Wildcard by Marie Lu

Wildcard by Marie Lu

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Hardcover: 341 pages
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Release date: September 18, 2018

Series:  Warcross #2

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo's new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she's always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo's grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone's put a bounty on Emika's head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn't all that he seems--and his protection comes at a price.

Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?

Emika Chen seems to be caught in the middle of a high-stakes match, one where she could pay her life as a price. Rather than repudiate Hideo for the revelations in the last book, Emika makes a different choice. Instead, she tries to understand the human emotions and motives behind Hideo and Zero, discovering a much bigger plot than she ever dreamed. Wildcard kept me on the edge of my seat in anticipation! Where the first novel was building the idea of the game of Warcross and Emika was discovering her team, her mission, and an entire new "arena" of players, this next novel went past the game and contemplated hard questions of morality, choice, freedom, and society's system of punishment. This had less worldbuilding and gamification of the first book and covered more exploration of the characters.

Emika, who had been very used to depending only on herself for most of her life besides her father and maybe her roommate, had become part of a team even if she was mostly working on her own. However, her choices and their effects come to pay a price on her team and they push Emika to open up, to trust them. Here, she finally has a chance to show them whether she does or not -- with the revelation of her "kidnapping", Hideo's plans for the Neurolink, and her adoption into the gang. Emika also has to question her feelings for Hideo. Do they change now that she knows his plans? Does she question his motives? For instance, does Hideo not realize the consequences of his actions? The effect he has had on the populace? The choice of life that he's taken away from people? Emika has to weigh who holds the real power? Is it Hideo? Is it Zero? Is it someone else? It's a new question of Machiavellian power--do the ends (Hideo's algorithm saving everyone from bad choices) justify the means (controlling them and taking away their capability of freedom)?

There are a lot of answered questions and strings wrapped up satisfyingly, like the identity of Zero and what happened with his kidnapping. I like that this goes deeper into questions of humanity and actions, but also contains a lot of twists I never saw coming. We get more Hammie, who I love for some reason, and more Tremaine and Roshan (I loved this subplot btw.)...

Without sharing any spoilers, the one thing I'm still not sure I followed well was the, er, villain of the series and the motives behind it and the hidden dots that Emika puts together. Maybe I just didn't anticipate things well, but I think there should have been a little more stitching together. Who knows? Maybe I just need a re-read! I will say that my husband is reading this series right now on audiobook, and it kept him engaged over 8 hours of driving so much that he grabbed his earbuds and is now reading this second book. It's incredibly engaging and I recommend to anyone who enjoys videogaming or who liked Martha Wells' recent Murderbot series or Ready Player One. Can't wait to see what series Marie Lu embarks upon next! What did you all think?

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, game fiction, Marie Lu, Science Fiction, Warcross, Wildcard, young adult  9 People left their mark

Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith

Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release date: March 12, 2019

Series:  Bloodleaf Trilogy #1

Source: For review

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Princess Aurelia is a prisoner to her crown and the heir that nobody wants. Surrounded by spirits and banned from using her blood-magic, Aurelia flees her country after a devastating assassination attempt. To escape her fate, Aurelia disguises herself as a commoner in a new land and discovers a happiness her crown has never allowed. As she forges new bonds and perfects her magic, she begins to fall for a man who is forbidden to rule beside her. But the ghosts that haunt Aurelia refuse to abandon her, and she finds herself succumbing to their call as they expose a nefarious plot that only she can defeat. Will she be forced to choose between the weight of the crown and the freedom of her new life?

When I received this book, I had no idea what it was about. I always read the notes from other authors or reviewers who are featured in the ARC before I start new titles now. With some of the fantasies I've read lately, I am getting more cautious about the titles I pick up. Fantasy/YA authors I trust had to have said some good things about it before I'll give it a chance. I will say, I was pleasantly surprised. Writing this review, I had to work a lot to not share spoilers because some of that is what I really want to talk about. Alas!

Nevertheless, I did find myself sucked into this novel. It was quick to get into/a good hook, gave just enough details that I was trying to puzzle things out but continue reading, and definitely was carried along at a fast pace for the plot. Bloodleaf is a fairytale retelling of The Goose Girl, which I started to realize as soon as it mentioned Falada, the white horse. 

Protagonist Aurelia is a headstrong, untested, and extremely reckless girl for a princess. She's mostly likable even if she severely lacks wisdom that often makes one extremely exasperated with her choices and absence of forethought. She is betrothed to marry the prince of Achleva, but during an attack by the Tribunal and their allies, Aurelia is forced to flee Renault to Achleva with a few important members: Conrad, her brother and the heir to Renault; Toris, a noble lord who is also head leader of the Tribunal and is trusted by her mother because he too is a blood mage; Lisette, Toris's daughter, and Kellan, Aurelia's guard. It is Lisette who pretends to be Aurelia rather than a maid for the retelling. Originally, Aurelia falls headlong into the "damsel in distress" or "princess in jeopardy" trope as other male characters try to protect and shepherd her. She also seems to fall into a sort of "chosen one" trope, but both tropes are subverted by her actions throughout the book and at the ending. She's definitely an empowered damsel if anything.

While I enjoyed getting some description of Achleva and things Aurelia ran into and places she went, the one thing that stood out to me as needing more fleshing out was her journey to Achleva, because at one point she has to rely on herself and she knows nothing. How does she not starve or get completely lost, especially since everyone was having to work so hard to keep her alive? At times it seems like Aurelia is smart, but then just makes unfathomably foolish decisions. She receives a confession of insta-love and believes it, and never sees the betrayal coming. I would have liked to see more of Aurelia's life in Renault growing up rather her descriptions of other characters. A flashback or vivid memories would have lent more credibility to her mother, Kellan, and other details like her cycle of waiting ladies or her discoveries of her blood magic. I thought we did get remembrances of Onal and Conrad. 

My favorite thing about this book was the Achlevan characters like Zan and Kate. They came to life much more than any of the Renaultan folk except Aurelia herself. When we meet Zan and it turns out Zan helps her, there were a number of clues I picked up on here. I was able to predict the majority of the twists but really appreciated the slow unfolding of events and emotional narrative. I was sucked in and crying at two points in the novel! This relationship between Aurelia and Zan felt pretty believable even if it was hard to determine just how much time had passed with Aurelia in Achleva. In fact, I became very accustomed to Aurelia as Emilia instead of herself. 

