The Dreadful Tale of Proper Redding

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken

I've previously read books by Alexandra Bracken... I'm not going to link the blog posts because I don't want to think about the previous books she wrote. ...because reasons.

I was pretty excited about this book after reading the amazon summary, "Prosper is the only unexceptional Redding in his old and storied family history-that is, until he discovers the demon living inside him. Turns out Prosper's great-great-great-great-great-something grandfather made-and then broke-a contract with a malefactor, a demon who exchanges fortune for eternal servitude. And, weirdly enough, eight-hundred-year-old Alastor isn't exactly the forgiving type.

The fiend has reawakened with one purpose--to destroy the family whose success he ensured and who then betrayed him. With only days to break the curse and banish Alastor back to the demon realm, Prosper is playing unwilling host to the fiend, who delights in tormenting him with nasty insults and constant attempts to trick him into a contract. Yeah, Prosper will take his afterlife without a side of eternal servitude, thanks. But with the help of his long-lost uncle, Barnabas, and his daughter, Nell, a witch-in-training, it seems like Prosper has at least a fighting chance of ridding himself of Alastor before the demon escapes and wreaks havoc on his family.
Little does Prosper know, the malefactor's control over his body grows stronger with each passing night and there's a lot Alastor isn't telling his dim-witted (but admittedly strong-willed) human host?" AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

Prosper Redding has grown up with his twin sister in a town where his family has always done well... but maybe because his ancestor made a deal with a malefactor to give prosperity to his family. Which they didn't know about until they are taken to their grandma's cottage where they go through a ritual which reveals that the malefactor Alastor has taken residence in Prosper. Fearing for his life from the ritual, Prosper escapes. He meets up with his uncle Barnabas, who has been lost from the family kind of, and works to help Prosper. Uncle Barnabas has his daughter Nell, a witch, help with Proper's situation while living in a haunted house.

Prosper now has Alastor hanging out inside of him, and with that, there comes a few oddities. Alastor delivers commentary on Prosper's activities, in ridiculing fashion while also also trying to convince Prosper to make his own deal with Alastor. Prosper, Nell, and Uncle Barnabas continue to search for a way to get rid of Alastor before Alastor becomes too powerful.

That's enough summary.

So something pretty delightful about this book is that it alternates between Alastor and Prosper for who tells the story at what part. For the most part, it is Prosper, but there's also a lot of Alastor in there. There's also tons of humor, and a very thoughtfully constructed world in terms of magic, fiends, and well just everything.

I did like the character growth of Prosper, I liked how the town's attitude and kind of thought process was shaped, and I very much look forward to the sequel, which I truly hope packs the same punch of humor, and kind of grossness as this first book.

Happy reading! 

One Dark Throne

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

This is the sequel to Three Dark Crowns which I reviewed HERE. This blog post will undoubtedly contain spoilers for Three Dark Crowns, so if you don't want that spoiled, then I would suggest NOT reading this review.

An amazon summary, "The battle for the crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail?

With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off.

Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent.

In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake’s New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn’s deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

The end of Three Dark Crowns showed us a whirlwind of kind of madness. My main takeaways were Katherine went a little crazy after being pushed into the pit of the island by Pietyr but returned fiercer than before, Arsinoe discovered she's actually the poisoner queen which means Katherine is actually the naturalist queen, and Mirabella is kind of going full tilt crazy. The quickening revealed a lot about how the suitors play into this and also the strategies and alliances forming around the queens killing each other.

...that being said, the first chunk of this book centered strongly on the romances...and I kind of didn't care. I was kind of mad that Katherine went from being a wrathful queen hell bent on winning the crown to kind of a simpering nitwit. Instead of concentrating on the crown she was like, NOPE, LET'S GET THE SUITORS LINED UP. I feel like Arsinoe found herself more...but I'm perplexed that she's able to use the small magics easier than before when it went so horribly in the last book? Mirabella just seems lost to me overall. Which really means, in an effort to avoid spoilers, that's all the summary you're getting out of me.

