Poisoned Blade by Kate Elliott

Poisoned Blade by Kate Elliott

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Hardcover: 468 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release date: August 16th, 2016

Series:  Court of Fives #2

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Jessamy is moving up the ranks of the Fives—the complex athletic contest favored by the lowliest Commoners and the loftiest Patrons in her embattled kingdom. Pitted against far more formidable adversaries, success is Jes's only option, as her prize money is essential to keeping her hidden family alive. She leaps at the chance to tour the countryside and face more competitors, but then a fatal attack on Jes's traveling party puts her at the center of the war that Lord Kalliarkos—the prince she still loves—is fighting against their country's enemies. With a sinister overlord watching her every move and Kal's life on the line, Jes must now become more than a Fives champion...She must become a warrior.

Like the first book, I really enjoyed this second continuation. However, being a second book, you do have to understand certain key elements from the first, one most notably being the royal lineage. I was so confused by how everyone was related that it brought me out of the story quite a lot. Before starting this one, the reader should re-read the first and make a family tree chart for the royal family! It does not so much fall into a typical second book pitfall as the character and plot development are well fleshed out and the action doesn't slow, but there are moments where events pass by so quickly that you might not be quite sure what exactly has happened.

In Court of Fives, Jessamy wanted to be a Fives adversary to live her dream, but in this book, her dream has come at a price and the stakes are much higher for survival. She's a Fives Challenger but she also must keep her status and win more Fives competitions to stay in Lord Gargaron's good graces. Since the political conflicts are ramping up - like the war with Saro-Urok; a possible plot by Prince Nikonos and Lady Menoe to kill the royal family and Kalliarkos; another plot by Lord Gargaron to put Lady Menoe and Kalliarkos on the throne; and the hints of rebellion by the Efeans - Jessamy is caught in the middle with her father's marriage to Lady Menoe, her love for Kalliarkos, her Efean heritage, and her duty as part of Lord Gargaron's Fives stable. With her mother and siblings in hiding (except for the missing Bettany), Jessamy also has to assume responsibility for her family and supply them with money, keep them safely away from Lord Gargaron and his soldiers, and search for Bettany if she can. But most direct plans are thwarted, and she must rely on the Efean rebellion to help them. When Amaya joins Lord Gargaron's household in disguise to help her friend Denya, spy for news, and supply an income, Jessamy finds an ally to search for Bettany and in convincing Lord Gargaron to travel around so she can become a better Challenger. However, in doing so, she unknowingly stumbles into the thick of all the building political machinations. Her unique view has put her at an advantage few others can see, and she must take the step from pawn and small rebel to being a leader and she discovers her mistakes can have disastrous consequences.

Another key element is her relationship with her father and her understanding of his actions. As a military leader and under Lord Gargaron's orders, he had to wed Lady Menoe and set aside his former family, but when hard pressed, he acknowledges Jessamy as legitimate and is proud of her accomplishments, which is significant. Since she encounters a bit of his past in visiting the garrison where he was a spider scout, she comes to understand a bit of why he's made the choices he has, and why his relationship with her mother was so important and different than everyone else's. In examining her father's choices and that of her siblings, she also finds Bettany and how far one might go when you really sacrifice your family for your beliefs...

This book also brings her back to Kal and despite being on different sides, she discovers they are still allies. Since Kal is absent from Jessamy for much of the novel, there is even less romance than the last book. This situation with Kal, I expect, will also be a big part of book three, Buried Heart, coming August 2017. Really looking forward to it!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Brown Books for Young Readers, Court of Fives, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, Kate Elliott, Library, Little, Poisoned Blade, race, Review, we need diverse books, young adult  1 Person left their mark

Court of Fives by Kate Elliott

Court of Fives by Kate Elliott

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release date: July 12, 2016

Series:  Court of Fives, #1

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

In this imaginative escape into enthralling new lands, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott's first young adult novel weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege. 

Jessamy's life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family she can be whoever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom's best contenders. Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an unlikely friendship between two Fives competitors--one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy--causes heads to turn. When Kal's powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes's family apart, she'll have to test her new friend's loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.

This fantasy was so good! I definitely did not expect to like this book as much as I did. It was compelling and action-filled. The characters were engaging. I loved Jes and Kal the best. The whole book revolves around Jes' conflicts and her choices based upon a few events. Running the Fives has been her dream that has always been out of reach. With her father's status as great military leader and his already taboo marriage to an Efean woman that he refuses to put aside, meaning she and her children still have his loyalty which is unheard of for a Patron man and makes him and his wife legendary among the Efeans, Jessamy is cautioned even more to be inconspicuous and obedient. In fact, none of the girls are to ever draw attention to themselves, hard because of their mixed race/status, the attention of Jessamy and Bettany being twins/cursed, Maraya having a club foot, and Amaya being exceptionally beautiful. This makes having a mixed race a key element of the book, which should draw some attention in YA and be part of #weneeddiversebooks movement. It's rare to have a YA fantasy deal with mixed race issues so prominently.

When their family status and future is most insecure than it has ever been due to her father's lord dying, Jes still pursues her dreams with the possibility of ruining everyone else's, which one could argue shows both courage and stupidity. It doesn't hurt that she's met Kal, who she is attracted to, not just for his looks, but because he's smart, honest, and a talented Fives runner who also happens to be a lord. But then when her mother and sisters are shamed as her father's star rises by being taken in to Lord Gargaron's household, Jessamy also faces the hardest choice -- to continue with her one chance to run the Fives in front of her father or be a dutiful daughter and go with the rest of her family.

Having always thought her father was rather hard to reach and would deny her despite her dreams, Jessamy continues with her plans but loses to Kal on purpose; however, Lord Gargaron knows of her cunning plan and forces her into a deal to run for him which also increases her father's status. But when she finds out that her mother and sisters are missing, Jessamy sacrifices her chances as a Fives adversary to possibly be discovered rescuing her family, showing that when faced with the worst odds, she will choose her family's lives over her own. It's quite a turn from selfishness to sacrifice for Jes, but then, if you consider that Jessamy decided not to run the Fives originally, she likely would have been missing with her family and no one would have been in a position to attempt to save them, much less find powerful enough allies to make a difference in their fates. This is one of the reasons that this book is really inspiring because choices of one young teen girl (who starts out selfish yet brave) comes to be the savior of her family, at least in the short term. We'll see what happens in the next book!

The setting was a mix of ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman society (think playing Age of Empires or Civilization) and myth. For more on the elements Kate Elliott used to create Court of Fives, visit "The Book Smugglers" site. This was a pretty clean read except for the bit about Kal pretending Jes is his mistress to give them more time together to plot and plan. Does contain some romance, but not very much, so this can definitely be read by middle grade readers or upper elementary readers. An interesting bit is how the premise is modeled after a variation of Little Women, which I hadn’t realized up until now. All in all, worth a read! If you'd like to read an excerpt, visit Tor.com. Stay tuned for my review of book 2 coming soon!

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Posted by Tynga at 14:25

 Action amp; Adventure, Brown Books for Young Readers, Court of Fives, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, Kate Elliott, Library, Little, race, Review, we need diverse books, young adult  2 People left their mark

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

I'm loving this wonderful series set in a fictional small town in South Carolina! The magic is magical and the setting is comfortable and the characters are really likable. Beautiful Darkness is the second book in the Caster Chronicles series, so this review may contain a few spoilers. To read the review of the first book, Beautiful Creatures, click here.

I just about started this review with "this is the first series featuring witches/witchcraft that I've enjoyed!" and then remembered Harry Potter.  But aside from Harry Potter, this is the first series featuring this much magic that I've loved.  The setting grabbed me and pulled me in heart and soul.  The books are set in Gatlin, SC, a small fictional town just outside of Summerville, SC, which is near Charleston, SC.  I grew up in SC!  The authors do a great job representing the state.  I love hearing the descriptions of the food and the culture.  Lena even makes a comment at one point about all the different casseroles that show up on her doorstep when tragedy strikes.  So true!  If someone you loves dies in the South, you can totally expect an avalanche of casseroles to be delivered to your house.  This book happens to take place in June, so there's mention of the climate also.  Again- the authors nail it.  There's mention of the weighty, oppressive heat peppered into the story.  It's all very natural and unobtrusive.  Being a YA book, the action continually moves forward without any lengthy descriptive passages.  Still, the setting itself, with the heat and the culture and the traditional magic (like the Gullah magic that Amma works) almost act as a minor character.

The characters are awesome too.  First, the uniqueness of point of view:  the book is told by Ethan Waite, a non-magical male.  Seems like most of the magical/witchy books are told from the female perspective.  (At least in the YA realm.  I haven't tried any "grown up" witchy books.)  Ethan is such a good guy.  I want to be his friend, and also can't help but wonder if I'd be worthy of being his friend.  He's not perfect- he definitely has some moments- but overall he's so good.  So much better than many actual teenage boys I know.  You can really see the influence of his Amma in him.  I love reading about how much he cares for his family and friends.

Lena is almost a secondary character in this book.  The whole plot is driven by her; is about her; but yet she's not a truly active player in all of it.  Instead, Ethan and Linc spend a large portion of the book "chasing" her.  (I don't want to say too much and spoil anything!)  Just like how the first book was all about a build-up to Lena's sixteenth moon; this book is about her seventeenth moon.  Lena is just as communicative as ever... *insert sarcasm*  And of course you'll have to read the book to find out if she claims herself for light or dark!  It's not obvious:  you'll be on the metaphorical edge of your seat as you read this book.  Along the way, you'll experience lots of Caster magic and all the members of the Ravenwood family and lots of mystery.

I listened to Beautiful Darkness, and the narrator did a fantastic job.  He had a Southern accent that wasn't too overdone or anything.  His pacing and enunciation were spot on.  I would definitely recommend this audiobook.  There were also some sound effects scattered throughout too, which is rare!  They were really well done.  Not too many; not too few.  And each time the seventeen moons song came up, it was actually sung by a female, to music.  I think this is one of those rare cases where the audiobook may actually be slightly better than the physical book!

Overall, a great series and a great book.  Two thumbs up!

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Brown Books for Young Readers, caster chronicles, Fantasy amp; Magic, Friendship, Kami Garcia, Library, Little, Magic, Margaret Stohl, Review, YA, young adult  Leave your mark

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Breaking Dawn is one of those books where I really feel like I got my money's worth (and more, honestly), if that makes sense.  It is one long book, but for fans of the Twilight Saga, it might still not be quite enough.

I could talk for days about the plot- there's a LOT there.  Stephenie Meyer probably could have split Breaking Dawn into two or three books, and Twilight fans would have bought them all.  Kudos to Meyer for letting us have it all in one package!  I don't want to spoil anything, though.  I managed to make it through all the original fandom without finding out even a quarter of what happens in this book, and I don't want to ruin it for anyone else out there.  Just know that you will get some of the most romantic romance I've read in a YA book recently, some really intense mind-blowing medical drama, lots of friendship development, and plenty of character growth.  All in one!

I can talk about the intensity of the writing skill in Breaking Dawn without spoilers.  During the romantic scenes, I totally swooned.  Know that I do not swoon easily!  I tend to be more realistic and label romantic scenes as cheesy, but there were some bits early in the book where I was ready to try to marry into the Cullen family!  (Hubby:  not really.  Don't worry.  They're fictional.)  I think what I liked best is that the romantic scenes between characters in this book weren't all about kissing/bedroom eyes:  there was action.  The characters showed affection for each other in very realistic ways, like in spending time with each other, just holding hands, cooking for each other, etc.  The setting didn't hurt either:  I won't tell you where the characters travel to (it was a surprise for a character as much as for me), but I will tell you that Meyer does a fantastic time painting the landscape for the reader.  I had no trouble being transported to that place with those characters.  On the flip side, the descriptions were just as vivid during intense medical drama and fights-I got pretty nervous during a few of the scenes and had to take a moment to think about baby pandas instead.  Oh my!

I can also talk about character growth without any plot spoilers.  Remember how I called Bella a "dramarama mama" in my review of Eclipse?  She definitely shows the most growth in Breaking Dawn.  In just one book, she takes on multiple new responsibilities, all without complaint.  We see her transition from an unsure, clumsy high schooler to a conscientious young adult.  She's not the only one, either:  Jacob, I feel, also shows quite a bit of growth throughout this book as he also takes on some new responsibilities.  And finally, we can also look at the big picture and see growth in the relationships between supernatural groups, such as between the La Push werewolves and the Cullen vampires.  (There's more than just that, but that would be spoilery.  Teaser!)

Meyer does something cool with point of view in Breaking Dawn.  At the end of Eclipse, there's an epilogue from Jacob's point of view.  In Breaking Dawn, there's an entire chunk of the book from his point of view.  That was pretty cool.  While Bella isn't a vampire, she's very tied up in the Cullens and their lifestyle, and not the most objective observer.  I liked getting to see the Cullens from a slightly more critical eye.  And we all already know that I've been Team Jacob.  ;)

Don't think that Breaking Dawn is all lovey dovey hand-holding and character growth:  there's also a definite conflict.  That should probably be Conflict with a capital "c," really.  It's like all the other books' conflicts were piddly little set-ups compared to what's building in Forks, WA in Breaking Dawn!  This is hard to talk about without spoilers.  Just trust me that you will not be disappointed!

I listened to about half (the first half) on CD in my car, then finished it up in a physical book.  Nothing wrong with the narration; I just had more listening to do than I had time, and I can read slightly faster than I can listen.  The same narrator reads for the Bella parts in Breaking Dawn, and a new reader is introduced for the Jacob parts.  We already know that I think the Bella narrator is great; the Jacob narrator was ok.  He read clearly and with a good cadence, but his voice when he was reading quotes from Bella or Edward got a bit goofy.  Oh well.  I'd still call it a good audiobook overall.

This series definitely ends on a crowd-pleasing bang!  For fans of the first three Twilight books, I'd say that Breaking Dawn is an absolute must.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Brown Books for Young Readers, Library, Listening Library, Little, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Review, Stephenie Meyer, Twilight Saga, vampires, werewolves, young adult, Zombie  4 People left their mark

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor

Warning!  Dreams of Gods & Monsters is the finale to a trilogy.  Check out Tynga's review of Daughter of Smoke & Bone and my review of Days of Blood & Starlight by clicking on the titles to avoid series spoilers!

Starcrossed lovers Karou (a monster) and Akiva (an angel) join forces in a new and unique twist on the classic good vs. evil battle.  Angels are descending on Rome in battalions, thousands of angels, through a tear in the sky.  Concurrently, Eliza, a genetics researcher, is called to Morocco to investigate what appears to be a mass grave full of unnatural monsters.  Karou has managed a great deception and set up a puppet leader of the chimaera.  Through him, she's able to unite the misbegotten and the chimaera to battle the invading seraphim.  Yes-- that's the great twist on the classic good vs. evil battle:  in Dreams of Gods & Monsters, angels are seen as a malevolent invading force and the monsters (chimaera) are the good defenders!

As with the first two books, the characters are so incredibly rich.  The reader literally gets inside many of the character's minds, so we see firsthand their struggles and doubts and confidences.   This series is solidly YA; we can be sure which characters are "good guys" and which ones are the "bad guys."  But they're still more complex than that.  Karou is definitely a "good guy," but we see her struggle with battle plans, knowing that some of her kind may perish.  And although Akiva is on Karou's side, the reader can feel his confliction, going against his own kind.  By the end of the book I was nearly crying and/or cheering out loud!

Speaking of characters, of course we must talk about Zuzana and Mick!  How could anyone not love this brave pair?  They are fully human, and don't always understand what's going on, but they are always always always ready to stand by Karou's side.  Even when that leads to a serious lack of chocolate cake in Zuzana's life.  Ya'll, I have never shipped two characters as much as I ship them!  I haven't yet read Night of Cake & Puppets, but I plan to asap.

Not only is Laini Taylor good at developing characters for us to love, she's also a top-notch world-builder.  You might think it'd be hard to wrap your mind around a world populated by creatures composed of many different species (such as a gray wolf head on a human body, or a jaguar body with a human head and bat wings), a world lived mostly deep inside a system of caves, but the author does such fantastic descriptions that you can really picture yourself there.

So, the plot.  Here's where Dreams of Gods & Monsters lost one of it's five stars for me.  The final battle did not go as I expected it to.  I felt like it fell a little flat compared to all the build-up.  I also felt like there were a few loose ends, or tenuous connections, at the end, considering that it's a series finale.  It wasn't too terrible; if you're already invested from reading Daughter of Smoke & Bone and Days of Blood & Starlight, you should definitely still read Dreams of Gods & Monsters... but just be prepared.

And finally, the narration:  I listened to Dreams of Gods & Monsters on CD and the narration was great!  The narrator had good, clear annunciation and pacing.  The production quality was great; I never had to fiddle with the volume.  I never tuned out.  And the narrator did a great accent for Zuzana and Mick.

This is such a unique, well-written trilogy, and I definitely recommend to folks at work (and now to you too)!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 angels, audiobook, Brown Books for Young Readers, chimaera, Daughter of Smoke amp; Bone, Laini Taylor, Library, Little, Paranormal, Review, young adult  2 People left their mark

Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger

In the flurry of amazing books and review obligations, I didn't have a chance to chat about the second Finishing School book CURTSIES & CONSPIRACIES but I love Gail Carriger's writing too much not to talk about the penultimate book in the series, WAISTCOATS & WEAPONRY. If you're not familiar with the series, check out my review of the first book, ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE, which will give you an idea of the series.

In WAISTCOATS & WEAPONRY, Sophronia is slightly more experienced but still in training at Mlle Geraldine's school, learning how to be an intelligencer of the highest order. I really enjoy the lessons that Sophronia receives, and the school in general, as it is so magnificently twee. This year's lessons include how to fight with a fan, which leads to a truly comical scene. But the heart of the books aren't the lessons - the heart is Sophronia and her friendships and personal growth. She's a delightfully protagonist and she becomes more confident and also more aware of her abilities and shortcomings with each page in the series and it's a pleasure to watch her grow.

Although we see growth and change in some areas, Sophronia is still very much the strong-minded girl that she was from the start of ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE, rebelling against the rules and forging her own path. She's maintained her close relationship with Soap, the sootie who works below stairs (insofar as a zeppelin can have a below stairs), despite the scandalous difference in their stations and the fact that he's black, but she's also formed a tight knit group of friends who are staunchly on her side, no matter what the danger. Dimity, Sidheag, and Agatha are such wonderful characters and the four girls form a marvellous band of opposites. Sophronia's ability and willingness to fly in the face of convention imbues all aspects of her life but it's most apparent in the fact that she treasures her friendships with people she "shouldn't" be friends with, and is willing to go to some lengths to keep these friendships, even when they take turns that make things a bit awkward, such as Soap's more overt romantic intentions. (Romance is not the main focus of the series but there are some romantic tensions, which are quite enjoyable since it's about the only thing that flusters Sophronia.)

WAISTCOATS & WEAPONRY also advances a lot of the series plot threads, which is really exciting. We get some ideas about where Sophronia might end up after she graduates, and also see the true colours of some of the men/boys in her life. It was great to see all these developments, and I'm quite excited about where Sophronia will end up when the series draws to a close.

Read an excerpt

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Brown Books for Young Readers, Finishing School, Gail Carriger, Hachette, Little, Purchased, Review, steampunk, young adult  3 People left their mark

Unmarked by Kami Garcia

I was a bit hesitant to read Unmarked because I wasn't a huge of the 1st book in the Legion Series, Unbreakable. I'm extremely relieved to say that Unmarked is worlds better than it's predecessor and it delivered an incredible story and romance. Kami Garcia really upped the stakes in this one and everything is just bigger and better in Unbreakable.

Kennedy Waters is recovering from her adventures with the Legion in a boarding school before the team comes back to rescue her. Marbas is still on the loose and the only ones who can defeat him is the Legion, but it will take a lot more than a few salt rounds and spells. Kennedy Waters's family history is shrouded in mystery and it could unlock the key to defeating Marbas.

I eagerly devoured Unmarked from the start and Garcia really knows how to hook readers in with suspense and romance. I was intrigued by the skeletons that laid hidden in the Waters's family and I really wanted to find out why her father had left her family. This novel is more focused than Unbreakable was and there is a lot less running around trying to defeat paranormal spirits.

I definitely think the fact that this novel is rooted around the Waters's secrets allowed readers to see a much more complex, developed Kennedy. For better or worse, Kennedy's adventures with Legion have changed her and she's no longer the scared, helpless girl she once was. Kennedy has grown into a powerful, brave character who will look evil straight in the eye if it means saving the ones she loves and I admired Kennedy for really stepping it up.

The romance in this novel is so freaking addicting and I couldn't get enough of Kennedy and Lukas's relationship. Unmarked really pushes this couple's relationships to the limit and makes them go through countless hoops to be together. I was obsessed with this couple and I loved scenes in which Kennedy and Lukas explored their relationship. I always loved the romance in the Caster Chronicles and it's no surprise to me that I was such a huge fan of Unbreakable's signature couple.

Between possessions, exorcisms, a murder of crows and graveyards, Unmarked taps into so much creepiness and really makes good use of its horror elements. Kami Garcia really explores demonology in more depth in this one and I definitely think that this aspect of the novel was well-researched. It was really interesting to me how Garcia tied in the Revolutionary War to Kennedy's family to classical demon history and Unmarked is extremely well-plotted. This is the perfect horror novel to read around Halloween, but I'd probably suggest reading it with the lights on and during the day.

Unmarked is a lot of fun to read and is definitely a must-read for fans of the CW and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I'm so glad that I gave this series another chance because I really loved Unmarked. I definitely will be continuing this series and the 3rd book in this series is at the top of my anticipated books list. Unmarked is an excellent paranormal thriller and Kami Garcia truly blew me away with this sequel.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 BEA, Brown Books for Young Readers, ghosts, Kami Garcia, Little, Paranormal, Publisher, Review, The Legion, young adult  Leave your mark