This being an ARC, there probably are details and some passages that will change from this version to the published book, out this coming Tuesday. My edition was missing supporting documents like the map, so I was unable to visually see Renault and Achleva. (Confession: I love maps and spend a lot of time pouring over them to compare the written journey with the depiction.)

Since I was thinking so much about the worldbuilding, I wouldn't say I'm fully clear on worldbuilding particulars like the history of being a blood mage, the history of Renault and Achleva, etc. I'm not sure whether that's a result of this ARC copy, the book itself, or me. Still, I would have liked to have a clear picture of those points because it seems to be super important later in the book. For example: I thought there were a number of interesting fantasy elements with not enough explanation -- witches, harbinger as ghosts, and "blood magic" vs other magic? Is all magic blood magic and there are some just places it's allowed? I thought there was a mention of other magics which we see a glimpse of with the mysterious fox. Also, the 500 year timeline and its relation to present characters was confusing, but without revealing key points, I can't muse further.

All in all, I enjoyed this read and spin on "The Goose Girl" retelling. It was creative and emotional, and despite some confusion over details, I'm looking forward to reading the next installment in the trilogy.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 Bloodleaf, Crystal Smith, Fantasy, HMH Publishers, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Magic, Review, witches, young adult  3 People left their mark

A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Supernatural, Time Travel Fantasy
Hardcover: 481 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books
Release date: October 2, 2018

Series: Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #4

Source: Purchased

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Having defeated the monstrous threat that nearly destroyed the peculiar world, Jacob Portman is back where his story began, in Florida. Except now Miss Peregrine, Emma, and their peculiar friends are with him, and doing their best to blend in. But carefree days of beach visits and normalling lessons are soon interrupted by a discovery—a subterranean bunker that belonged to Jacob’s grandfather, Abe.

Clues to Abe’s double-life as a peculiar operative start to emerge, secrets long hidden in plain sight. And Jacob begins to learn about the dangerous legacy he has inherited—truths that were part of him long before he walked into Miss Peregrine’s time loop.

Now, the stakes are higher than ever as Jacob and his friends are thrust into the untamed landscape of American peculiardom—a world with few ymbrynes, or rules—that none of them understand. New wonders, and dangers, await in this brilliant next chapter for Miss Peregrine’s peculiar children. Their story is again illustrated by haunting vintage photographs, now with the striking addition of full-color images interspersed throughout for this all-new, multi-era American adventure.

I'm not sure why, but I was super surprised when this book was announced. I guess I thought the series wouldn't be continuing after Library of Souls, but I've been waiting to read this book for months! Took me longer than I wanted but I finally did another readthrough of the first three before picking up this new novel. It's a new world finding peculiardom in America for Jacob and Miss Peregrine's peculiar children. For Jacob, this is a new set of conflicts and choices. Does he be normal? Does he be peculiar? It seems like his parents will not stand for both. At seventeen and after quite a period of absence for the events of the last couple books, Jacob has been back trying to force his life into his old-normal patterns, but his parents don't trust him and he cannot reconcile the knowledge of himself and his grandfather with his same-old.

Let's talk about his parents for a minute because Jacob has unusual parents for YA literature. 1) They're alive. 2) They don't have a relationship with their son. They do, and they make him do. The end.  3) They don't have relationships with their own parents, and in Grandpa Portman's case, there seems to be a great divide. 4) They believe everyone (except Grandpa) over their own son. This attitude gets worse, obviously, after Jacob's disappearance. It seems mind-boggling because he's 17 and they STILL never believe him. He's about to be an adult, and doesn't have a good track record for adult independence at 18. 5) Because of 4, they try to have him committed to a mental institution against his will. Usually this step is a last resort, and since he'll be 18 in a few months, this is the last time they can make this sort of step because after he's 18 and they try, the courts and law will get involved and things could get very ugly. 6) They are not described much in emotion, despite being well-drawn in facts. They're kind of bleh. Why does Jacob say he loves them because the reader hasn't been given anything to love about them, just pity or tolerate (see 3, 5). [Aside: Would you really having loving feelings toward your parents if they had you committed? I'm thinking no. Note to parents, probably don't be like Jacob's...]

This theme continues with the peculiar children under Miss Peregrine's care. How or why does Miss Peregrine not watch the children for signs of independence after all of their adventures? Every reader must have predicted this struggle. The children need to try out their adulting skills! Miss Peregrine is supposed to be good at taking care of children, and this is a key part of adolescent development (even if she's been watching over non-aging adolescents and children for years). She could be giving them space, but I think it's far more likely she's quite angry at their buck of parental supervision.

Those last couple chapters of the book came out of nowhere. It sort of made sense but...I found it less inventive and more horrifying since it takes us back to other terrible times to live in: the seedy grunge of American crime, though no mention of prohibition; corruption and white supremacy and racism of the South; gangs and gangsters and territorial fights. All of it makes you NEVER want to visit the American past. Instead we could've visited a loop from the Revolution or the Civil War. I am sad we missed out on these potentials. I wish there had been more descriptions with the American loops since we were back in the past. I had a hard time seeing the setting and just how different it was from our preconceived notions of the past.

Some random observations: My favorite part was the trip through Abe's house and his secrets. There was less of a connection to H to feel emotionally attached to him as Abe would. You'd think the "kids" would stop and get the hint to quit mentioning ymbrynes at whatever loops they visited! Noor! I really liked her even if her peculiarity was hard to grasp. It would be really hard to be in her situation. I liked Lily too. Moving on before any spoilers, this book had a few things I predicted (Emma/Jacob squabble -- relationships are never straightforward) and ended on a TOTAL CLIFFHANGER.

Mostly, there were a lot of questions I had at the end that don't get answered like:
FIONA?! WHERE IS FIONA? WHY are they not asking at every loop again? Because they're selfish and they forget?
Where's Nim? And the unnamed Bentham assistant? [Both of these are associated with the last book, Library of Souls.]
What about Horace's clue of Chinese food vs Contintental? This was not mentioned again.

These are a lot of questions and unknowns while waiting for yet another unknown: when will we get book 5? :'(

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 A Map of Days, Dutton Books for Young Readers, Fantasy, Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, Penguin Random House, Ransom Riggs, supernatural, time travel, young adult  2 People left their mark

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Hardcover: 525 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Release date: March 6, 2018

Series:  Children of Orisha #1

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

Since last year, I've heard a lot about this book, and I bet you have too. I heard Tomi speak last year at a fantasy conference panel, so I knew I had to pick it up. It has been lauded on many awards and recommended lists this year and breaks ground into new territory as a west African fantasy novel. It's a YALSA Morris Award finalist. I started reading it a few months ago, but it took me awhile to finish. If everyone else loved it, why was I not loving it too?

