Tag: YA Fantasy book review

YA Fantasy, YA romance

My Review: An Enchantment of Ravens: by Margaret Rogerson

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Publish Date: September 26th, 2017
Number of Pages: 300 Pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre(s): YA Fantasy, Romance

To see my Fancast/Dreamcast of this book – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 3.5 Stars

Not too bad for a debut novel!

Fantasy novels that star the Fae are always entertaining; whimsical with adventure, romance and danger work together and this title is a fun addition to read for anyone who love to read about them. It’s a sweeping adventure with a long journey with two characters who just can’t admit to each other their feelings towards each other.

It’s simple, but effective, and is surprisingly a standalone novel, which is so rare for any sort of Fantasy-genre piece of literature, especially one so short. Nonetheless, It was a nice change of pace and a simple, lighthearted, feel good, fairytale-like quick read that could be read in one sitting.

I had some doubts going into this title, basically because it has some mixed reviews on Goodreads, and the fact that I have so many more books I need to read. One of my new coworkers at my new location at work (Same company, but different location) recommended I try it, plus the reviews for the authors latest book, Sorcery of Thorns, have been absolutely glowing, so a part of me felt like I should open this one up and give it a chance, because if I read it after her other title, there’s no way I’d like it.

Also, Charlie Bowater is such an amazing digital artist! She’s one of my all time favs and is the cover artist for this title and plenty others! Seriously, check out her stuff and enjoy! (Link on her name is towards her site!)

What It’s About:

This story stars a young woman, Isobel, who is a master painter for the Fae (this book terms them as the fair folk). Her works always impress her clientele, who can’t produce their own craft, so they seek out humans to cut a deal with. Give them something, and in return they will reward one with some sort of enchantment: to make them more attractive, to make them live longer, or to help their crops for a long dry season.

One day, the Fae Prince of the Autumn Court, Rook, returns to the mortal lands after a long hiatus, and visits her in her home and has Isobel commission a portrait for him. She winds up painting human emotion within her piece; making him appear sad and lonely, and a week later comes back in a rage. To the other fair folk, he now looks weak so she must come back to the Autumn court with him to be put on trial for her offense. Part of her is terrified, but another part of her is excited to leave her town of Whimsy, a land stuck in permanent summer. What must it be like to go to the other courts and see what winter, spring, or autumn for the first time ever?

Along their journey, so many unexpected things happen; they’re both in for more than they’d ever imagined, secrets come to light, but most important of all, Rook and Isobel discover an emotion towards each other that is extremely forbidden…Love. The problem is, Fae and humans can’t be in love by law of faerie kind, and is punishable by death.

What I Liked:

  1. Prince Rook! Rook was freakin’ adorable! He wins the MVP award of being my favorite character in the whole book. He’s the Prince of the Autumn court and he takes Isobel to put her on trial for her (accurate) painting of him, and along the way on their journey, they end up secretly falling in love with each other without the other knowing, and something about these brooding, snarky, intense guys in fantasy novels and how they act around the girl they fall for is my undoing…it’s so sweet to see their entire personality change, they show a rare smile only meant for that person…god, i’m such a hopeless romantic…Also, his inability to understand sarcasm or metaphors was a huge highlight! It was like Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, and how he takes every spoken word literally. It was like he had some sort of version of autism (or it’s just because he’s high fae), but it was so adorable, and added so much to his character!
  2. It’s A Standalone Novel! It seems for a lot of fantasy series now a days, it’s all series, and that’s totally cool! But sometimes it’s hard for us to be able to commit to so many at once, and sometimes it’s a nice change of pace to read a single story, which is so rare now. It’s a short, quick read that is a nice little bridge to read between major book series.
  3. Same Old Fae Lore, But Still Felt Original! So, after reading this book, I’m starting to see a pattern with a lot of Fae fiction that’s created out there: there’s the ability to not tell a lie, the seasonal courts, the weakness to iron, the hindrance towards humans, the strength of true-name, it’s nice that it stays consistent
  4. The Developing Romance! It felt like a bit of Insta-love, which is so played out, but one thing I really got into was the romance that built between Isobel and Rook. They had some fun chemistry, a lot of hilarious banter, but even just reading the author’s prose, I felt the unrequited love burn between them and really enjoyed it.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. The Climax/ Ending…The entire set up of the book was spectacularly done; the build up was so incredibly entertaining, the banter between Rook and Isobel was stellar, but the climax and ending felt so rushed, so anti-climatic. It felt like I was back in 8th Grade reading the Twilight series underneath my covers so no one would see me with how the final confrontation is actually avoided rather than given to us in some epic way we’d hope for. The book also needed maybe 50 to 100 more pages of content and I think it would have been so much more successful. It was like all of Season 8 of Game of Thrones compared to the whole rest of the show, but of course, on a much smaller scale!
  2. It Needs more Danger!…Like Caraval, this book has a lighter tone and it’s more fun, whimsical, and fairytale-like, and that’s all fine and dandy, but there were parts where I wish more action, more drama, and higher stakes to add more to the story! It was slower paced, which was fine and acceptable, but I can’t read all books that are like that!

