Les Petites Revues [#17]

I think I need a break from YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi, I've been underwhelmed lately. 

Les Petites Revues [#14]

It seems I had my expectations set a little too high for these reads. 

Les Petites Revues [#8]

I think I'm really digging these mini reviews guys! This week, I bring you a not-so-YA fairytale, a summer cute opposites-attract romance, and a Christmas romance with not a lot of Christmas. 

Les Petites Review [#3]

This week we're talking (reluctant) royal romances!

Les Petites Revues (#1)

So I've read a handful of book lately that I couldn't imagine churning out a full review for. Instead of having them sit on GoodReads and silently judge me, I decided to try my hands at mini-reviews. Let's see if I can be concise.

Book Review: Dead Upon a Time

Title: Dead Upon a Time
Author: Elizabeth Paulson
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: August 25, 2015
Genre: Young Adult // Retellings 
Format: ARC
Source:  Publisher

It's a fairy-tale nightmare . . .
One girl is kept in a room where every day the only food she's given is a poisoned apple. Another is kept in a room covered in needles -- and if she pricks her finger, she'll die. Then there are the brother and sister kept in a cell that keeps getting hotter and hotter. . .
A sinister kidnapper is on the loose in Kate's world. She's not involved until one day she heads to her grandmother's house in the woods -- and finds her grandmother has also been taken. Already an outcast, Kate can't get any help from the villagers who hate her. Only Jack, another outsider, will listen to what's happened.
Then a princess is taken, and suddenly the king is paying attention -- even though the girl's stepmother would rather he didn't. It's up to Kate and Jack to track down the victims before an ever after arrives that's far from happy.

Dead Upon a Time was a nicely contained tale that brought together your favorite classic characters!

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating  But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined (goodreads).

I'm stuck between a 3.5 and a 4 star rating for this one. Once again, while I liked it, it didn't meet the expectations that I had. 

To escape the mines, ex-assassin Celaena is pitted against the kingdom's brutes. She is serving as the crown prince's champion in hopes of being the King's private assassin. The very same man who put her in the salt mines. This book definitely had more magic that I expected it to have but that doesn't mean it was any less enjoyable. I really enjoyed the clever use of the magic and how it was slowly weaved into the plot. 

Calaena is the reason why I can't decide on a proper rating. As an assassin, I expected Calaena to be a badass, kicking ass and taking names after. Imagine my surprise when I find out that Calaena hops around in fluffy dresses and contemplates her feelings for the crown prince for a majority of the book. For someone who was raised in an assassin convent (can there be convents for assassins?), killed her fair share of men, and has spent over a year doing hard labor, I assumed she would be a bit more cynical and have more anger towards the world, not befriending guests and flirting with the enemy's son. 

I did like that the love story as not a central story what's so ever. For half the book I didn't even know who to root for and I'm more than sure that Maas is going to do a complete 180 with the pairing, which I'm not sure if I'm okay with it. 

The writing was told from the point of view of Caelaena, the crown prince and the king's guard. Hearing actions from their respective point of view definitely kept the story interesting but I must admit, there was a lot of dialogue and description. Maas is a talented writer, but I firmly believe that this book could be 100 pages shorter. 

So I loved the originality of the story, but I didn't quite care for our protagonist  Let's see if my opinion changes with book 2.

Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.
As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.
They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY
The first book in a captivating trilogy, Veronica Rossi’s enthralling debut sweeps you into an unforgettable adventure (goodreads). 

When I bought this ebook when it was on sale, I didn't have much expectation so man was I blown away. It was hard to go to bed!

Aria has lived in the Reverie her entire life, it's all she knows and it's all she wants to know. But when she finds herself abandoned and exposed to the dangerous elements, she has to learn to survive, really quick. This book is every Dystopian lover's dream. Rossi opens the book right in the middle of the action and there isn't a dull moment in the book, which is an impressive feat. Oh and people die in this book, isn't that awesome? I loved the overall progression of this story, Rossi feeds the reader clues and hints little by little until it all comes together (very nicely) at the end. 

The characters are remarkable and and memorable. Aria as a character definitely surprised me. She comes off as you basic female character who cannot fend for herself, but very quickly the reader learns that she's not just another pretty face. Not only is Aria talented, she is compassionate is a survivor. She doesn't need Perry to save her, give her a knife and she she's good! The love interest Perry (don't worry, he's a lot cooler than his name) is a fabulous character as well. He has his own agenda and his existence is not based around Aria's well belling Aria and Perry function as two independent characters and that just makes their love story even sweeter. 

The world, the world is amazing. Imagine never leaving your home because the outdoors is filled with cannibals, aether storms, and other such predators. It's an interesting take on post-apocalyptic Earth and definitely not too far fetched. I do wish that Rossi spent more time describing the indoor dwellings because I didn't feel connected to that part of Rossi's world, nor did I completely understand how the Smart Eyes worked. 

The story is told through Perry and Aria's perspectives so the reader gets to know each character equally, which makes them both such strong characters. I loved Rossi's writing style, I found it addicting and I especially loved how she described the enhanced senses that "Outsiders" possess. 

I really enjoyed this story with all of its characters! Through the Ever Night is definitely a 2013 release that I am impatiently anticipating!

Invincible Review

Invincible by SHERRILYN KENYON

(DESCRIPTION FROM GOODREADS)

Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse...

Nick Gautier’s day just keeps getting better and better. Yeah, he survived the zombie attacks, only to wake up and find himself enslaved to a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul.

His new principal thinks he’s even more of a hoodlum than the last one, his coach is trying to recruit him to things he can’t even mention and the girl he’s not seeing, but is, has secrets that terrify him.

But more than that, he’s being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn’t learn how to raise the dead by the end of the week, he will become one of them...






4 Stars

Nick's second book and Mrs Kenyon has yet to disappoint. I really don't have much to comment that isn't praise. The story was fun and lighthearted, which I think is taking me a while to understand. When I pick up a Sherrilyn Kenyon novel I expect it to be a gripping novel full of heart ache and true love.

Not the case with Nick, which is okay with me because he's only 14. He hasn't met the love of his life, and he's too young to have to go face to face with an epic evil. Once I realized that, I appreciate the story a lot more.

The only thing I want to criticize is Kenyon's use of the word "pwning." :p I love her hip and witty writing but if memory serves, the act of "pwning" did not come into play until 2004 or onwards. I know I said that I don't have too much to criticize, which I don't, but I just wish that one day Sherrilyn would write a character whose voice isn't dripping with sarcasm. I understand that Nick's personality has already been defined, but new characters such as Bubba, Mark, Kody and Caleb should not all have to be smart asses. I would LOVE to see a character that is sincere.

Those really are small things that don't interrupt the reading process, but they are just small things that I noticed.

I loved all of the twists and turns that the novel brought and I loved seeing young Nick's interactions with characters like Aimee, Wren and Remi. Seeing everyone from Nick's eye was both fun and exciting.

The story was interesting, it was not the main focus of the novel but it was still an interesting journey. Also, I love that Kenyon can write characters with so many dimensions, that's one of the reasons why I am in LOVE with (almost) everything she writes. She knows how to make her audience feel for her characters whether it's Cherise Gautier or the mysterious Ambrose.

I recommend this novel for ALL Kenyon fans or anyone who just wants a fun novel to read.