First, this is a very character-driven fantasy. There's a lot of dialogue, a lot of back-and-forth between characters that takes up probably 80% of the book. The entire premise of a magical west Africa and ten clans of magi all with their distinct brand of magic is definitely a great hook. I really wanted to read more about this! However, the background of the novel really didn't cover much history or even the setting. Rather than being well-grounded in a place you can feel, see, and realize through the page, there were whole portions where I felt like the characters were just rushing around and zapping themselves wherever the plot needed them to be next.

The lack of transition and fully-fleshed out setting was disappointing as I've never been to Africa but really wanted to see Africa through the details in description, not just a vague reference. It seemed like this novel weeded out all of the "boring" bits that typically happen with fantasy. (Note, fantasies aren't all actually long and "boring" ala Frank Herbert's Dune or The Lord of the Rings trilogy--which sometimes frustrates readers. See Leigh Bardugo's well-drawn descriptions in her Grishaverse.) The actions that happen are very direct and possess no subtleties, no layers of subplot, and when things do occur, it didn't paint a full picture.

This was probably my biggest complaint about the novel. Since there were not many details and descriptions, this left mostly dialogue and action which left me tired of the book and unconnected to the characters. For example, Amari is scarred by the murder of her handmaid Binta and there are constant references to how kind Binta was to Amari and how she feels about her, but the reader doesn't see this kindness and get attached to Binta. We only see it through Amari's narration, which makes it feel distant and hard to summon emotion to care what happens to her except that we're "supposed to" because of who and what she represents. Rather than this being the only instance, I also had a hard time believing everyone switches sides to see Zélie's point of view and how she's always on the "right" side. As the reader, sure, we're supposed to think Zélie is right in her pursuit for justice and freedom for her people, but the majority of the people she meets are supposed to be anti-magi, supporting the genocide of her people. Rather than them having a change of heart and an experience to change, they simply "see" how Zélie thinks, and suddenly they're on her side like Inan's back-and-forth conversion. For this matter, there's also the troubling insta-love with the prince. Why do they have to romance each other immediately?

I think this book, because of the roots of its creation in Black Lives Matter and racial violence and justice, was simply rushed to publication and did not take enough time to build up the characters and the world. I loved the ideas and creativity, but in fact, I would have preferred something like a subtle coming-of-age story. Such as, if the book started out with the three characters and described how each were raised - Zelie, Inan, and Amari. Then each started their adventure a few chapters later and slowly the reader discovers who they are and they come together to take on the full story as a team. Like the emotion it responds to, it's just too full of passion and rebounding and lacks the strength of connection to back it up. These mass scenes of violence--against families, children, parents-- happen but none of the characters really respond to it or process through it, they and the reader are left numb and vengeful. While the "bones" of this story are good and promising, the "blood" of the story just doesn't make it breathe and leap off the page.

What did you think? Let me know in the comments.

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 Children of Orisha, Fantasy, Henry Holt amp; Co., Magic, Review, Tomi Adeyemi, young adult  1 Person left their mark

Buried Heart by Kate Elliott

Buried Heart by Kate Elliott

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: High fantasy
Hardcover: 467 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release date: July 25, 2017

Series: Court of Fives, #3

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Choose between your parents.

Choose between your friends.

Choose between your lovers.

Choose who you are.

On the run from the murderous King Nikonos, Jessamy must find a way for her beloved Kalliarkos to take his rightful place on the throne. Only then can he end the oppression of the Commoners by their long time Patron overlords. But Kal's rise to power is fraught with manipulation and shocking decisions that make Jes question everything they promised each other. As their relationship frays and Jes's family and friends beg her for help, will she cast Kal and her Patron heritage aside? Will she finally join--even lead--the rebellion that had been burning among the Commoners for years?

This explosive finale of World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott's Court of Five series forces Jessamy to confront an inescapable truth: with or without her, the revolution has begun.

If you recall, my earlier reviews noted how hard it is to continue this book as a standalone. I recommend reading the series all at once due to the complicated political and familial nuances that are hard to grasp from one book to the next. This final novel in the Court of Fives series has allowed Jessamy and Kal to both come into their own forms of leadership, Kal's obviously because of his birthright, but Jessamy too for her parents' leadership positions and her own cunning reputation as Spider. The tensions between the Efeans and the Saroese are high, and Kalliarkos and his allies plus Jessamy and the Efean rebellion are all treading treacherous ground in evading Prince Nikonos's forces and then Lord Gargaron's own house. The game for the Efean throne has a lot of players and everyone Jessamy loves seems to be on different sides. Jessamy herself has more inner conflict to resolve as she's still trying to understand what parts of her are Saroese and what are Efean and even, what make up neither that is uniquely her.

"Heartbreak is the wine of poets."

As foreshadowed earlier in the series, Jessamy's status as half-Efean presents a big relationship gap between her and Kal, and with his Kingship and Jessamy's position as his lover, her race and gender make her easier to be pushed aside as illegitimate by Lord Gargaron or even at risk of assassination. Though Kal would insist she be legitimate rather than his mistress, Jessamy will never command the respect due a queen, neither would the people embrace a "mule" heir. Jessamy must face humiliation and the obvious machinations to seduce Kal despite their affections, but even with the threat of being a pawn against Kal, Jessamy shows her courage and talent as a Fives strategist. Her strength of cunning is what pushes this book to its powerful conclusion.

I loved this book and this series. The conflicts of gender, race, class, family, and morality are so well-drawn and real. The best things in this series, though, are Jessamy and Kal. Both challenge all the stereotypes of their world and use their actions to change the game, change their worlds. Jessamy's parents are atypical YA parents because they have strong relationships with her and show they love her and want the best for her and to keep her safe, but Jessamy shows she's ready for more adult power in rebelling against them when they treat her like a child. Most of the time, she makes the difference in keeping her family alive, even if she actually just doesn't understand their reasoning. It's a really beautiful coming-of-age story with a fierceness of love, loyalty and sacrifice. There are some epic twists at the end, and despite these minor heartattacks, the finale is ultimately satisfying. If you've been missing out on this subtle but powerful fantasy series, what are you waiting for?