This feels a little weird, but I do feel like I'm rooting for Arsinoe overall (even though her name is the one I'm least sure on how it's pronounced, haha). Mirabella seems too twisted up in herself and internal struggles to really be any sort of effective queen plus her elemental house is a little all over the place off-kilter, especially with some of the practices the priestesses do. Katherine can't really seem to decide what she wants to be and is twisted up in her own poisoner house. I would really like to see the poisoner house be kicked out of the capital. Despite her use of small magic and dabbling in the 'dark arts' if you will (which is what the small magic seems to equate too) I think Arsinoe is the most grounded for the throne. I think her house would also bring the most compassion to how the island is governed and disputes handled. ...really, I'm mostly just down with kicking the poisoners off the throne.

I want to know more about the island and how it interacts with the outside world. I feel like we saw some of that in this book, but not nearly enough. I want more of the side characters, but I REALLY want to see when the queens legitimately go at it. I am getting this sneaking suspicion/dread that these triplets are going to break the cycle or something, and all three will rule the island? But.... I don't see the point to that really. I feel like they would have to go deeper into the lore surrounding the goddess.... but to what end? Not sure if this series is losing it's way, or coyly keeping the path to the final conclusion under careful wraps. All speculation at this point.

I think there's going to be two more books in this series? At this point, I'm ready to pick up book 3. I would like to see some plot threads resolve in book 3 though.

Happy reading!

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Are you up for a historical romp full of humor, wit, adventure, and some roguish behavior?

I'm also pretty sure this book has gotten a ton of well deserved press. So if you haven't heard of it, I'm happy to make your day!

This book does contain themes of feminism, LGBTQIA, race, and serious illnesses. It does have a good sense of humor through out all of these topics without belittling the subject matter.

There's ton of other stuff in the amazon review telling you to read this book, so I only copied the summary bit, "A young bisexual British lord embarks on an unforgettable Grand Tour of Europe with his best friend/secret crush. An 18th-century romantic adventure for the modern age written by This Monstrous Thing author Mackenzi Lee—Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets the 1700s.

Henry “Monty” Montague doesn’t care that his roguish passions are far from suitable for the gentleman he was born to be. But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quests for pleasure and vice are in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

So Monty vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

Witty, dazzling, and intriguing at every turn, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is an irresistible romp that explores the undeniably fine lines between friendship and love." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

Monty is about to embark on his grand tour before he takes over the family estate upon his return. His best friend Percy is going on tour with him, but much to Monty's despise, so is a chaperon. And his younger sister, Felicity. Monty has long enjoyed a life of debauchery; this grand tour is supposed to be his last 'hurrah' before settling down. Well, in Monty's eyes. His father, who is financing the trip, is expecting it to be very educational thanks to their chaperon and with the company of Felicity to keep things a little calmer.

As you can imagine, Monty is bound to have an adventure, regardless of chaperon, and they find themselves in one predicament into another. 

Throughout the entire adventure, the story definitely finds it's heart in Monty's and Percy's struggles, as they really begin to understand the life of the one who has been beside them the entire time. It's also a ton of fun to read about high society getting a little mucked up by this fierce friendship.

I don't want to say much more just in case I ruin any aspect of the book, but I found all of the character development, the world building, the pacing of the book, all of it was just wonderful. One of my most recommended books.

Happy reading!

York: The Shadow Cipher

York: The Shadow Cipher  by Laura Ruby

Who's ready for an alternate Earth history full of neat gadgets and a cipher that a couple of very famous inventors left for New York City? Is it EVERYONE? Yay!

An amazon summary without all of the reviews or praise, "It was 1798 when the Morningstarr twins arrived in New York with a vision for a magnificent city: towering skyscrapers, dazzling machines, and winding train lines, all running on technology no one had ever seen before.

Fifty-seven years later, the enigmatic architects disappeared, leaving behind for the people of New York the Old York Cipher—a puzzle laid into the shining city they constructed, at the end of which was promised a treasure beyond all imagining. By the present day, however, the puzzle has never been solved, and the greatest mystery of the modern world is little more than a tourist attraction.

Tess and Theo Biedermann and their friend Jaime Cruz live in a Morningstarr apartment—until a real estate developer announces that the city has agreed to sell him the five remaining Morningstarr buildings. Their likely destruction means the end of a dream long held by the people of New York.