Conclusion:

Overall, this was an impressive debut from Margaret Rogerson! She has a specific voice in her prose; tons of metaphors and similes, which is a turn off to some readers, but worked rather well for this kind of story. If this is her first published work, I can’t wait to see what else she comes out with!

It was a fun read, but I still wanted more: It needed more magic, more danger, more development of characters besides the two protagonists, more relationships beyond the main romance, more unpredictability, more political intrigue (which is ironic coming from me).

I recommend this title to anyone looking for a lighthearted, romantic fairytale-like story, or for anyone who loves to read fiction that stars the Fae, or anyone who needs a break from the trilogies or the 4+ book series and wants to read a fun, standalone title!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

New Adult Romance, YA Fantasy, YA romance

My Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1): by Sarah J. Maas

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Publish Date: May 5th, 2015
Number of Pages: 419 Pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genre(s): YA Fantasy, Romance, New Adult

Total Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

Another title to add to those that fall under the modern retellings of classic fairytales, this one being Beauty and the Beast, but coming from the author of the bestselling Throne of Glass series, there’s no way I wasn’t going to give this a try. Like any SJM book, the reviews are mostly lovingly obsessive and elated over having another YA Fantasy series of hers to get into, and with reading the blurb on what this book is about, it also makes total sense.

After completing this book, I felt the same things as when I read Throne of Glass for the first time: intrigued, entertained, and hopeful for all the possibilities where this story could possibly go. We have a young heroine, a fascinating world, gorgeous fae men, snarky comebacks, and a teasing sample of the evil that threatens their world, and all the while this book also feels like pure set up for what else may come our way, and oh boy, there will probably be a lot coming! The main differences in this story is:

1.) it’s more high fantasy and less grimdark like the beginning of TOG

2.) Romance is put on the forefront instead of a story of revenge/redemption.

What It’s About:

Feyre Archeron, the youngest of three sisters along with only their father, has grown up used to being the only one who can actually take care of her family, who live in poverty and can barely scrape by. They live in the southern, mortal lands of Prythian, where humans have an uneasy treaty with the High Lords of the Fae, who all have their own kingdoms throughout the land north of the invisible force field known as “The Wall.”

The Map of Prythian, courtesy of the series wiki page

When out in the woods hunting for food, Feyre witnesses a wolf trying to take the deer she pursued, and ends up killing it out of self defense. She has no idea the choice she made right then and there would change her life forever, because it turned out that the wolf was actually a powerful fae who’d altered their appearance, and mortals killing anyone fae comes with deadly consequences.