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 Buried Heart, Court of Fives, High Fantasy, Kate Elliott, Little Brown, Review, young adult  Leave your mark

Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson

Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Hardcover: 343 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release date: October 10, 2017

Series:  Gold Seer Trilogy #3

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Leah Westfall’s journey has been one of ever-present peril, hidden magic, harsh realities, loss, life, determination, and love. She has searched for a place to belong and a place to call home, and people who can accept a girl with magical powers that prove to be both blessing and curse.
Rae Carson has been lauded as one of YA’s best writers of fantasy, and fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J. Maas, and Westworld will be riveted by the conclusion of this remarkable historical fantasy trilogy.
Leah is poised to have everything she ever dreamed of on the long, dangerous journey to California’s gold fields—wealth, love, the truest friends, and a home. Thanks to her magical ability to sense precious gold, Leah, her fiancé Jefferson, and her friends have claimed rich land in California Territory. But their fortune makes them a target, and when a dangerous billionaire sets out to destroy them, Leah and her friends must fight back with all of their power and talents.
Leah’s magic is continuing to strengthen and grow, but someone is on to her—someone who might have a bit of magic herself. The stakes are higher than ever as Lee and her friends hatch a daring scheme that could alter California’s history forever.
With a distinctive heroine and a unique interpretation of American history, Into the Bright Unknown strikes a rich vein of romance, magic, and adventure.

I never want Rae Carson's books to end, and this was no exception! Having made a deal with a deceptively smooth councilman for their town charter and needing to retrieve Becky Joyner's confiscated house, Leah Westfall and her band of pioneers journey out of their newly minted town of Glory, California to the big, high-stakes city of San Francisco to secure their future. When they arrive in San Francisco, they stumble into a much bigger extortion scheme and make an ambitious plan to fight for justice.

Most of this book is centered on San Francisco of 1849/1850 before California becomes a state. It brings to life a number of famously historical circumstances including the practice of sinking or grounding ships to establish or build real estate (SF Gate article). In fact, only within the last few years has it been more covered in the media that there are still actual ships buried under the streets of San Francisco (National Geographic article). I found this coverage of history, and my subsequent research, absolutely fascinating! I've been to San Francisco in the last few years, and now I'm kicking myself that I didn't visit the Maritime Museum. Anyway, one of the grounded ships is the vessel that brought Becky Joyner's house to San Francisco, and Leah decides to buy and turn into a sort of home since renting and living in San Francisco depletes their gold funds rapidly. The book illustrates the different uses many of the abandoned gold rush ships served -- as storage, hotels, homes, a jail, etc. -- which were all true in history.

Another of the book's history gems is bringing up the law of coverture (Wikipedia). When Becky Joyner goes to claim her house---and remember her husband is dead, the bank will not let her claim the property because, as they say, "a wife has no legal standing. All her rights are covered by, and thus represented by, the rights of her husband" which was known as the law of coverture. Since Becky's husband is dead and their son is not yet of age, the only one legally allowed to claim her house would be Becky's father-in-law back in Tennessee. This situation describes a very real and widespread problem for women and one of the driving forces behind the fight for women's right to vote as the majority of women couldn't hold property and therefore couldn't vote. It brings the law to life to view it through such strong female characters as Leah and Becky Joyner and hear their feminist voices discuss the ramifications.

Lastly, I love the character arc we've seen in Leah. She rises from scared runaway girl to wagon train leader to establishing a town to partially leading a civil rights rebellion and in this last novel, she certainly doesn't back down from greater heights. She and her fellows start a revolution in San Francisco against corruption and greed. She's also been practicing with her magic too, and manages several amazing feats. I'm not going to spoil any of these exciting plot developments here though. That's something you'll definitely want to read yourself!

The ONE question I still really wanted answered out of this series was just what happened with her mom? This question has been danced and danced around and we get closer here, but I just never felt true closure with this question. Alas, that's exactly how life is too!

We do see a few old friends (and enemies) surface. Relationships are built and furthered including that of Leah and Jefferson, though this is, as always, not the driving motivations in the book but rather a pleasant side-plot. I would love to see this series become a movie or tv show. It would be really cool to watch all of the history really come alive, especially that of San Francisco and the "Oregon Trail" west. I think this series might appeal to readers who loved Ruta Sepetys's Between Shades of Grey and Salt to the Sea and might be looking for something lighter but just as rich. It gives gold rush history a little bit of Leah's gold dust sense.

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 Fantasy amp; Magic, Gold Seer Trilogy, Greenwillow Books, Harper Collins, Historical, historical fiction, Into the Bright Unknown, Library, Rae Carson, Review, young adult  1 Person left their mark

The Battlemage by Taran Matharu

The Battlemage by Taran Matharu

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: High Fantasy
Hardcover: 367 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release date: May 2, 2017

Series:  The Summoner #3

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Fletcher and his friends fight for survival in the ether, where they pursue a mortally dangerous quest to rebuild their world and broker peace.
Even as hatred threatens to turn friend into foe in The Battlemage, Fletcher must lead a small army of soldiers into battle to protect his ancestral homeland, and face his biggest challenge yet: his nemesis, the albino orc, Khan, who seeks to destroy everything Fletcher holds dear.

This next adventure for Fletcher comes smack after the events of The Inquisition as Fletcher and his friends have been stranded in the poisonous ether and are on the run from the pursuing orcs. I found this part of the story to be both creative and also hard to grasp the full breadth and detail of the setting. The ether seemed to have more identified demons than in the glossary at the end of the novels, and while it's easily imaginable to have many more demons, there's both a narrow-ness of the scope of demons we've met and then those that appear in the ether. I find this contradiction confusing, which consequently made the ether "world" hard to see. There was a lot of vague description and little detail to make this world come fully realized.

This brings me to the next significant event which is where Ignatius goes deep-lava-diving and he "levels up" or evolves (just like a Pokémon) into a Drake. In the confrontation with Khan, we learn that the Salamander has three stages: Salamander, Drake, and then Dragon. Khan's Salamander completes his evolution into a Dragon and we see an epic fight between the two, but...there are some explanations missing here for why Ignatius did not complete his evolution and the result of his confrontations with Khan's Dragon (not going further due to spoilers!).

This last matter illustrates one of the two big frustrations of this novel -- the unresolved questions. Here are some for kicks: What really happened to Fletcher's mom and how does she recover? What about the rest of Fletcher's training, and how is this training not important to this war they've found themselves embroiled in? Is Ignatius going to be a Dragon? What is Ignatius's fulfillment level? What about the forbidden elf/human relationship between Sylva and Fletcher? What about the fate of Ignatius and Athena? (And on a minor note, Sylva's Griffin?)