And if Tess, Theo, and Jaime want to save their home, they have to prove that the Old York Cipher is real. Which means they have to solve it." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

The Morningstarr twins were magnificent inventors who made inventions around the city of New York. Notably, they made things like a public transport system that also has little cleaners on it that take care of it. They also built many buildings throughout the city that have elevators that don't just move up and down, but every which way. The Morningstarr twins were also celebrities of a sort, had lavish parties, and met many people through many walks of life.

Tess, Theo, and Jaime live in a Morningstarr building, which is currently being bought by a real estate developer. They hope by solving the cipher, they can save their building. They love their building, they love their community, and they think that by solving the cipher and proving it's real, they can save their building.

That's enough summary.

I loved this book. There was plenty of mystery, there were also all sorts of different inventions, strong themes of family, and such a thrilling adventure.

The world was also full of it's own pockets of mysteries. It's a way more technologically advanced New York City, but they also have their own problems. Like, they have Chimeras; animals that are a combination of more than one animal. Tess has a chimera as a support animal for her mental health, but her chimera is unusual. It's a very large cat, but its unclear what aspects of other animals have been added with the cat. There's a bunch of fun little details like that throughout the story that paints the familiar New York City with a different color. It gives the world an entirely familiar feel, while also giving it more of an alternate world feel.

There's also a cipher society that's been trying to solve the cipher for years, and are FULL of a cast of wonderful, wonderful people. I also learned a crap ton about the different types of puzzles, which was oddly informative and makes me feel like I can take on Escape Rooms better.

I don't really want to talk about the general plot of the book because, it's a mystery book. I feel like any neat cipher clue that I talk about might lead to a reader discovering a clue too soon about the book. The mystery must be preserved!

But, I loved this book. It's very wonderful. I'm looking forward to the sequel!

Happy reading!

Cruel Crown

Cruel Crown by Victoria Averyard

Admittedly, I stumbled upon this book a little later in the whole series game? But....it's fine.

This is a side story to the Red Queen series, so if you don't want any spoilers, don't read this blog. YAY!

I've read and reviewed the first three books, RED QUEEN, GLASS SWORD, and KING'S CAGE. I think you're supposed to read this particular book between Red Queen and Glass Sword because it has a sneak peek for Glass Sword at the end? But.... whatever! Here we are!

To the amazon summary! "The #1 New York Times bestselling series!

Discover the truth of Norta's bloody past in this paperback bind-up of two novella-length prequels to #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series.

Queen Song:

Queen Coriane, first wife of King Tiberias, keeps a secret diary—how else can she ensure that no one at the palace will use her thoughts against her? Coriane recounts her heady courtship with the crown prince, the birth of a new prince, Cal, and the potentially deadly challenges that lay ahead for her in royal life.

Steel Scars:

Captain Farley exchanges coded transmissions with the resistance as she travels the land recruiting black market traders, smugglers, and extremists for her first attempt at an attack on the capital. She was raised to be strong, but planting the seeds of rebellion in Norta is a tougher job than expected—until she stumbles upon a connection that may prove to be the key to the entire operation: Mare Barrow.

This paperback bind-up also includes an excerpt of the second book in the Red Queen series, Glass Sword.

And don’t miss War Storm, the thrilling final book in the bestselling Red Queen series!" AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

This book is also a two part story, similar to books I've reviewed in the past. So I'm going to break it down to the two stories inside.

Queen's Song

Queen's song is about Cal's mother, Queen Coriane, and the slow descent into madness she experiences from her ordeals with Elara (Maven's mother). I thought it was an interesting read, but I don't think it was very enlightening to the series in general? If I didn't read this book, it wouldn't really impact my knowledge of the series. However, I APPRECIATE THAT SO MUCH! If you don't read this book, the author doesn't punish you. If you're an inquisitive reader, it does reveal more about the Queen herself, who she was, and what her priorities were. It was kind of nice. I do wonder if this book inspired the author to switch to different narrators in book 3 (and probably book 4). I will say, it was kind of gut wrenching read, similar to Mare's months in captivity and how you see that spiral into chaotic thought.

