Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible. But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests. Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought. Summary via Goodreads The Heir (The Selection #4) was written by Kiera Cass and published under HarperTeen in May 2015.
Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this book. I really didn’t like the Selection, although I did read them all (and I own them all as well). I found America Singer to be the most annoying protagonist—ever. Eadlyn really wasn’t much better in my opinion. In the beginning of the novel, she pissed me off so much that I considered not reading the book. But I was able to get through America, so I’d be able to get through any protagonist, right? My main problem with America had been her indecisiveness. Thankfully, Eadlyn didn’t have that same trait—but she was full of herself, and it wasn’t until the latter half of the novel that we slowly see her start to grow (yay for character development!). I didn’t like the side characters as much as I did in The Selection, but there’s still one more book to go, so I’ll give them a chance. Also, when I went into this book, I didn’t realize that there was going to be one more novel. I thought that this was the last book and that it was only going to be a single spinoff novel—not two. So the ending did leave me a bit surprised until I realized that yes, there would be one more novel. On a side note, I have to admit that this cover was by far the prettiest. The colors, the sparkles, the dress, the model—I loved this cover way more than the other three (although The One has a pretty good cover as well, The Heir just tops them all). I hope that the next cover will be just as pretty, if not better. Overall, I’d say that if you’ve read the other three, you might as well read this book too. And if you didn’t really like them (hey, I only thought they were okay), I’d still suggest reading it. (And I’ll be honest, I only bought my copy this early instead of waiting to find it cheaper because it was signed that the cover is just gorgeous). So fans of the other three books should definitely pick up this book and check it out. Small discussion below, but there are spoilers so you’ve been warned! Also since Mallory has also read this book, she has a mini summary after thoughts below. -Talia
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Summary from Goodreads:
The Earth is dying. Darrow is a Red, a miner in the interior of Mars. His mission is to extract enough precious elements to one day tame the surface of the planet and allow humans to live on it. The Reds are humanity's last hope. Or so it appears, until the day Darrow discovers it's all a lie. That Mars has been habitable - and inhabited - for generations, by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. A class of people who look down on Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought. Until the day that Darrow, with the help of a mysterious group of rebels, disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside. But the command school is a battlefield - and Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda. The Sno-Isle Libraries Teen Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/snoisleteens Twitter: @dontkillabiblio Tumblr: http://booksandthebeasts.tumblr.com/ Alise has her own channel for acting! https://www.youtube.com/user/lilylixi Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser. Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George. Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons. Summary via Goodreads I've been a huge fan of Julie Kagawa's books since The Iron King (highy recommend that book if you like the Fey btw, it's fantastic) and Talon did not disappoint. Published in 2014 by Harlequin Teen, Talon is a great novel about romance, rules, and dragons (plus dragon killers). The characters are lovable (but a little predictable) and the story flows along very nicely. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has previously read a Julie Kagawa book, or for those of you looking for a good read that involves dragons. This book does dwell a little more on the romance aspect than the dragon aspect, but overall it's still a very good book and I'm eager to read the second book.
A little more discussion below the cut, so if you've finished the book then continue reading! -Talia We reviewed the The Winner's Curse which has the sequel The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski which we also reviewed!
The Winner's Curse summary from Goodreads: As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. Alise has her own channel for acting! https://www.youtube.com/user/lilylixi In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met. On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love. The Kiss of Deception is the first book in Mary E. Pearson's Remnant Chronicles, published in 2014 by Henry Holt. Summary via Amazon So going into this novel, I had no idea what to expect. The summary had sounded very intriguing and I thought that I would give it a try--after all, I adore romances and royalty. I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed at all. In fact, I was pleasantly pleased and love the way the plot was set out. For me, it worked out to my advantage but for others (like my friends) it ended up confusing them.
Mary tells the story in a specific way-- we know there's an assassin out to kill Lia, and there's the stunted prince who's out to find Lia. We meet both these men at the same time, but are never told who is who, only their names and descriptions. I adored this part of the story line and although I had made a guess as to who was who and hoped I was right (I was), I almost changed my mind multiple times because of Mary's very, very specific wording. As for the characters, I really liked both of the male leads (until a certain point and I definitely had my favorite a quarter of the way into the book) and I actually really liked Lia. Normally, I would have considered her a coward for running away from her wedding--in the end, I couldn't think of her as one. It takes a certain kind of bravery to follow your own heart after all. Lia did end up having character development (oh thank you so much) and I loved her interaction with the boys. I couldn't end up hating her and her willingness to drop her princess status and work for something actually made me like her even more. She was so determined to do a good job, but still managed to stand up for herself like the princess she was. She was contradicting at times, but it worked for her. Once we hit the second half of the novel, things really start to get heated and pave the way for the second book. Overall, this was an enjoyable novel and I'm really looking forward to reading Heart of Betrayal, which comes out in July 2015. Some spoilers below the cut. Continue reading and then discuss with me what you thought about this book! -Talia In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told. Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all? Pure evil has a name, hides behind a mask of deceit, and uses her "glamour" to gain power. But who is Queen Levana? Long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress in The Lunar Chronicles, Levana lived a very different story—a story that has never been told . . . until now. Summary via Amazon/Goodreads So Fairest was published by Feiwel and Friends in 2015 and is sort of a prequel/add on to the wonderful Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. This book delves into the past of our antagonist, Queen Levana, and we find out that maybe there is a plausible reason as to why she's certifiably insane.
I personally really enjoyed reading Fairest. It was a quick, short read, but it had plenty to add and definitely made me take another glance at Levana, if not changing the way I saw her (until I went back and reread the first three books again). I would only really suggest reading this book after you've read at least Cinder, but you can really read it any time. Marissa really does a fantastic job in adding more depth to her antagonist. A few spoilers and thoughts below the cut. Continue reading if you would like to discuss! -Talia She is the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But where will her conscience, and her heart, lead her? After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice. Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she willing to fight for? Summary from Amazon Next up in Talia Talks... A review of Crown of Midnight, by Sarah J. Maas, published in 2013 by Bloomsbury. This is the second book in the Throne of Glass series.
Crown of Midnight was such a thrilling and exciting ride. I was gripping the edge of my seat the entire time to the point where I read it in one go. I literally could not put the book down. I thought that Throne of Glass had set a high bar and that it was going to be hard to overcome that, but Sarah has just proven her amazing writing skills to be over the top. Crown of Midnight was even more thrilling than Throne of Glass and deepened the plot even further for the next book. The world building just added on and used everything from the previous book to it's full extent. The mysteries continue adding up in this novel, but enough are solved that it's almost impossible to end up frustrated--instead, it leaves you wanting the next book. We only meet a few new characters, but these characters all have a depth that's rare to find in a second novel. We also find that Sarah has fun breaking her characters. After all, to make a character, first you have to break them (even though it breaks the readers hearts as well). If you haven't read Throne of Glass, then I highly recommend reading that! Crown of Midnight lives up to expectations, if not more. That's all for the non-spoliery part (well as non-spoilery as you can get for a second book in a series)! Continue reading if you want to discuss with me! In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world. Sumary from Amazon Today's review is of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Published by Bloomsbury in 2012, this stunning debut novel is the first in a series of six. Although I've already read Throne of Glass a few times (and the others that are currently out in the series), I thought that I'd do a review on this fantastic book. Clearly, I love this book. I find it fascinating (and while there are a few lulls, it's not enough to bring one to boredom at all) and I absolutely adore the plot. I'm a sucker for books that include royalty, but once you throw in assassins I'm gone for sure. It's been a trend for the past few years, but badass female main characters have really become the spotlight feature of novels. In this novel, we meet Celaena Sardothien, the most renowned assassin in the land--and she's managed to land herself in a competition to become the King's Champion. Celaena, while she is a little full of herself, does go through changes and has very human responses that are easy to relate to and understand. Through the novel, we slowly start to see the girl behind the cold assassin front--and she's just as badass, if not more, than her assassin facade. The other main characters, are all just as memorable. There's Dorian Havilliard, the Crown Prince, who although comes off arrogant at first, really starts to show his caring and compassionate side, proving that not all princes are jerks (and he's hot, but that was a given, right?). For me, his character was super lovable and I couldn't wait to see more of him and his interactions with Celaena (they are so cute come on). We are also introduced to Chaol Westfall, Captain of the King's Guard, and a fascinating character as well. Although we don't get to see him as much as we see Dorian, there's a clear shift from his harsh act to Celaena in the beginning of the book and after he gets to know her. It's also quite great how Chaol (with his limited page time) does manage to start going through some character development--and it's deep. To incorporate that into the first book of a series, well, bravo to Sarah. :) Those are the big three for now, but there are plenty more characters who play a large role in the plot and each of them are just as intriguing as the last. Being an avid reader, especially of YA books, I was pleasantly surprised to say that I was unable to predict a lot of happenings in this novel. Of course, there were things that were easily predictable, but it didn't take away from the plot at all. The fact that the plot revolves around an assassin working for royalty and fighting in a competition--to me it just spells it out clearly that this plot has places to go and it's going to go there. I really enjoyed the air of mystery that surrounds this novel--it really keeps one on their toes and it's very enjoyable to read this book. Being a first book in a series, I have to admit that the world building was phenomenal. I had a clear picture of things and as I read, the world just kept on expanding. I was utterly engrossed in it and I love that this series has such a strong base to build off of. Overall, I highly, highly, highly, recommend this novel. There are few books that I think can compare to it and it's definitely at the top of it's game. Pick it up and try it out--I swear you won't be disappointed. That's it for the non-spoilery review, but keep on reading if you've already finished Throne of Glass and want to hear my opinions on the book and/or if you want to discuss! -Talia |
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