These questions go hand-in-hand with the other problem of the novel - that of the too-fast pace. It feels rushed. This epic war battle was resolved in about two chapters and then the Epilogue was also very quick. We don't feel a satisfying resolution to the question of King Harold's traitorous father, the betrayal of Didric, and what happens to the rest of the orcs/goblins/Khan/Dragon. What about the politics of the realm? What happens to the relations between the dwarves/humans/elves? It could have launched into another book and if things were covered at all, they're so quick you have trouble remembering what happened. So that too, raises the real question, does this series continue or was this, the end of the proposed trilogy, the END? The Outcast, the Prequel, returns to a young Arcturus and recently came out in early May 2018. As of now, there are no other announcements for the series.

With all this criticism, Kara, are you sure you liked this book at all? YES! I really do like this series and I found it a delight to read. Like a light, middle grade Lord of the Rings plus magic school element plus Pokémon. I enjoyed this third book, but didn't like the last 2-3 chapters because it ran away with itself. My favorite parts in the book were about the new villagers of Raleightown and their adventure at rebuilding. I'm still sad it had to be abandoned almost immediately. :( I'm looking forward to reading the prequel and seeing what else pops up from Matharu.

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 Feiwel amp; Friends, High Fantasy, Review, Taran Matharu, The Battlemage, The Summoner, young adult  Leave your mark

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Hardcover: 624 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release date: March 18, 2018

Series:  Illuminae Files #3

Source: Purchased

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza--but who knows what they'll find seven months after the invasion? Meanwhile, Kady's cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza's ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys--an old flame from Asha's past--reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heros will fall, and hearts will be broken.

I was so excited for this book, I repeatedly had to tell myself to calm down and breathe. I love everything about it. From the space adventure to the near-death escapades and the creative art mediums to the real-as-life characters, this is an amazing series and satisfyingly wraps up in this final volume. Our favorite characters from the last novels join newcomers Asha, Kady's cousin, and Rhys, once Asha's boyfriend, who are battling for their lives on opposing sides on Kerenza while the rest are in a battle for survival in space making their way to the mining planet.

Marie Lu's art has changed as Kady and the group are rendered in manga-like cartoon form in a few sketches. More than before, this story is split between the courtroom trial of Leanne Frobisher and BeiTech, Kady/Ezra/Nik/Hanna, and the action on Kerenza. You might think it would be hard to keep so many characters and storylines straight but Kristoff and Kaufman do it almost effortlessly. Our beloved Machiavellian AI is back as AIDAN and it seems to be evolving. It now experiences emotion and shows itself capable of deceit.

Some key changes have happened along the way from Gemina, and we pick the story up right after Nik, Hanna, and Ella have their close brush with an alternate dimension and the Heimdall waypoint is destroyed. The two groups struggle to come together, and the Hypatia is overloaded with refugees. As they decide to return to Kerenza to intercept BeiTech's Mobile Jump Platform Magellan and from there hopefully return to earth they face a seemingly insurmountable task as they must manage to overwhelm the last of BeiTech's dreadnoughts the Churchill. The two groups of the Hypatia and the Jump Station Heimdall face some conflict in leadership which brings up the age-old challenge of adult vs. teenagers as many don't think Kady/Ezra/Nik/Hanna (shortened to KENH, because this is exhausting to type) have any authority despite the fact that some of the choices they've made have saved everyone's lives.

Meanwhile, on Kerenza, Asha encounters her former separated boyfriend Rhys but bad news--he's on the side of BeiTech. For the first time we see the viewpoint of a BeiTech grunt and the orders they've given to the soldiers; in other words, we see the enemy become human. As each of them struggle with their situation, they become unlikely allies as each tries to understand the other, inviting more of a Romeo/Juliet comparison.

This is probably the part of the book that I was most frustrated with. The breakneck speed of the plot and circumstances really didn't allow as much time as before to really get to know Asha and Rhys since they're already fighting for their lives. It's certainly understandable why, but I just missed having as much of a connection to their part of the story as with the KENH part. It's simply for this reason alone that I didn't LOVE this book as much as I LOVED Illuminae and Gemina. I've no idea how they would've made it any better than it was, but because it was just so fast, I wanted there to be more "meat" or emotional connection with all of the characters, especially with the new ones. And like most series, I wanted more at the end. Maybe seeing more of the celebration and all interacting together, alive and safe, finally? Not sure. Maybe reading about the weddings? Absolutely, I would like to read about this group of teens (and a few adults) doing something more. However, the ending with AIDAN? Ahhhh-mazing. Blown away. How you inspire so much love for an electronic entity I don't know, but Kristoff and Kaufman have definitely given me feels for this Machiavellian machine monster.

Tell me your thoughts if you have them!

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Science Fiction, space fiction, The Illuminae Files, young adult  Leave your mark

Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton

Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: High Fantasy
Hardcover: 452 pages
Publisher: Viking
Release date: March 6, 2018

Series: Rebel of the Sands, #3

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

When gunslinging Amani Al'Hiza escaped her dead-end town, she never imagined she'd join a revolution, let alone lead one. But after the bloodthirsty Sultan of Miraji imprisoned the Rebel Prince Ahmed in the mythical city of Eremot, she doesn't have a choice. Armed with only her revolver, her wits, and her untameable Demdji powers, Amani must rally her skeleton crew of rebels for a rescue mission through the unforgiving desert to a place that, according to maps, doesn't exist. As she watches those she loves most lay their lives on the line against ghouls and enemy soldiers, Amani questions whether she can be the leader they need or if she is leading them all to their deaths.

Ever since I read Rebel of the Sands last year, I loved it. I found it impossible not to love Amani. With the final in the series, I can one hundred percent say this is a solid fantasy. Immediately, I want more from Alwyn Hamilton. Upon our last novel, Amani had escaped from the Sultan's harem but not without great consequences. Her cousin, Shira, was executed for birthing a Djinni, and Amani rescued her son; the Sultan killed the Sultim and made it look like the rebels; and the Sultan and his  traitorous daughter Leyla built a machine to harness the Djinni's energy to power metal golems called Abdals which could basically blast magical fire cannons and only had the one weakness of their Achilles tendons. Additionally, the Sultan captured much of the rebellion, including Ahmed, the Rebel Prince, his Demdji sister Delila, and Shazad, their general. He had thought he executed Ahmed, but really it was Imin, their Djinni shapeshifter. The core group of the rebellion is now very small, leaving only Hala, Amani, Jin, Maz and Izz, and Sam. They also are accompanied by a reluctant Tamid who just wants to return home.

