Bonded

***

3 Stars/5

Bonded are three likeable NA novellas based of Grimm fairytales. However I did find that the novellas had a much slower pace than I was expecting.

Cinders          **

Cinderella is now a princess but life is not as perfect as she imagined, as a mysterious man from her past is stirring in the back of her mind and she begins to wonder if her marriage is real or just magic? Cinders is a twist on Grimm’s Cinderella as we get to see what happens after the happily ever after. I really could not connect with Cinderella as she was very indecisive and selfish, and I really did not like how she acted about the people her choices affected. The ending was rushed and left me feeling unsatisfied and is definitely not a HEA.

Thirds             ***

Issina is abused and hated by her mother and sister as she has no magic, and only finds comfort with her animal friends and the elves living in the woods, however the elves have a plan for her but does she want to do it? Thirds is my favourite novella in this book as it was faster paced and has more mystery than the others. It was also based on the Grimm’s story One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes, I did not know this fairytale but it did have a bit of a Cinderella feel to it. Issina is a kind character, who is lonely and looking for affection, but I did feel she was way to forgiving. This novella has a happier ending than the others.

Scales            ***

Serina is a young fairy who happily lives in the Realm of the Fairies, but when her mother is killed she defies law and follows her sister into the human realm but is she able to discover the cost of promises and the potential for darkness in her heart. Scales is a prequel to sleeping beauty and was enjoyable but because I knew what was going to happen it was predictable. However, I did feel it was the most action-packed and romantic of the three. I liked Serina as she was sweet and naïve and I felt I could connect with her the most. However, I did not like her sister, Aeline, as she has such a different personality to Serina and emotionally blackmailed her all the time. This novella has a bittersweet ending but I still liked it.

Bonded is an enjoyable collection of novellas and I would recommend to fans of fairytales.

Candidate

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Rachel Carter for giving me this book to review.

20 year old Ryiah is a black mage of combat but she wants to be The Black Mage, the role she has dreamed of becoming and in a year she will have a chance at the Candidacy. However, she will be going up against the only person she has been unable to beat, Darren, the non-heir and her fiancé. In the meantime she has to prove herself but Jerar is on the brink of war and needs all the allies it can to save lives. Is Ryiah able to prepare for the Candidacy and coping with the responsibility of being Darren’s future wife, and will she be able to cope with what will come after?

Candidate is the very good third book in the Black Mage. It was fast paced and unpredictable, which meant that I stayed up late into the night to find out what was going to happen next. This book had action and more politics than the previous books, but while there was lots of romance, I did not feel it was a much or as intense as I was expecting considering Ryiah and Darren are able to be a couple now.

Ryiah is happy at the start of the book but is also struggling as people are paying more attention to her and think she has gotten everything because of Darren rather than her hard work. But she is still full of passion and determination but I did feel she put her ambition above other more important priorities. I liked how we got to know Darren better in this book, more about his past and want makes him tick, and we saw how much he cared for Ryiah. One thing that I missed in this book was Alex and Ella as they were very important characters in the previous books but they were hardly in this one.

This was a really enjoyable book and I am really looking forward to the next and final book Last Stand, but one thing is for sure it will be hard to predict what will happen next. I would recommend Candidate to fans of the first two books in the Black Mage Series, First Year and Apprentice. 

The Golden Braid

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for giving me this book to review.

Rapunzel is a sheltered young woman who lives with her protective mother. One day Mother Gothel decides they need to move again to protect Rapunzel from men who want to marry her. On the road they are rescued by a knight, Sir Gerek, but he ends up being injured, which is the opportunity Rapunzel has been looking for as her only desire is to learn the skill of reading, which Sir Gerek begrudgingly agrees to teach her. As Rupenzel gets used to her new city she discovers that her life is about to change forever.

The Golden Braid is a cute and enjoyable YA fairytale retelling of Rapunzel, but I was expecting more of a fantasy novel than a historical one. It is fast paced with a sweet slow romance but was predictable. I have not read The Princess Spy but I did not feel it affected the story as I did not know this book was sort of a sequel.

Rapunzel is a sweet, kind-hearted girl who has a thirst for knowledge, and because of her mother, is distrustful of men. Gerek was moody, brave and surly at the beginning of the book, but as the book went on we found he was thoughtful, smart and good, however, this backfired for me as I preferred the early gruff Gerek. Mother Gothel was unpredictable and until half way through I could not figure out is she was meant to be the baddie, like in the original story, or just trying to protect Rapunzel.

The Golden Braid was an enjoyable book and I would recommend to fans of fairytale retellings, and other books by this author.

The Immortal Heights

***

3 Stars/5

Titus and Iolanthe have the seemingly impossible task of stopping the tyrant Bane. To do this they must get into his fortress, in the heart of Atlantis, to his crypt and destroy his original body. But standing in their way is the fact that they are in the middle of a battle in the Sahara and there are prophecies which have them doubting that they are able to complete their task. Will Iolanthe, Titus and their allies be able to defeat the Bane and overcome the obstacles in their way?

The Immortal Heights is the enjoyable final book in the Elemental Trilogy, however, it is my least favourite as I found it harder to get into and I generally felt underwhelmed. At some points in the book it seemed to jump from one thing to another without any explanation, but I did like that we got to see more of Atlantis in this novel as it has been an important part of the previous books. However, I did not find the romance as good and intense as the previous books.

Iolanthe is still stubborn and is determined but as the series has developed she has become more selfless and fierce, and she never gives up. Titus is what a leader and ruler should be, as he always has a plan and is intelligent but also is protective and has leant to open up to people. Kashkari plays a bigger role in this book than the previous ones, as well as his sister-in-law and unrequited love, Amara, and they prove themselves to be loyal friends and willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

The ending was predictable but I still enjoyed this book and series. I would recommend The Immortal Heights to fans of the first two books of the Elemental Trilogy, The Burning Sky and The Perilous Sea.

Revolution for Vengeance

****

4 Stars/5

Valerie Carter, genetically engineered super soldier turned vengeful rebel, continues her quest for vengeance for the murder of her family, and finds herself also driven by the need for justice and fairness in their widely unequal society where the privileged make the rules, break the laws and take all of the wealth.  She has her rebel friends at her side and the loyalty of her former comrades in arms to call on as she sets about righting the wrongs of society.

Revolution for Vengeance is the satisfying final book in the Dark Vengeance trilogy.  The pace is fast and engrossing and the conclusion feels right and complete.  Occasionally the fast pace made me need to go back a few pages to pick up on small but relevant details I had skimmed over – my fault for wanting to rush to find out what happens next!

Valerie remains a driven character and very much the main character as I felt that Hanna and Demi were left slightly more in the background in this book.  However, her focus has diverted slightly from pure vengeance, and has become more involved with changing the social inequality that was responsible for the murder of her family, and less about her need for pure vengeance against the person responsible.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend Revolution for Vengeance to people who have read Reason for Vengeance and Crusade for Vengeance and to fans of classic Sci-Fi novels.

Queen of Eventide

**

2 Stars/5

Thanks to Matthew Ward for giving me this book to review.

Maddie’s life has fallen apart and she has moved back home to Nottingham to try and sort her life out. However, she gets caught up in a war she could not imagine, with the Dark Lady. As the Dark Lady’s influence grows, Nottingham is turning aggressive and Maddie is being pursued across the city and the realm of Eventide. With the help of old and new friends, can Maddie discover the truth before it is too late?

Queen of Eventide is a paranormal/fantasy novel which has a twist on the story of Robin Hood. There was nothing wrong with this book but I just could not get into it and I was not drawn into the story.

I found it really hard to connect to Maddie, especially as I felt she was too hard on her mother, but apart from that she was a normal person with a lot of issues, although I could not figure out her age. I liked Charles King as he was quirky and flamboyant. All the other characters were flat and I did not really care about what happened to them.

Queen of Eventide had potential but I could not get into it and DNF at 55%.

Reflected

***

3 Stars/5

Wounded and betrayed by the boy she loves, Elora is heartbroken and on top of that she has a destiny to battle her father, twin and their evil Dark Seekers. Together with her friends Aaron, Teya and Matthew, Elora must gather ingredients to defeat the prophecy that has affected her life. However, can she resist the temptation of the man she still loves or will she plunge the world into eternal darkness.