The High Lord of the Spring Court, Lord Tamlin, comes to her home to take her and have her live at his chateau as his prisoner (although, if how she lives there is called a prison, she’s not really suffering too much). Tamlin wears a golden mask that hides most of his features, but seems weary of answering a lot of the questions that pop up along the way, which only makes Feyre even more curious to want to find out more the longer she’s there, but as she learns why, her initial distrust and hostility slowly turns to passion and lust as she also discovers the dangers that lurk within the magical realm.

It turns out theres an ancient curse on the land, and Feyre may have something to do in order to being able to help faerie kind break it before its too late, and the man she comes to love will be lost forever…

What I Liked:

  1. Lots and Lots of Great Characters! SJM absolutely excels at creating fun, interesting characters and giving them a unique dynamic to help drive the story. In this title, I’d say my favorite characters are Lucien, the crafty but loyal best friend of Tamlin, The Suriel who is a low fae that is extremely hard to find but has to tell the truth of any question you have should you capture him, and Rhysand…oh Rhysand…how much I want to say, but in due time with later book reviews…in this title, he’s a conflicting character; an intriguing villain/anti-hero, the High Lord of the Night Court and the most powerful of all the High Lords of the Fae, but is the right hand man of a madwoman…well, those fae males can’t be entirely perfect.
  2. Hints at More to Come! Like the first TOG title, this book felt like it was just entirely set up for what’s to come later on in the series, and one thing I love doing is brainstorming, thinking of all sorts of ideas of what those possibilities may actually be, and even helps me develop my own ideas for writing.
  3. The Worldbuilding! SJM seemed to have took more time and delicately plan out the world she wanted to have this story take place in, and seems to want to share every aspect of it, except that she doesn’t go into as much detail as I’d have liked about the other courts within Prythian. There’s seven total courts total, and they are differentiated by the seasons (Summer, Spring, Autumn, and Winter) along with the time of day (Dawn, Day, Night). The reason I put this in the “like” column is because my hope was that these courts are all shown to us later on in the series, and I was incredibly interested to see how the author made these different kingdoms come to life.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. It’s Slower Paced…SJM’s writing has improved over time and has become so much more eloquent and compelling, and there’s a ton of action going on in her other series around the time this title was released, but you may feel like you’re taking a few steps back with this one, as the overall pacing is much slower than what we’ve gotten used to. The worldbuilding is given much more specific attention, but the real danger/action doesn’t start until the last third of the book, which is kind of a shame because the author writes action so incredibly well. This story feels a little less plot driven, but more character driven and just plain exploring a new and unusual world, which isn’t always the best route to go in terms of a fantasy genre novel. Luckily, there are little snippets that hint at danger that can keep you guessing and wondering enough to keep on reading!
  2. It’s Not really a Retelling…So after reading this book, I can conclude that while there are many aspects that may be seen as similar, it’s not entirely an actual Beauty and the Beast retelling, or if it is, it’s not the best in terms of that aspect. Tamlin seems to be put in the position as the Beast: the ruler of the cursed land, the one who must somehow break that curse, and has his subjects who also share the punishment with him. While I personally know more into the story as I type this review, I know this is not true at all…but like I said, more on that later in other reviews…All I can say to sum it all up is, yes, the first part of this story feels like another retelling, but then when Feyre goes under the mountain, it changes the whole game!

Conclusion:

Sarah J. Maas does it again with the start of another fantasy series that feels so very different from Throne of Glass, and allows us to once again start over with her words, but this time after having her writing improve dramatically over the years. The world she’s created for this is much more complex, but the pacing is slower than what we’ve come to be used to with her writing…Feyre is no Aelin, that is for sure… Romance takes a bigger, more central role to the story, and the vibe is much more sensual than most YA titles seem to go towards, which leads me to say that for those that care should know that it’s a little more mature than what the genre usually gives us. If you don’t cringe at sex scenes, yay for you! Enjoy 😉

I don’t necessarily recommend this title for those looking for a Beauty and the Beast retelling; it’s there, but it’s also not prominent in the overall execution, but more for those searching for a love story involving the Fae. It is a love story in a way, along with the threat of an evil overlord who threatens the world, but those who like stories that focus on romance will definitely enjoy this title!