Steel Scars

I really liked this story. It's about Farley and how she started planting the seeds for the Scarlet Guard to lead the red rebellion in Norta. It showcases a lot more about her relationship with her father, but also gives you a firm grasp of how she views the world around her. I kind of loved it actually. Farley has been a character I've liked a lot throughout the series since she's just been a consistent badass and brings it to you every time (if you will). We also got to see more of Farley's and Shade's relationship before Mare's powers were uncovered, and that was also nice. To know how much they meant to each other before we saw it in the series. Again, I don't think this side story is inherently essential to read to understand the main series, but it also gave me more insight to Farley, Shade, and the Scarlet Guard. I enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed both side stories really, and if you've read the other books and are curious about these story elements, I'd recommend picking up this book. If not, then it really doesn't hurt you at all to not read them.

Happy reading!

Song of the Current

Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

I found this book to be mesmerizing. It was like an entrance into a different world, and I only found myself eager to explore. ...which sounds really kind of corny and weird...so here's the amazon summary!

An amazon summary, "Caroline Oresteia is destined for the river. Her father is a wherryman, as was her grandmother. All Caro needs is for the river god to whisper her name, and her fate is sealed. But at seventeen, Caro may be too late.

So when pirates burn ships and her father is arrested, Caro volunteers to transport mysterious cargo in exchange for his release. Secretly, Caro hopes that by piloting her own wherry, the river god will finally speak her name.

But when the cargo becomes more than Caro expected, she finds herself caught in a web of politics and lies. With much more than her father's life at stake, Caro must choose between the future she knows, and the one she could have never imagined." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

So what the amazon summary completely fails to mention is the hints of magic everywhere in this world. Literally, page 1 of the book states quite clearly, "There is a god at the bottom of the river," (Tolcser, 1). On top of that, Caro and her father have a frogman on board. They're basically like a humanoid frog, that are smaller in stature, look like a frog, and don't say much. They also aren't just along the river, but it tends to be the preference for them to work on wherries. Honestly, I wish there was a lot more about the frogman (like the lore, stories, etc), maybe in book 2. Which is not a spoiler. Maybe. I don't know....in summary, supernatural elements isn't this weird figment of the imagination, like maybe hinted at thing within the world...but a very real thing.

Anyways.

So Caro and her father are smuggling some cargo down the river when they stop in port and the harbor master catches them. They offer them a deal; transport a mysterious box to where they want or go to jail. Her father refuses and goes to jail. Caro makes a deal that if she delivers the mysterious box, her father will go free. Her father is against the deal, but Caro is adamant on freeing him. She sets off with the box, the frogman Fee, and adventure soon finds her. The box isn't ordinary cargo, it contains a person inside. Dun dun dunnnn

So I really liked the world building of this book (aside from the lack of frogman knowledge, but that could be just because I'm curious about oddities within worlds) and I liked the character development.

But, kind of a spoiler alert, I took issue with the romance. It felt REALLY forced at moments, and one of those "Oh, we happened to spend a lot of time in the same vicinity as each other, well now of COURSE I'm in love with you!" Which is kind of annoying. I did enjoy the plot twists, and the unfolding of Caro's background, why she's so motivated, etc; but sometimes it felt like the writing style didn't quite live up to the subject matter. For example, at times the clothing seemed to matter A LOT in some situations where it felt like it shouldn't have been that big of a deal?

There were just a few hiccups that prevent me from making this a recommended book. BUT, I would most definitely read the second one. A little nautical humor, but you may consider me 'hooked'.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAA.....

Happy reading!

A Court of Wings and Ruin

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

This is the third book in the series. I reviewed the first two books, A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES and A COURT OF MIST AND FURY. This blog post will definitely contain spoilers for the first two books, so if you don't want any spoilers, don't read this blog post.

There are definitely scenes of sex and violence throughout this story. If you don't like reading about those aspects about humanity, then I suggest not reading this book.

An amazon summary, "Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

So, at the end of A Court of Mist and Fury, Tamlin essentially betrayed all of Prythian to Hybern, just to get Feyre back at a very steep cost. Both of Feyre's sisters were dunked into the cauldron and turned into immortal High Fae, and the night court managed to escape, but barely. Tamlin took Feyre back to the spring court...where Feyre has started to undermine Tamlin in the eyes of his court for everything he has done to her and now this betrayal of Prythian. The traitorous Ianthe is still running amok, and a couple of Hybern's royals have come to find a weakness within the wall that separates the humans from the Fae.

That's enough summary; I feel like anything else is really going to skip a lot of interwoven tidbits throughout the story and I would hate do that.

I still really enjoyed this book, but I enjoyed it less than the previous two books. I thought the previous two books had a lot more in the way of plot, world building, character development, etc; and some of this book just felt a little hasty. Especially towards the end. There were still a TON of cool elements at play, but it was less enchanting than the previous two books. I still freaking loved it.

Slight spoiler - I did take some issue with the ending since everything kind of wrapped up a little too neatly considering how MUCH has been going on up until this point. I'm also kind of upset with how everything played out with Amren....like it felt a little too cheesy to me.

But overall, I still loved the book, and I think there's going to be more in this series? I'm not entirely sure what that would entail though.

Happy reading!

A Prisoner of Ice and Snow

A Prisoner of Ice and Snow by Ruth Lauren

I was a little hesitant to pick this book up since it has a younger narrator than what I usually read, and there was some subject matter covered that also seemed a little too...intense for that age? The story worked it in so it makes sense in a lot of ways... but I guess it really proves anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it... kind of like other series where the apprentices accomplish amazing things before their master could or something... lots of wandering here.

To the amazon summary, "She'll do anything to break her sister out of prison--even get arrested on purpose.

When thirteen-year-old Valor is sent to jail, she couldn't be happier. Demidova's prison for criminal children is exactly where she wants to be. Valor's twin sister, Sasha, is serving a life sentence for stealing from the royal family, and Valor is going to help her escape . . . from the inside.

Never mind that no one has escaped the prison in centuries. Valor has a master plan and resources most people could only dream about. But she didn't count on having to outsmart both the guards and her fellow prisoners. If Valor's plan is to succeed, she'll need to make some unlikely allies. And if the plan fails, she and Sasha could end up with fates worse than prison.

This exciting middle-grade debut effortlessly melds an unforgettable protagonist, a breathless plot, and stunning world-building--and is impossible to put down.

"Prisoner of Ice and Snow is an exciting, fast-paced story, full of twists and turns. Valor is an engaging heroine who never loses courage, even when everything goes wrong. I was captivated from the first word to the last. This is a story readers will love again and again!" --Jennifer A. Nielsen, New York Timesbestselling author of The False Prince

"Action-packed and full of heart, Prisoner of Ice and Snow is a riveting tale of betrayal, intrigue, and the love between two sisters. Valor's determination and the risks she takes to save her beloved twin will have you rooting for her from the very first page." --Aimée Carter, author of Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den" AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

Sasha, Valor's twin sister, has been put into a very high security prison for criminal children for stealing an old music box from the queen of Demidova (well really the palace of Demidova, semantics). There's a ton of historical/cultural significance to the music box and it was supposed to be given to another country to cement the peace, but it went missing. Valor is determined to get Sasha out, and is pretty sure Sasha is innocent, but doesn't have concrete proof.

To get into the prison, Valor has to commit a crime. Soooo.... she shoots an arrow at the prince. She misses, but after a mild chase, she's carted off to Tyur'ma where Warden Kirov presides, and more importantly, where Sasha is kept.

So that's enough summary because this is a 'try to escape the prison and clear Sasha's name' story so anything more would significantly feel like spoilers.

A few takeaways; the prison seemed crazy intense maximum security for only containing children...and there were a LOT of children prisoners, which is concerning in of itself. The world building is pretty gripping but I wish more time had been spent on the Queendom and how everything is run, more on the culture, etc. I get the world is snow/ice etc, but like... I want more about the actual people and why they live in the snow and ice.

I really liked the spirit of Valor's character, but at times she came across as a kind of thick-headed clever person. It was mostly adorable but still kind of eh at times. I did enjoy the sprinkles of humor throughout the book, because otherwise it was kind of a darker read. The tone was kind of ominous, and not like Scooby Doo, I hope we solve this mystery and you know they're going to solve the mystery because it's Scooby Doo, but more like legit, we might die here. It felt more authentic in that sense.... but again, the prison was so intense. WHY. THEY'RE CHILDREN. That's the main hiccup I have which prevents me from marking this as a recommended book. I did like the book overall, but I'm curious what's going to come next. I'm pretty sure there's going to be a sequel, I just don't know if it's a series.

Happy reading!

The Bone Witch

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

I found this book to be a pretty refreshing story for the genre.

...an amazon summary, "Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there's anything I've learned from him in the years since, it's that the dead hide truths as well as the living.

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she's a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha―one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles...and make a powerful choice.

Memoirs of a Geisha meets The Name of the Wind in this brilliant new fantasy series by Rin Chupeco!" AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

First, I really liked how this book switched between the present and the future. I thought it would be weird or difficult to understand or would spoil too many things about the present, but in the future, Tea is talking to essentially a journalist. The future chapters don't happen too often either, kind of every few chapters or so. You kind of get a sense of what she's doing, and then kind of a lead off to set up for the present chapters. So when I came across the first future chapter, I was like, ....excuse me, what is this??? BUT. Then when I got further into the book, the future chapters were kind of like shots of adrenaline to the story. I got more excited to read the next few chapters, and I kept track of what tidbits of information were dropped in the future chapters to try to piece together how the past was going to lead to these futures.

...so back to the story. The world is filled with magic. Every person has a heartsglass that will change colors depending on their mood, and there are also heartsglass that turn gray. The ones with gray heartsglass are elementals. They can train to become asha if they're female, or essentially a soldier if they're male. So Tea is a necromancer, which are very rare. Luckily for Tea, there is currently an older necromancer who can teach her the way of the dark arts. There's also a huge difference between necromancers and the rest of the magic wielders. Necromancy is a dark art, and the asha who practice it are more at risk to become dark/evil. By using the magic, they start becoming dark. They have to be very careful with their powers.

By the way, the other elementals are what you would expect of air/water/fire/earth etc, but when the amazon summary related it to Memoir of a Geisha, it was pretty spot on. So the asha are kind of like magical Geisha. They know a lot of formal, traditional dances, and they frequently entertain the richer people in the kingdom.

There's also a kind of rebel faction that's kind of hell bent on taking over the world on a weird level. They're a very real danger, but they also seem to have some Team Rocket kind of aspects about them. Kind of look the, "We're the big bad organization, FEAR US" and...they are scary...but they don't seem to be effective overall.

I did enjoy the book, I'm interested in reading the next one, but there are some world building elements that kind of conflict with each other. There's also a love triangle element coming into play, which is vexing, because I want less of that in books. Just less love triangle things, please. General plea to the young adult book world.

Happy reading!

These Ruthless Deeds

These Ruthless Deeds by Tarun Shanker, Kelly Zekas

I reviewed the first book in the series, These Vicious Masks, HERE.

If you don't want any spoilers for These Vicious Masks, I strongly recommend not reading this review. ....TO THE AMAZON SUMMARY!

An amazon summary, "Everyone’s favorite sarcastic Victorian healer is back in the sequel to These Vicious Masks, and this time she’s struggling with both a sinister secret society and an increasingly tangled love life...
England, 1883. Recovering from a devastating loss, Evelyn has become determined to use her powers to save other gifted people from those who would study and oppress them. But when her rescue of a young telekinetic girl goes terribly wrong, Evelyn finds herself involved with a secret society devoted to recruiting and protecting people like Evelyn and her friends.

Like magic, Evelyn’s problems start to disappear. Her reputation is repaired, her friends are provided for, and her parents are thrilled at all her new suitors. She’s even been reunited with the dashing Mr. Kent and the reclusive Mr. Braddock (who is much less brooding now that the society is helping him to control his dangerous power). Yet, somehow Evelyn can’t help fearing that there is something sinister going on…

Don’t miss These Ruthless Deeds, Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas’ gripping, action-filled sequel toThese Vicious Masks, chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

Evelyn is back with Mr. Kent, and Sebastian. They've started to seek out and help other people with powers. They find themselves mixed up with the Society of Aberrations, who is a society of gifted people who find, help, and train people with their powers. Evelyn doesn't really trust the Society of Aberrations because something feels a little bit off.  Her friends are convinced the society is good, and they potentially have a way to cure Mr. Sebastian. So they start working together....but something still seems a little off.

That's enough summary.

I still love the dynamics between Mr. Kent, Evelyn, and Sebastian. The secondary characters also play off each other so well, they're complex, they grow, they build off of each other, and the story may be centered around Evelyn, but it's about everyone.

Basically, if you loved book 1, you won't be disappointed in book 2.

I do want to go into a little bit of spoiler land.

Do not read anymore if you don't want spoilers. SPOILER LAND begins NOW.

So at the end of the book, there's a pivotal moment where Evelyn must make the impossible choice between her sister and the rest of the people at the ball. HOWEVER, what I liked most is that the authors did not shy away from Evelyn's choice, and the fallout is crippling, intense, but makes sense with Evelyn's character. As awful as it is, I have to give MAD PROPS to the authors for sticking with it, and making Evelyn's choice valid. It was a very intense, emotional moment, and I loved how it unfolded (loved how it unfolded = very well written to clarify).

Can't wait to see what book 3 has in store.

Happy reading!!

King's Cage

King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

King's Cage is the third book in a series. I reviewed the first two, RED QUEEN, and GLASS SWORD already. Sooo, if you don't want anything spoiled in the land of Victoria Aveyard's madness, (madness you may ask, to which I gleefully manically laugh), then do not read this review. Cool? Cool. Coooooooooooool.

An amazon summary, "The #1 New York Times bestselling series!

In this breathless third installment to Victoria Aveyard’s #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen series, rebellion is rising and allegiances will be tested on every side.

Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.

As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare's heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.

When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the way down.

Perfect for fans of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series, King’s Cage is the third high-stakes installment in the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen series.

And don’t miss War Storm, the thrilling final book in the bestselling Red Queen series!" AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

First things for freaking first. The chapters have names under them when they didn't before. I feel like this is one of the number one things you can do to make all my red alarms go off as a reader, that the main character is GOING TO DIE. SPOILER MC SPOILER, when Allegiant by Veronica Roth did it (which, I did a book review on! SHAMELESS LINK) I went overdrive into red alert. It was the finale of the series. Going into this book, I knew that this wasn't the last book in the series so I was like WHOA, WHOA WHOA WHOA, WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE!?!?? ...and I'm not going to tell you how this conflict I have resolves, because, you know, no spoilers. :D Just know that this PEEVES me and will continue to PEEVE me when a book series goes from one narrator to suddenly ALL THE NARRATORS.

Anyways. 

...but there was one character's head that we got into that I was SUPER STOKED for because it was SO WELL WRITTEN (no, not Cameron), felt truthful, and just made a lot more things going on elsewhere in the world kind of do the clicky click thing like making sure your seat belt is secured before you go trundling off in a car, ready for grand adventures. Also, this xkcd comic makes me LOL sad when talking about car adventures: https://xkcd.com/1075/ ...you're welcome.

...anyways. STILL PEEVED.

At the end of the last book, Mare traded herself to Maven to save everyone else who was with them. This book begins with her life in Maven's cage. ...it gets weird. I kind of don't want to get into it. As much as I want to ridicule Mare for finding herself so simultaneously unworthy or undeserving, she did act in a way that she felt was right? I have to give her some credit for going with her gut? AT THE SAME TIME, I find this extremely problematic. I kind of just want books to stop teaching young women to "sacrifice themselves for the greater good" rather than fighting for themselves. ...I just felt like Mare almost immediately gave up. ...anyways. It skips over to Cameron in the Scarlet Guard camps, how the newbloods are doing, what the Scarlet Guard is doing, and the information they get intermittently about Mare's condition. How it affects everyone.

So the book becomes a weird place of with Mare & Maven, or hanging out with Cameron & the Scarlet Guard. There are a few kind of amazing crazy actions that happen, there is more monster Maven, but there is also more messed up Mare.

At this point, I'm really going to read the fourth book just to know how it ends. That's all I'm really going to say about this one, because you know, no spoilers?

Happy reading!