on the surface this book looks awesome: Valkyries, warriors, girl characters who kick butt, but it nearly really seemed to get there for me. The writing is straightforward, but lacking in detail and crispness. Ellie, for all her kick-butt greatness and occasional witty comes, just never leaped off the page for me. She just read as a one-dimensional character with little motivation -only to do things because they must advance the plot.

And speaking of show more the plot, Valkyrie Rising had so much potential, but it was just stuck in first gear. It just never engaged for me because everything was so darn predictable. No twists, no turns, just a very expected coming-of-age/training/romance-y/supernatural-ish story. Nothing new, nothing all that compelling. I just wish there was more here to interest me, but I just got bored.

Perhaps my hopes were too high for this when I saw the word "Valkyrie," but this book just falls short. show less

They might as well rename this "the younger years of Victor Frankenstein" because that's basically the idea.

In This Dark Endeavor, author Kenneth Oppel tackles the unknown younger years of the mad scientist behind one of the best known horror stories of all time. For some strange reason, I knew absolutely nothing about this book prior to winning it from blog giveaway, so I went into it with virtually no expectations. What I found was something completely incredible that will change your view of the classic Frankenstein story.

Victor and his twin brother Konrad have been inseparable their entire lives. Along with their beautiful cousin Elizabeth, the trio have spent much of their lives going on adventures. But their carefree youth comes to a grinding halt when they stumble upon a Dark Library filled with forbidden texts about alchemy and other ancient medicines. Even though Victor and the others are forbidden from returning, Victor is drawn back to the Library when Konrad becomes strangely ill with a disease that has no cure. To save Konrad, Victor and Elizabeth team up with their friend Henry to unleash an ancient alchemy.

This book is incredible. Just completely, absolutely incredible. The writing is vivid, sharp and powerful. The plot is engaging and fits perfectly into the Frankenstein mythos. But most importantly, the characters leaped off the page, especially Victor. I was wondering how another author could possibly re-create that mad scientist, and Oppel does it show more perfectly. Victor is a powerful character with believable motivations and realistic passions and obsessions. And even though I didn't really like Victor, I understood him. It's nearly impossible for any author to do this so well, and even though it's been a long time since I've read the original Frankenstein, Victor seemed like a much more sympathetic character here.

Even though this book was a little slow at the beginning, I was on the edge of my seat by the end. The tight action combined with overwhelming emotion kept the tension high for much of the latter half of the book. It's been a long time since I've read something ingrained with so much passion and emotion, and I was hooked up until the very end. show less