Now, the Sultan has cast a shield over Izman to keep out their many enemies, but it's also trapped Amani and the leaders of the rebellion. Meanwhile he sent Ahmed and his other prisoners of the rebellion out of the city. With Ahmed and Shazad captured, Amani finds herself the reluctant de-facto leader of the rebellion since she's the most recognizable. She's only led smaller bands, and now she must decide what their little group does that could have such far-reaching consequences as to kill the rebellion entirely if they fail.

In the course of their quest, Amani has to confront her hometown and with it, her old self. As the foolish wishes of other Demdji and their mothers come to fruition around her, she wrestles with her own desires and that of the wisest choice of action to save their people. One of the most interesting things is the juxtaposition of her beginning at Dustwalk and the family she finds through the rebellion and her Demdji blood. Amani has been an outcast, an outlaw, a slave, a prisoner, and now a leader, a hero, and an acrobat, balancing between Djinni curse and Demdji power. She is always two halves, and it's funny how this book really illustrates that.

My favorite and most agonizing part was her relationship with Jin and how this develops towards the end of the novel. Then there's the key heartbreak in the novel, too, that had me crying and mourning. I almost didn't think the ending was going to pull off, but, wow. The final chapters were so fast-paced that I almost don't recall what happens, but interspersed and at the end there are these beautiful and lyric myth/legend segments that wrap the story up to make it feel almost like a fairy tale.

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 Alwyn Hamilton, Hero at the Fall, High Fantasy, Rebel of the Sands, Review, Viking, young adult  Leave your mark

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release date: November 22, 2016

Series:  Arc of a Scythe #1

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Two teens must learn the “art of killing” in this Printz Honor–winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology.

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award–winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.

I've never read anything by Shusterman though I know he's had success with Unwind and it's series. Plus, last year they were planning the Unwind movie, but February 2018 the production company decided it would do better as a tv series and have started reformatting. 

I recently listened to this on audio, and the whole story and worldbuilding was very intriguing. In fact, I thought it super interesting that while I was listening to this audio, I was also re-reading the Red Rising series. So the "Reaper" was a connecting theme for both of them.

Whatever you kind of expect about this book based on the blurb is probably wrong. In fact, it's a very thought-provoking and philosophizing sort of book, but without pushing a bias or agenda. What it really seems to put into perspective (thank you, humanities education) is the idea of being human and what that entails when one's job is to "glean" or, in other words, murder people -- take lives -- euthanize, whatever you want to call it.

Citra and Rowan have been taken from their normal lives and asked to be scythe apprentices after their unusual responses to Scythe Faraday's recent gleanings. After their one year apprenticeship, one of them is expected to become a scythe but the other will return to normal life as if nothing ever happened. Neither Citra nor Rowan want the responsibilities of being a scythe, and this is Faraday's first test. As scythe apprentices, they learn how to kill and, in some cases, how to deal with death and grief and moral questions. They also find out about mass murders, the emotions experienced by repeated gleanings, and what happens when their body of government, the Scythedom, is corrupted. However these two are unique in that no other scythe has taken two apprentices, and Citra and Rowan form a bond from their experiences. This bond is tested in multiple ways, and it's rather a dance to see if they will survive the harrowing plot twists that spring up.

As I briefly talked about, this book embraces the leap in science that has discovered how to prolong life, "reset" life in years, and even "respawn" life when one experiences an event that would ordinarily cause death (falling from a building, commonly called 'splatting'). Another theme is that of mass murders as a prominent scythe and his cronies revere this form of gleaning and use it constantly and with delight. It's an inside, calmly scientific view of terrorism and despotism, one that can easily be taken one step further into potential genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Another element is of mystery as something happens to Scythe Faraday that causes Citra to dig further and hide her sleuthing, Rowan to become a sort of spy/assassin, and together their dynamic actions rock the very core of the Scythedom. Be prepared for this book to challenge your ideas, bring a new perspective, and make you want to read the next, Thunderhead as soon as possible.

{New Note 5/27/2018 -- I've recently been listening to a well-researched podcast about ISIS, and I'm just going to draw a controversial line here because while I was listening I was reminded about this book. The tactics that Scythe Goddard uses to teach Rowan about his version of gleaning - using dummies to illustrate precise methods of killing and gleaning in a group of other scythes - are the same, if toned down, versions of tactics ISIS uses to teach emotional deadening to killing. So while Scythe is a work of fiction and these people aren't real, there are people undergoing a similar training to kill and who go out and commit mass murders such as these. There are some people in the same shoes as Rowan who do not want to kill but are taught to and pushed out into the world to do more. Just some of my thoughts about the similarities with things in this book and our work today.)

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 Arc of a Scythe, Neal Shusterman, Review, Science Fiction, Simon amp; Schuster, young adult  1 Person left their mark

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Hardcover: 672 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release date: October 18, 2016

Series:  Illuminae Files #2

Source: ARC, Purchased

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.
     The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.
     Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.
     When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.
     But relax. They've totally got this. They hope.
     Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.

[I covered this book on my blog earlier, and since it was missing from the archive, added a quick post for you all so you aren't missing the middle title in the series.]

This second file describes the events at the Heimdall waypoint, where the Kerenza survivors are looking to reach to survive. Daughter of the station's commander, Hanna Donnelly is planning for a party with her military officer boyfriend, Jackson Merrick, and trying to score some of the local drug known as dust (think marijuana rather than anything hard). Her drug dealer is Niklas Malikov, an outrageous flirt and nephew of the local crime lord who farms lamina, terrifying fast-evolving parasites that manufacture dust. On the night Nik and Hanna are supposed to meet up, a Bei-Tech undercover operative cons Nik and his family into intercepting a secret mission allowing Bei-Tech assassins into the waypoint. Luckily, Nik skips out on the destruction to meet Hanna while the rest of the jump station dissolves into chaos and murder. As the Bei-Tech assassins continue their mission, Nik and Hanna are left as the only two free people on the station, aided by the computer skills of Nik's cousin Ella. Through Hanna's lifelong training at strategy and combat due to her father's obsession and Nik's determination, wit, and heart, they must battle or outsmart their way through Bei-Tech's 24 assassins before a second Bei-Tech fleet arrives and their hope for a future is lost for a thousand years.

Hanna is the spoiled princess turned butt-kicking warrior after she's gotten pissed her off by betrayal and her father's murder. Nik is the flirty criminal with a good heart. Basically, they're today's reincarnation of Han and Leia. Ella is sort-of Chewie and C-3PO (after he's been blown to bits in Cloud City and carried like a sack of potatoes) rolled into one. 

Honestly, I am trying so hard here not to reveal epic spoilers. I loved every minute of this nail-biting series and want to experience it over and over again. My favorite bits were the IMs because so much of my teen years were spent forming relationships over IM/internet forums. The art and design elements of spaceship schematics, roster lists, visual design spirals, dossiers, IMs, etc. were unexpected but tied together the setting and feel of the story. Addictive. Terrifying. I want more.

While Illuminae was the real stand out, Gemina was not far behind as a solid sequel and may have equaled the first had my pre-pub edition contained the rest of the art intended for the final copy. (I later bought a copy when it released.)

My copies of Illuminae and Gemina are advanced reader copies (that I've been foisting on everyone I can). THANK YOU #alaac15, #alaac16, and most especially Penguin Random House for giving them out! Currently this series is tied with one other for my favorite reads of 2016!

Note: Language, violence, sexual connotations, and visceral descriptors.

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Posted by Kara at 14:02

 Amie Kaufman, Gemina, Jay Kristoff, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Review, Science Fiction, The Illuminae Files, young adult  2 People left their mark

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Hardcover: 552 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release date: November 7, 2017

Series:  Renegades, #1

Source: Purchased

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Secret Identities.
Extraordinary Powers.
She wants vengeance. He wants justice.
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies―humans with extraordinary abilities―who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice―and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to the villains who have the power to end them both. 

I know there could come a day when I might not love what Marissa Meyer writes, but thank goodness I haven't reached it yet! Before I purchased this book, I did not know what to expect from the story except that it was about superheroes. This was different than any other superhero story I've read, and joins unique superhero YA tales such as Dangerous by Shannon Hale and The Young Elites by Marie Lu.

Here we have two opposing groups of superheroes trying to gain control of Gatlon City, the Renegades and the Anarchists. Nova, our heroine, is an Anarchist known as Nightmare, having been raised by the former Anarchist leader Ace Anarchy and his followers after her family was killed in gang warfare though the family was supposed to be under Renegade protection. Because she saw her family and especially her toddler sister murdered in front of her, she never sleeps and can put others to sleep at her touch. She's also very gifted with tech and weaponry, like an assassin. Adrian, our hero, is a Renegade known as Sketch who is the adopted son of Captain Chromium and the Dread Warden, the leaders of the Renegades. He can bring his drawings and artwork to life. Since Adrian is the leaders' son, he also is kept largely out of the field and has developed another secret identity, the Sentinel, to gain some independence. His real mother was the Renegade, Lady Indomitable, before she was murdered from a fall, ironic considering her power was flying. Adrian has long suspected the Anarchists of murdering his real mother, and when he encounters Nightmare attempting to assassinate his fathers, well, he takes it personally.

Adrian and his team are actually on the tail of Nightmare, and little does he know she's right under his nose. Nova has decided to attempt to infiltrate the Renegades to even out the balance of power, because many Renegades are abusing their own laws. Secretly, she also wants to know why the Renegades didn't protect her family, why they aren't protecting the people they should be. She joins Adrian's Renegade team as Insomnia.

It's a very intricate story where the heroes and villains are not black and white. They each have depths of good and bad and just happen to be on the perceived "hero" or "villain" side. They also discuss the normal people and the effect of all of these superpowers on them: does it help or is it ultimately hurting them? So while this book is super fast-paced and full of interesting details, it also is thought-provoking and asks new questions about the presence of superheroes and villains and their motives. Such as, what if superheroes were part of the government and part of the protection force, instead of regular people as policemen? Are the policemen going to think they can't work and aren't good enough?

Though we largely view the story from Nova and Adrian's points-of-view, the other characters are very well-drawn and lifelike, memorable. An example of a well-drawn character is this horrifying (especially as a mom!) description of the Puppeteer:

"Eight shimmering gold strings cascaded from his fingertips into the crowd, and though Nova couldn't see where they landed, she knew he would be seeking out children in the chaos below. Those who were touched by his strings would turn into puppets he could control. After all these years, she still wasn't sure if his power only worked on children, or if he just preferred them because a mindless, rabid four-year-old was so damned creepy. . . The street below was in chaos. The Puppeteer's gossamer strings littered the pavement, some still wrapped around children's throats and wrists, though many of his puppets had been discarded and crumpled against buildings or in the middle of the street. . . Winston had four children still enthralled, the strings like nooses around their necks as they threw marching band instruments through shop windows, ripped parade floats to pieces, and hurled street food at the Council members who were trying to stop them without actually hurting them. The Dread Warden, of course, had gone invisible, while Tsunami kept trying to trap the puppets in a frothy tidal wave -- except the spellbound children didn't seem to care that they might drown as the plunged into the wall of water."

One of the most intriguing characters is Max, Adrian's "half-brother" who is kept in a glass prison for everyone's safety. I expect he'll be more important in book two, but for now, there are still questions to be answered about Max, his abilities, and how he is connected with Ace Anarchy. I hope we'll get to see more from Adrian's Renegade teammates in the next, like more opportunities to get into their heads. This book has a lot of action and is actually great for middle grade and up. There's little romance and other situations though there is violence and some horror elements -- like the creepy amusement park? That reminded me of images I had seen. (For inspiration, here's some.)

Speaking of this, the world building is really good, though I am looking forward to what details are revealed in the next book. Seems like the next one will be more about Nova and Adrian standing in the gap between the war of Renegades vs. Anarchists, so we hope there will be maybe some more connection, even romance, there. I also took the time to pull out some fun quotes and things I enjoyed about the book below, including a heartbreaking shout out to libraries.

"Humanity loses faith in times like that. With no one to look up to, no one to believe in, we all became rats scrounging in the sewers. Maybe Ace really was a villain. Or maybe he was a visionary. Maybe there's not much of a difference."

"Heroism wasn't about what you could do, it was about what you did. It was about who you saved when they needed saving.