Reflected is a likeable sequel to Foretold which has action, suspense and romance. However, I did find it predictable and I felt it harder to connect to the story.

Elora has the weight of the world on her shoulders and feels betrayed but she is not afraid to face a fight and is headstrong but she was still too perfect. I like how we got Zak’s POV in this book as I felt we got to know him better, and I felt there was more chemistry between Elora and Zak in this story as they both felt like they did not belong. Elora’s best friends Aaron, Teya and Matthew are in this story less than the previous book as apart from Teya and Aaron’s relationship we did not learn much more about them. I also liked that we got to know Silva better and discovered how her brain works.

I found the ending very confusing as it switched POVs too often but I did not see what happened coming. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next novel Fated. I would recommend Reflected to people who enjoyed the first book Foretold.

Foretold

***

3 Stars/5

Elora Walker is a vanguard recruit, someone who protects people from Dark Seekers, and wants to be a best and make her mother proud. When Elora is accepted into Nikolia Compound she thought she would be just like everyone else and be free of her mother’s pressure. Especially as she has a group of friends inclucing, her childhood friend Aaron, and Teya, Matthew and Zak. However, there is a big secret in her past which links her to a faceless stranger, and the Vanguards are in danger.

Foretold is an enjoyable paranormal novel, with action and romance. This book is about the battle between good and evil but I did find it a bit slow. I felt that the world of Vanguards, especially who the Ignari were, was not clearly explained.

Elora is a likeable and strong heroine who is relatable in some aspects as everyone has felt the pressure to live up to someone’s expectations, but I did find she was just too good everything she tries. I liked Teya and her back story, and I feel it may play a more important part in later books. However, I feel that we did not get to know Matthew as well as Elora’s other friends, as all I really know about him was his powers not his personality. Romance wise I preferred Aaron more than Zak as I felt they had more chemistry and I felt he always wanted what was best for her.

I guessed what was going to happen at the end but it was still enjoyable and I look forward to reading the next book Reflected. I would recommend Foretold to fans of Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.

Hollow's Charge

**

2 Stars/5

Thanks to Arielle LeClair for giving me this book to review.

Magic has been lost and is taboo in the Three Lands for hundreds of years but a forgotten magical place, the Hollow, needs a new Keeper and Rosaleen has been chosen. However, one catch is that she must usurp the false and tyrannical Queen Asta and find a mysterious woman with an ancient royal bloodline and quickly before war is waged with a friendly neighbouring country. With help of both old and new friends Rosaleen must betray her house and country and become a fugitive to avoid capture before it is too late?

Hollow’s Charge is an OK fantasy book but I did find it hard to get into and it was slow. However, the story idea was interesting with adventure and magic, if a little bit predictable.

Roseleen is not a pushover as a character but does have doubts and can be gutsy. Rolan is protective, caring and loyal.

Hollow’s Charge had great potential but I found it too slow and hard to get into.

Charmed Deception

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Egmont USA for giving me this book to review.

Sable is the only daughter of a talented wizard and she is fascinated with magic but she lives in a land where women are not allowed to have powers or they will be imprisoned. However, one night she sees a ghostly figure but the girl is not a ghost but someone called Never, who is being used because of her unique magic. As Sable tries to help Never, she is wary of people who are staying in her home, especially Reason, a new guest with a secret that he is searching the house for, and her father’s colleague Lockton, who is seemingly interested in what Sable is up to and why she is interested in magic. Sable is willing to help Never but is she able to do it without risking her own life?

Charmed Deception is an enjoyable YA fantasy novel set in a regency type setting. I found the first third of the book to be very slow but it did pick up as the book progressed and I got more into it. It was predictable and a bit clichéd with a sweet romance but I was not a fan of the weird names.

Sable is a strong-willed and interesting character who I liked but like so many books set in a regency setting she was too modern in the way she behaved and thought, especially with her upbringing and class. I liked the main love interest as he was open minded and was not perfect (apart from looking handsome but a YA book cannot have an ordinary looking man). I would have liked to know more about Never and I did not ‘feel’ her friendships with Laurel and Mason as they were nothing like her.

I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more by this author especially if there is another book in this series. I would recommend Charmed Deception to fans of You Are Mine by Janeal Falor and Breathing Frost by Alyxandra Harvey.