Thanks For Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

YA Fantasy, YA romance

My Review: Red Queen (Red Queen #1): by Victoria Aveyard

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Publish Date: February 10th 2015
Number of Pages: 383 Pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre(s): YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Dystopian, Romance

Total Star Rating: 3 Stars

This book was like all those pretty, smiling, happy, fabulous girls who are social media influencers on Instagram…sparkly, bubbly, shiny, fabulous, but with hardly any actual substance or flavor. Hmm…maybe it was more like drinking a White Claw…

Anyways, I’d been seeing this series pop up quite a lot all over the internet: lists of popular YA Fantasy titles, those gorgeous covers all over Bookstagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc., and seeing a lot of glowing reviews from fellow readers who’ve loved them, so to me, that meant I’d had to give them a try and see what all the hype was about.

It had everything needed in order to go down as something great: fabulous marketing, other author’s and booklover’s recommendations, beautiful aesthetics with the covers alone, and even an interesting sounding premise…Unfortunately, while the plan was golden (or silver?), the execution left a little more to be desired, and I just don’t feel like sugar coating my disappointment…I don’t owe it to anyone to beat around the bush on my reviews any longer…

What It’s About:

The Official Blurb:

A world that is divided by blood; Red and Silver.

Reds are the common-folk, the laborers, the lower class, and the oppressed. The silvers have god-like abilities who rule with a powerful fist over all those they deem below them. The story revolves around Mare Barrow, a 17 year-old red living in the poverty-stricken land known as the Stilts, who doesn’t like the way things are, but has no choice but to accept it. Challenged by a handsome stranger, she goes to the silver palace and begins to work as a maid for the royal family.

By total accident, Mare is put in a life or death situation that reveals to herself, and all the silvers in attendance, that she too possesses a great power that can threaten the status quo of everything. Never before had it been known that someone with Red Blood has ever had a special ability like the Silvers, and to avoid panic and hysteria, the royal family takes her in and claims that she’s a long lost Silver princess that has returned home. No one but her and the royal family know the real truth.

Mare becomes engaged to a royal prince, but enemies find cracks within the seemingly pristine walls, and Mare inadvertently becomes a spy for the Red Guard, a covert militant group of rebels hoping to end the Silver Tyranny. Mare begins to feel the pressure from both sides and one wrong step could mean not only her own death, but all those she cares about…

What I Liked:

  1. The Cover Design! Whoever designed the covers for this series was a freakin’ genius, because I will say that the aesthetic of the books is absolutely magnificent! The glossy, silver background with the upside down crown with red blood flowing down from it is a simple, yet effective design, and the whole series look so gorgeous side by side on your shelf as the spines darken with shades of blue, just like an incoming storm.
  2. Mare’s Attitude! Like a certain blonde heroine from the mind of Sarah J. Maas, Mare Barrow has some sass to her personality, some spicy attitude that made me like her as the heroine of the story. She’s strong willed, incredibly brave and determined all while being separated from her family and thrown into a pit of vipers with special abilities of the silver court.
  3. That Surprising Climatic Twist! Honestly, it was the saving point of the whole book, but man, did it deliver! It shocked a new life into the book much like Mare’s ability to manipulate lightning that left me entertained, yet curious enough to keep reading on.
  4. The Developing Romance! Like a typical angsty teen novel/series, there’s a love triangle that brews between Mare and the two royal siblings. Tiberias “Cal” Calore VII and his half brother, Maven, both try to win over her affection throughout the story, the former being engaged to someone else to add more drama to the mix. Cal and Mare were much more interesting to me, and becomes a huge part of my overall interest of the whole story.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Too Many Clichés…It’s extremely difficult to find a book with absolutely no clichés, but I can draw the line when there’s so many aspects that feel overused in a single book: One, there’s the fact that Mare feels like she’s not that pretty, yet has two guys pining for her. Two, she is brought to a school-like setting to train and hone in on her craft. Three, there’s the sexier, mean girl who instantly hates Mare and makes her life a living hell with her posse of other bitches. Four, there’s the wise mentor who’s definitely got more going on underneath the surface. Five, there’s the love triangle. Six, there’s the dystopian world with oppression and rebellion brewing, and war on the horizon…like I said, it’s fine when there’s one or two major clichés in a single book, but this many just feels ridiculous and makes the story boring and not as enjoyable.
  2. Lacking Originality…Along the same thoughts with the many clichés , it felt like this book has taken small chunks from many other successful stories to make it into something that feels new, but really isn’t. Certain stories that come to mind as examples are The Hunger Games, Red Rising, Throne of Glass, The Selection, Game of Thrones, and plenty of others that you could probably think of. It may feel new to certain readers: those who haven’t read any of the mentioned books prior to this one, but for me it felt like a bunch of recycled material.
  3. It Was So Slow Moving…This book has some incredibly slow pacing… I think the author spent a little too much time on attempting their version of worldbuilding, but even that wasn’t all that satisfying because of too many info dumps that weren’t relevant to the story, or to simply be used as plot convenience later on. Seriously, there were so many houses listed with their sigils, colors, and abilities but they actually hardly do anything in the story, and I found it hard to actually remember all of them later on, probably because I didn’t care enough. There was way too much emphasis on it that wasn’t necessary. It may have been more interesting had the story focused more on the revolution aspect of the plot, but instead focused more on the romance and the mean girl antics instigated by the fact of the protagonist is flirting with the HBIC’s betrothed.
  4. There’s No Flipping Map…It’s a teen fantasy/dystopian novel, with tons of cities and regions mentioned in this world that the author created, but there’s no map of the land to give us any reference to fully understand what the author’s talking about. I feel like this is such a big faux pas; a big no-no when it comes to any sort of fantasy novel with a fictional world. It’s a minor issue to some maybe, but it’s the small things that can also make a big difference in the overall reading experience!

Conclusion:

It was an okay book, but not all that great. I can see why it’s become an incredibly popular title amongst others within the genre of YA Fantasy; its glossy, shiny, aesthetically pleasing (both in book covers and all the attractive characters), and even the premise sounds interesting enough…but beneath all of that, there’s not a whole lot else to go off of.

I recommend this title to those who are just starting out in the YA Fantasy genre, and for those who aren’t looking for anything too complicated or complex to read. It’s beginner level material, and unfortunately while I am still slightly interested enough to continue reading on, I hope the series will become stronger and more developed as things progress and the revolution that will so obviously occur later on will breathe new life into the story.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

YA Fantasy

My Review: Rebel Spring (Falling Kingdoms #2): by Morgan Rhodes

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Publish Date: December 3rd 2013
Number of Pages: 401 Pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre(s): YA Fantasy

***WARNING*** Potential Spoilers past this point for those that haven’t read the first book of this series! You’ve officially been warned!***

To see my review of book #1 – Falling Kingdoms – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4 Stars

After reading the first book in this series, I had to suffer an entire next year until this sequel came out onto shelves back in 2014. Any book reader who discovers an amazing series to read while it’s still being published on an annual basis knows the sheer pain of that waiting period!

One thing that was discovered was how Morgan Rhodes is an incredibly talented writer. She is almost masterful of being able to write excellently crafted and compelling scenes that have you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails in anticipation to see what happens next. Like the TV show Game of Thrones, these books are utterly unpredictable and every character faces insurmountable dangers that could lead to pain and ultimately death. No one is completely safe!

What It’s About:

Taking off immediately from the ending of the previous title, Rebel Spring starts off on a high high note. The Kingdom of Auranos has been taken over by the Damora’s and in the span of an epic battle, everything has dramatically changed, much blood has been spilled, and its all only the beginning.

Cleo, who’s lost literally everyone close to her, is now a prisoner within her own castle as the Damora’s have taken over.