Introducing Gene Cronin, aka The Librarian: "It pains me to think that, even now, the Renegades refuse to trust me. I pay the Council's taxes. I follow the Council's rules. And on top of all that, I provide a great service to this community. . . Do you know there are only nine functioning public libraries currently open within Gatlon city limits? There used to be well over a hundred. And all nine of those are thanks to the selfless efforts of people like me, who have made it our lives' work to continue the free distribution and sharing of knowledge and wisdom. To make sure that the people have access to this... to books."
Ingrid, The Detonator, to The Librarian later after she blows the library up in an inferno: "You'll get over it. It's all those lost weapons that are the real tragedy."
Cronin: "The weapons might have supplied my livelihood, but those books...those were my life."

Fun aside: The lead singer of Imagine Dragons made a special appearance for Renegade tryouts -- "Dan Reynolds, aka...The Crane!" 

Look for book 2, Archenemies coming in November 2018.

Watch the book trailer!

Find your Renegade or Anarchist superpower.

Read Excerpt 1

Read Excerpt 2

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 Fantasy, Feiwel amp; Friends, Marissa Meyer, Renegades, superhuman, young adult  1 Person left their mark

Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce

Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: High Fantasy
Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release date: February 6, 2018

Series:  The Numair Chronicles, #1

Source: For review

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Arram Draper is on the path to becoming one of the realm's most powerful mages. The youngest student in his class at the Imperial University of Carthak, he has a Gift with unlimited potential for greatness--and for attracting trouble. At his side are his two best friends: Varice, a clever girl with an often-overlooked talent, and Ozorne, the "leftover prince" with secret ambitions. Together, these three friends forge a bond that will one day shape kingdoms. And as Ozorne gets closer to the throne and Varice gets closer to Arram's heart, Arram realizes that one day--soon--he will have to decide where his loyalties truly lie. 

I can't tell you how incredibly happy I am to have another Tortall book again! My 12yo self cannot contain her bliss. Tamora Pierce is my absolute favorite YA high fantasy author from my own childhood/teen years. (My favorite adult? Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series.) I can remember trips to the library where I would stalk her section to see if anything new had come out. (This was pre-internet/computers for me. I had no other way of knowing when things were published or in the works.)

I've been trying to remember all the details about Numair, but honestly, I came to this pretty fresh. It's been years since I re-read them, and I don't have the time (motherhood!) though I would've loved to. I own ALL of them!

Here, we meet Numair, a.k.a. Arram Draper, when he is a young tween and follow him as he grows into his young teen years.. He's basically the runt of his magic school due to his age, and even more so after he inadvertently floods a classroom during a lesson and is promoted to study with the advanced masters. He joins a small group of other gifted students who are younger than average, Varice Kingsford and Ozorne Tasikhe, one of the Emperor of Carthak's youngest sons. The trio form a fast bond since they're all rather unusual: Ozorne for his status and study of war magic, Varice for her beauty and likability and talent with cookery magic, and Arram for his depth of power relative to his youth.

At the very beginning of this novel, Arram accidentally falls into a parade of gladiators before their battle and is rescued by Musenda, one of the best gladiators. Arram has a great aversion to the blood sport, especially after he watches a fierce female warrior butchered during this first event. This theme continues throughout the book and relates to other themes of slavery and racism, as Ozorne has a blood feud with the tribe of people who murdered his father, who incidentally was leading the military against an insurrection.

Other undercurrents throughout the book deal with the gods and misuse of power, as in Arram's training, he learns to care for the river-life. Through this, he becomes favored by the crocodile god Enzi and looks after a divine sunbird called Preet that Enzi stole from Mithros. It's impossible not to love Preet and Enzi, as Pierce's non-human characters are always believable and fully realized. Though Arram has an extraordinary amount of power, his affinity leads him to life-preserving and life-respecting types of magic, -- so healing and wild magic, though the majority of the University doesn't respect wild magic as such; all of which contrasts greatly to Ozorne's instruction in war magic though Ozorne does also have a passion for animal care with Master Lindhall (recognize this name, readers of the Immortals series?). This opposition, I expect, will have a much bigger impact in the next novel, but for now, Arram's care leads him to cross paths with a serial murderer, one that might even be aiming to put Ozorne on the Emperor's throne. And since Ozorne's one of the only friends Arram has, he is determined to find out who is behind it all...

I couldn't put this book down! I loved reading about the magic school and Arram's learning. It's really hard to call him Arram now and not Numair as we know him. It's also very different to find Arram/Numair as a kid who has low self-confidence, is vulnerable, and very shy versus his adult counterpart who is, well, not. Very interesting to be viewing the backwards character building. Still, it's endearing to get into Arram's head and watch the process of growing into his Numair persona. Plus, this is one of the few times in Pierce's books that we deal with explanations of puberty from a boy's perspective.

However, there are few things that could be problematic for readers and long-time fans in this novel. 1) This is a highly anticipated story and done in reverse order than many of her other stories. Also, Pierce hasn't really written many boy characters and so far, none in the realm of Tortall (except a Nawat short story, if I can remember correctly). This is her first real young guy character from Tortall, and he's beloved as an older character. So, does she get this character building right?

2) New readers and old readers have differing expectations. Old readers are looking for Pierce to cover how he grows up in Carthak and gets exiled for some crime, has a romance with Varice that ends badly-ish, and all of this drives him to Tortall with a reputation as one of the most powerful black robe mages. New readers are looking for more explanation and easier understanding as they don't have the Tortall tapestry of stories to rely upon.

Here, I thought Pierce did her expected character building, taking a very young preteen Arram and having him learn, mature a bit, and then by throwing a problem at him that he is a key part of solving. Sure, the problem seems to be much more in-depth than ones Keladry or Alanna faced at the same relative age (bandits? a case of magical possession?) but when considering Arram's "go-big or go-home" talent, it's plausible. The one thing other reviewers have pointed out is that this book goes fairly slow, both for new readers to stay patient with all the extra details, and the long-time fans to get antsy for answers to the details we do know about Numair -- none of which are answered in this book, which is frustrating. Therefore with only a second book expected, fans are worried that it will be a LOT to cram into the next book. We'll have to see, but I think she'll have to write a third though that does not seem to be the plan. I'm anxiously anticipating the next to find out what she does with all of these loose ends, though there's been no official pub date yet, but the second is tentatively set for 2019. What did you think of this prequel to Numair?

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 High Fantasy, Random House Books for Young Readers, Tamora Pierce, Tempests and Slaughter, young adult  Leave your mark