The Power of Three

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Charles J Butler for giving me this book to review.

There are three planes of time, the land of fire, home of the demons, the land of the living, home of men, and the land of clouds, home of the angels. When angel Kamilah discovers a sinister plot, she becomes trapped on the land of the living. With the help of her new friends, Jed, a farmer, Kacey, a sorceress, and Ratty the rat, Kamilah must stop the Gates of Agalon being opened before it is too late.

The Power of Three is an enjoyable fantasy novel with an interesting story idea with adventure and friendship. However it did info-dump a bit in the beginning and the pacing did slowdown in the middle of the story.

Kamilah is a naïve, compassionate and loyal character who wants to explore this new world and discover things about it. Jed is courageous and clever but is also capable and kind. Kacey needed to learn how to believe in her powers and herself but I was not a fan of how often she winked. I can be very irritated with talking animals but with Ratty I understood his motives and he was not too cute.

The ending leaves it open for more books but had a good solid ending. I would recommend The Power of Three to fans of YA fantasy books.

The Iron Rider

****

4 Stars/5

Princess Leena is a dragon rider, humanity’s protection against the Shadow, but she has not forgotten her homeland and the tyranny it faces under her father. When the Shadow’s phantoms threaten Da’astiku Leena returns home to prove to her people that love is more powerful than fear or hate.

The Iron Rider is a really enjoyable final novella in Leena’s story and the A Dance of Dragons series. It is action-packed, fast paced and also both romantic and sad in places. Leena has grown stronger with each novella and feels more responsibility for her country and she is still very relatable and likeable. This book is a really good conclusion to this series and I recommend this series to fans of YA fantasy books.

The Phoenix Born

****

4 Stars/5

Jinji has discovered that Janu is alive and that the Shadow who killed her family shares his body. Rhen is the rider of the fire dragon, who has been awoken after a thousand years and has saved the city of Rayfort. Rhen and Jin have been shown a vision that the Shadow’s phantom armies are coming and that only the four elemental dragons can stop them. Jin knows that killing Janu will end the Shadow but she protects her brother and tells no one, knowing they would put the fate of the world before Janu. As Rhen and Jin try and find the rest of the dragon riders, they have to make impossible decisions which could tear them apart as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

The Phoenix Born is the really good final book in the A Dance of Dragons series. It is really fast paced and I got pulled into the story as it has action, romance and suspense. The characters are three-dimensional and really well written and the main focus of the story.

Jin is conflicted in this story as she hates the choices she has to make, but has grown in confidence, in both herself and her powers, as the series has gone on. I really liked how much Rhen loved Jin, and how brave, loyal and clever he is. I would have liked to have learnt more about the dragons as in this book they did not have that much of a personality.

I really liked how this book ended and how it was all wrapped up. I would recommend The Phoenix Born the rest of the series A Dance of Dragons to fans of magical YA fantasy books.

The Bronze Knight

****

4 Stars/5

Princess Leena has arrived in Rayfort, determined to warn the princes about her father’s plans, but she discovers that the situation is more dire than she was expecting. When Jinji and Rhen are sent away, Leena is left with a decision, to run or to stay and help fight.

The Bronze Knight is a really good companion novella and I really liked seeing the story told from Leena’s POV, and although it is short it does not lack story. Leena is in a dark place at the beginning of this story but she finds a ray of hope when in Rayfort, she is still strong-willed and determined. I like how Cal is back in this series and how he has changed since his father’s betrayal and has become less rule abiding. I would recommend The Bronze Knight to fans of the rest of the A Dance of Dragons series.

The Shepherd's Crown

*****

5 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Children’s for giving me this book to review.

WARNING – Spoilers in this review from the very beginning

In The Sheperd’s Crown, we say goodbye to both a much beloved character, Granny Weatherwax and to Sir Terry Pratchett himself. At the beginning of this book, Granny Weatherwax dies, and leaves her cottage and her responsibilities to Tiffany Aching, along with the headache of dealing with a boy with magical talents who wishes to be a witch not a wizard. When the Elves learn that Granny is no longer protecting the Dancers, will Tiffany be able to keep them out of Lancre and the Disc, whilst proving that she is able to fill Granny’s shoes?

Tiffany Aching continues as her intensely practical (and possibly slightly irritating) self, although in this book she realises that she can’t do everything herself, and she needs to ask for help sometimes. Geoffrey is an interesting character, in Sourcery, we had a girl, Esk, want to be a wizard, and now we have a boy wanting to become a witch. Also, Geoffrey’s idea with the sheds made me smile.

I believe that Sir Terry wrote Sheperd’s Crown knowing that it would be his last, and has allowed us to return to the characters and locations which were fan favourite’s. He has written with his usual humour and wit, although he maybe didn’t have time to add the final polishing touches. He has tied up several loose ends in Lancre and the Chalk.

Thank you, Sir Terry for 32 years of brilliant Discworld novels. R.I.P

Cutlass

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for giving me this book to review.

Pirate Barren Reed has had only one thing on his mind for the last 5 years, to get revenge on his brother, William, who murdered their father. He decided that the way to force a fight with William is to kidnap his fiancé, Larkin Lee, however, Larkin is more trouble for him and his crew than they were expecting. However, Barren discovers that there is more going on than his revenge, and Larkin and him are tasked with finding the powerful gem, the bloodstone before his brother does.

Cutlass is a likeable swashbuckling pirate fantasy story, with action, romance and politics. It has an interesting if predictable story but I was not hooked into the story and did not keep my interest.

Barren is rash and cocky, and is determined and obsessed to get his revenge and not good at listening to advice, but he is very loyal to his crew. Larkin is tenacious and can hold her own but I found it very hard to connect with her. The character I most liked was Leaf, the Elven prince as he seemed to be the voice of reason.

Some people seem to love this book and I can understand why but it did not capture my interest enough. I would recommend Cutlass to fans of YA pirate books.

Poison Princess

***

3 Stars/5

Everyone believes that Evie is a typical popular girl but she has a secret, she keeps on seeing horrifying hallucinations and plants seem to be attracted towards her. When the flash, an apocalyptic event, hits, Evie realises that her hallucinations where actually visions of the future. Desperate for answers she gets help from wrong side of town, former classmate Jack Deveaux to get her across the country safely. With an ancient prophecy being played out, Evie is not the only person with special powers but do they mean her harm?

Poison Princess has a very interesting story idea with the tarot cards and the Arcana and has so much potential. However, I feel very conflicted about this book, as when I was reading it, I did not want to put it down, but once I had I didn’t feel the need to carry on reading it. The first part was very boring when they were at school but it did pick up after the flash, although I would have liked to see more of the aftermath of the flash and the first few days of it rather than skipping it.

I was really not a fan of the two main characters, which was the major reason for me not enjoying this book as much as I could of. I don’t like Evie as at the start she is the type of popular girl who thinks she is everyone friends but only in a shallow way and she looks down her nose at everyone who was not like her. She was not much better after the flash as she was naïve, really not fit to survive in this new world and fights against her powers which could save her life.

Jack was such a jerk as he was misogynistic, possessive (and not in a good way) and has a massive chip on his shoulder. I really liked Matthew and I felt very protective of him. I thought Evie’s mother was portrayed as being a bit of a baddie for sending her off to the CLC but I felt that she was trying to help her daughter as best she could.

I am not sure if I want to read the next book or not but I would recommend Poison Princess to fans of dystopian books with a hint of the paranormal.

Curio

*

1 Star/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Zonderkidz for giving me this book to review.

Gray Haward detests the Chemists, the rulers of her small western town, but she has always taken their potion which helps people survive. When her best friend, Whit, is punished by the chemists for protecting her, Gray decides to take risks, but when the chemists find out she retreats to the safe haven of her grandfather’s shop. However, there she discovers an even greater secret, a world full of porcelain and clockwork people.

I was very confused by Curio as the world building was not very good and I had no idea what was going on, but it did seem to have an interesting story idea. Gray was rebellious against authority, and seemed a nice and helpful character but I didn’t really connect with her. I am sure that those who love steampunk novels will enjoy this book but the writing style and lack of world building put me off this book and I had to DNF Curio at 27%.

Paladin

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Perfect Analogy publishing for giving me this book to review.

Sam is a Paladin trainee, who despite his size has great potential and skill with a sword. However, Sam is not what anyone thinks, he is actually Lady Samantha, daughter of the Duke of Haywood, who after the death of her mother is more interested in killing demons than becoming a wife. She is being trained by her hero Tristan Lyons, the man who saved her life. Tristan is also training Braeden, who is a half demon with a dark past. As demons are wreaking more havoc than ever and rebellion stirring in the west, a war is coming and Sam must pick a side but will it cost her the secret of her identity, her life or the life of her friends?

Paladin is a really enjoyable fantasy book with adventure, romance, and a great friendship and comradery between the three main characters. It is fast paced and has three different POV. There was lots of awkward and funny moments in the book but I would have liked to have seen more of the training at the fortress. I am glad there was not really a love triangle between the three main characters.

Sam is stubborn, fierce, caring about her friends and would fight for them, and has a big mouth and never backs down. Tristan is the typical hero as he is brave, handsome, loyal and courageous and I think I liked him more than Braeden as I prefer good guys. Braeden is a bad boy who is just as stubborn as Sam, and because he is a half demon, he has built walls around himself.

Even though I guessed who the villain was going to be this book ends on a cliff-hanger and I hope there are more books in this series. I would recommend Paladin to people who enjoyed reading books by Tamora Pierce.

Raining Embers

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Sage’s Blog Tours for giving me this book to review.

Synopsis

Palmer Tash always follows the path of least resistance. He has an unusual disability involving his hearing. But in theocratic Latysia, being different isn’t a good thing, so he conceals his problem.  Brier Chastain’s malady is even more debilitating, and she often must take to her bed for long periods. Her days are spent in meaningless pursuits as she awaits an arranged marriage. When Palmer and Brier are kidnapped on the same night, they meet and discover that their so-called disabilities are actually budding powers. They are the incarnations of Order and Chaos. With their country on the brink of war, the two must step into their predestined roles and learn to take control of their own destinies.

Review

Raining Embers is an enjoyable YA fantasy novel, with adventure and magic. The first third of the book was slow but it did pick up. However, I was disappointed that Palmer and Brier’s disabilities were not as big in the story as they appeared in the synopsis and really played a very small role in the story.

Palmer is protective, smart and rule-abiding, and generally a good guy but I found it hard to connect with him, and the other characters. Brier is spontaneous and acts before she thinks, but I did not like how she was portrayed at the start as an alcoholic spoilt teen. I felt very sorry and protective of Rosette and I hope we get to see more of her back story in later books. Similarly I wish we knew more about Cerise and how she is able to shapeshift. I was confused about the romance in this book as I was unsure if Palmer and Brier were meant to be a couple or just friends.

Raining Embers had a very action packed ending and I would recommend it to fans of YA fantasy novels.

You can buy Raining Embers at Amazon UK