Lucia is in a magic-induced coma from the exertion of power that won her father the kingdom in the first place.

Magnus has become his hateful father’s right hand man and goes off on tour to spread his message with Aron Lagaris, and oversee’s the construction of the golden road to connect all of Mytica.

Jonas has narrowly escaped after the betrayal of his chief, and is slowly building another rebel army.

We are introduced to some new characters: Lysandra, Melenia, Alexius, and Prince Ashur Cortas. Lysandra, who comes from another town in Paelsia, joins up with Jonas and his rebel clan in order to rescue her brother, who has been taken prisoner by King Gaius’s men. Alexius, a mysterious demigod-like being called a Watcher, helps Lucia discover more about herself and the magical abilities that she possesses. Melenia, also a watcher, is the voice inside King Gaius’s head, urging him to build a road in order to find the magical elementia orbs that have been hidden for so many years. Ashur Cortas is the third born prince from the foreign empire of Kraeshia who visits Mytica for a special occasion, but has much more going on beneath the surface.

What I Liked:

  1. The Action! One thing that this series delivers on is the excitement factor that the author brings to the table. A lot more happens in this book than the last, and while some could argue that the pacing is inconsistent, I thought that it added to the unpredictability of what was going to happen next to certain characters.
  2. The Addition of New Characters! The characters that I’d mentioned earlier add a lot to the overall story, creating more depth to the plots of the four main characters in different ways. Prince Ashur has to be my favorite addition just because it’s obvious that more is going on with him than just being a guest to a royal wedding, and I was curious to see what more he’d bring to the table.
  3. Character Deaths! While it’s usually heartbreaking to say goodbye to certain characters, whether it be a violent, cruel murder or a heartbreaking sacrifice, a character death that causes an emotional impact to the readers always makes a story more effective. Every main character loses someone close to them in this story, but it gives them more motivation to their story moving forward.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Still too Derivative…I absolutely adored this series when back when it was brand new and the books were coming out every December; I had nothing bad to say about them at the time. Unfortunately, as time has passed, thats no longer the case, and at reading other reviews that weren’t so glowing about these books, it’s more and more obvious how this series is too similar to Game of Thrones. It’s gotten to the point that it’s becoming harder to and harder to separate what the author has created themselves, and what they’ve slightly changed/copied from the stories of George R.R. Martin. I know I mentioned this comparison in my review of the previous title, but by this point, there’s just too many comparisons that match up: King Gaius is a mix of Tywin Lannister and Stannis Baratheon, Cleo is Sansa, Melenia is Melisandre, Magnus is Jaime Lannister, Lysandra is Arya Stark, Nic Cassian as Jorah Mormont, and Jonas is (maybe) Jon Snow and/or Robb Stark? I’m just relieved that we don’t have another King Joffrey running around…
  2. The Cliffhanger Endings…This is more something I love to hate, because its such a long, drawn out torture to read a book, be so elated to read what happens next, and then finish the book with another huge cliffhanger, and then realize that you have to wait another year for the next book to release….again. the torture continues. I suppose its a good thing that you read something that you enjoy so much that you’re in such a conundrum.
  3. The Random Addition of LGBTQ+…There’s one shocking moment in the story where two male characters share a secret kiss, and honestly, the reveal of it for one of the characters was certainly shocking, but not in a positive way. There was absolutely no hinting at it in anyway before hand in either books, and he’d been hopelessly pining away for a woman who’d never return his feelings the entire time before, so while it was shocking, it was just random and seems like it was only added for a cheap token-like addition and for the sake of adding diversity as an afterthought. I’m all for LGBTQ+ representation, but the way it was handled in this story could’ve been better than how it was actually executed.

Conclusion:

SO MUCH MORE happens in this sequel of the Falling Kingdoms series, and while its satisfying, it still leaves you wanting more and leaves more hints of whats to come. The main thing this series needs to improve on by this point is becoming more of its own thing, not just a YA knockoff of another fandom in The Song of Ice and Fire.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell