The Sweetest Spell Review

416 pages

Emmeline Thistle, a dirt-scratcher's daughter, has escaped death twice-first, on the night she was born, and second, on the day her entire village was swept away by flood. Left with nothing and no one, Emmeline discovers her rare and mysterious ability-she can churn milk into chocolate, a delicacy more precious than gold. Suddenly, the most unwanted girl in Anglund finds herself desired by all. But Emmeline only wants one-Owen Oak, a dairyman's son, whose slow smiles and lingering glances once tempted her to believe she might someday be loved for herself. But others will stop at nothing to use her gift for their own gains-no matter what the cost to Emmeline.

Review:
This book is a beautiful fairytale retelling and I absolutely loved it! The characters are extremely likable and easy to connect with. This story switches between Emmeline and Owen's point of view which was interesting because the views really seemed to be from two completely different people due to the author's style of writing. I know that when dealing with two different views it should be this way but I had to point it out because it was done extremely well here. Emmeline isn't a very strong character at first because she is the least popular girl in her village, but she really develops as the book goes on. I loved that Emmeline wants to help people, even if they wronged her. At times it annoyed me that she seemed a bit too gullible but I didn't judge her too harshly because of the way she grew up. At first Owen didn't seem like he would be a great character because he only had girls and fighting on his mind, but he also grew and surprised me. There is a lot of adventure in this book especially after Emmeline discovers her ability and all makes for an exciting read. Going from the least wanted girl to the most wanted can't help but make you cheer for Emmeline and avidly watch to see what she'll do next. There are a lot of twists that change your views in this novel and I thoroughly enjoyed the way they were brought out. I definitely recommend this novel if you love fairytale retellings that are packed with adventure and romance.

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Soulbound Review

394 pages

Tril is a world where Barrons and Healers are Bound to each other: Barrons fight and Healers cure their Barrons' wounds in the ongoing war with the evil Graplar King. Seventeen-year-old Kaya was born a Healer, but she wants to fight. In Tril, and at Shadow Academy, where she is sent to learn to heal, it is against Protocol for Healers to fight. So Kaya must learn in secret. Enter two young men: One charming, rule-following Barron who becomes Bound to Kaya and whose life she must protect at all costs. And one with a mysterious past who seems bent on making Kaya's life as difficult as possible. Kaya asks both to train her, but only one will, and the consequences will change their lives forever.

Review:
I love Kaya. She is an amazingly strong heroine and does what she thinks is right no matter the consequence. Sometimes she was a little quick to do things without fully thinking it through but I liked the two men in Kaya's life since they each brought something different to the table. Trayton is one of those perfect guys but he also follows the rules a bit too perfectly. Darius on the other hand is one of those rebellious bad boy types that you just can't help but to love. Besides the obvious romantic edge to this story there is also quite a lot of action. I appreciated Kaya for her willingless to step out of the Healer role and train to fight even if it was against the rules. There isn't really a complete sense of the world Kaya lives in but I'm hoping that the next novel opens up the world around her a bit more. Even though I expected what happened between Kaya and one of the guys, the way it happened at the end completely threw me and just made me anticipate reading the next novel when it comes out. I definitely recommend this novel for those who like fantasy novels with a kick-ass heroine.

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The Trouble With Kings Review

348 pages

Princess Flian finds herself the unwilling object of desire of three royals. Is the one she wants a villain-or a hero? Waking up in a strange place, Flian Elandersi at first doesn't know who she is. One wicked prince tells her she is secretly engaged to an even more wicked king who wants to marry her right away. But before that happens, yet another wicked prince crashes through a window on horseback to sweep her off her feet. Memory returns, and Flian realizes that all any of them seem to want is her considerable wealth, not her pleasant-but-ordinary self. She longs to escape the barracks-like, military atmosphere and return to civilization and her musical studies. Flian endures another abduction, this time in the middle of a poetry reading. Who is the villain? Prince Garian Herlester-languid, elegant, sarcastic? Prince Jaim-he of the dashing horsemanship? Or King Jason Szinzar, whose ambiguous warning might be a threat? Flian decides it's time to throw off civilization and take action. The problem with action is that duels of wit turn into duels of steel-and love can't be grabbed and galloped away.

Review:
This would have been a much better story if the heroine was more of a strong presence instead of a mostly weak one. I really wanted her to be more proactive and intelligent but she was a pretty boring character. I can't say that I really liked any of the guys in the novel either since there wasn't much about them to love. The three royal men were all pretty creepy in their own way so it was difficult for me to say I liked one. I did start to enjoy the romance between Flian and Jason but it progressed a bit too quickly for me to completely love it. What kept me reading was the hope that somehow this story would get better and Flian would develop more as a character but didn't happen so I was left feeling pretty disappointed by the end. I can't say that I would recommend this novel because I didn't enjoy it  but that doesn't mean someone else won't.

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Upcoming Reviews

ARC:
Darkness Breaks by Jessica Sorensen

Bought:
Soulbound by Heather Brewer
Tiger Lily byJodi Lynn Anderson
The Trouble With Kings by Sherwood Smith
The Sphinx Project by Kate Hawkings
The Kill Order by James Dashner

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The Forsaken Review

375 pages

As an obedient orphan of the U.N.A. (the super-country that was once Mexico, the U.S., and Canada), Alenna learned at an early age to blend in and be quiet—having your parents taken by the police will do that to a girl. But Alenna can’t help but stand out when she fails a test that all sixteen-year-olds have to take: The test says she has a high capacity for brutal violence, and so she is sent to The Wheel, an island where all would-be criminals end up. The life expectancy of prisoners on The Wheel is just two years, but with dirty, violent, and chaotic conditions, the time seems a lot longer as Alenna is forced to deal with civil wars for land ownership and machines that snatch kids out of their makeshift homes. Desperate, she and the other prisoners concoct a potentially fatal plan to flee the island. Survival may seem impossible, but Alenna is determined to achieve it anyway.

Review:
Wow! This book is violent, a little disturbing, and I loved every minute of it! Alenna is a character who is has inner strength and is also resourceful despite not having started out that way. At the beginning of this novel Alenna is content to just keep doing what the government wants and following society's rules despite how she feels on the inside. As soon as she is thrown into the world of The Wheel, we see Alenna dealing with a harsh new reality. The Wheel is a dangerous place where almost anything goes. There is more to it than Alenna realizes and its interesting to see how she copes with her discoveries along the way. I loved the fact that Alenna found romance, even though it happened a little quickly, but the tie-in to Alenna's background was pretty well done. I do want to see Alenna grow more in the next book and become more of a stand out character. This story was pretty fast paced with a lot of action so there was never a dull moment. I'm interested to see what happens next in Alenna's story and how she deals with the revelations at the end of this book. I definitely recommend this novel if you like action and dystopian books.

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The Brides of Rollrock Island Review

320 pages

On remote Rollrock Island, men go to sea to make their livings--and to catch their wives. The witch Misskaella knows the way of drawing a girl from the heart of a seal, of luring the beauty out of the beast. And for a price a man may buy himself a lovely sea-wife. He may have and hold and keep her. And he will tell himself that he is her master. But from his first look into those wide, questioning, liquid eyes, he will be just as transformed as she. He will be equally ensnared. And the witch will have her true payment.

Review:
This was a pretty strange novel. The view switched around a lot from different generations of characters throughout time. It was interesting to see how the sea wives were created and the reasoning behind it. I did think that this book was pretty difficult to get into since I didn't really feel a connection to the majority of the characters and the views switched too much to get a handle on any single character. I wish I had been able to see more of Misskaella's view because she was the only character that I can say really drew an interest from me. I think that if the writing style had been different I would have definitely enjoyed this book more. Mostly everything moved super slow and there wasn't much action to help keep the story flowing. Other than that I enjoyed the ideas in the book and the general magic of Rollrock Island. I would recommend this novel to those who like paranormal mythology books and don't mind a book with relatively little to no action.

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Blog Tour: The White Thread Review

Release date: August 16th, 2012
404 pages

For the duration of her freshman year, Darcy Pennington agonized over the fate of her dear friend, the nark Yahto Veli, who sacrificed himself to the Oracle to set her free. As her third trip to camp, and to the magical land, approaches, Darcy wonders if she’s capable of the daring rescue she wants to embark upon, but soon realizes there’s much more at stake. Her return to Cedar Cove Family Camp is marked by a mysterious disappearance, and in Alitheia a new message from the Oracle adds to the riddles that must be deciphered if they are to expel the dark evil that hovers over the land. The six friends and the alchemist Rubidius plan a sea journey that will take them beyond the borders of Alitheia, and into the realm of a legendary archipelago. Tellius winds up joining them as well and the foes they meet along the way are both deceptive and charming, while the Oracle’s riddles seem to dog them at every turn. Darcy is also hiding a secret from her best friend Sam that could test their friendship beyond the breaking point, and there’s an unexpected development in her relationship with Tellius that changes everything and makes her understand that the deepest scars sometimes cannot be seen. Darcy isn’t sure if she’s prepared for another meeting with the Oracle, but if she wants to have any chance of saving her friend, she must try. To complicate matters, the evil they left behind in Alitheia has not remained dormant.

Review (ARC):
This is definitely the best book in the series thus far. I love how the author actually has the characters acting their age so you can see the growth in their emotions and personalities. If you haven't read this series let me give you a quick synopsis. There are six teenagers who stumble into a parallel world called Alitheia. They find out that they are from a prophecy which states that they have to save this world but they have no idea how or when. They experience a few adventures and trials that help them to learn more about what's going on in this new world. They only stay in Alitheia for a year at a time which only lasts a few minutes in the real world. In this novel, this is the character's third trip into Alitheia and you can't help but wonder what they will experience next. Darcy has grown a lot from the slightly selfish girl we met in the first novel. I'm actually very happy with the route her character is taking because I love strong heroines and she's turning out to be a great one. Tellius wasn't my favorite character in previous books but now it seems that as he grows he's going to be one of the best characters in this series. Everyone's a bit older so things definitely get a bit more interesting with a love triangle. This book is full of adventure and gives you a new look at the world of Alitheia. There is a lot more places and more adventure to be had in Alitheia and I'm really excited to see more of that. Every time we're introduced to a new character or place in Alitheia the magic of the world grows and just draws you in. I really enjoyed the way the world-building has developed and I think it is absolutely amazing the way this fantasy series was created and continues to grow. At the end of this book I can say that I am extremely excited to see where K. B. Hoyle takes her characters next. I definitely recommend this novel but I also recommend that you read the first two, The Six and The Oracle, before you tackle this one.

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New Releases This Week

August 14th

August 16th

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Throne of Glass Released Today!

This is an amazing and awesome book that we are very excited to see released! It made our favorite book in June post and we absolutely recommend that you pick up this book now! Check out our review here and you can order it on Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

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A Few Books on Our Nook Color To Read

The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Soulbound by Heather Brewer

Amongst the Ruins by Saewood Tice

Mere Enchantment by Alicia Rivoli

Serpent's Kiss by Melissa de la Cruz

Empress of the Seven Hills by Kate Quinn

The Sending by Isobelle Carmody

The Emerald Tablet by P.J. Hoover

The Princess and the Snowbird by Mette Ivie Harrison

Covet by Melissa Darnell

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