In the Garden of Weeia

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Elle Boca for giving me this book to review.

Ernie has been given a fresh start but he has fallen in with a wrong crowd. When he has been charged with a crime he didn’t commit, Ernie is sentenced to do grub duty at the Marshals academy for a year. He tries to keep his head down but he cannot resist a challenge and gets swept up in a sinister plot which could cost him his life.

In the Garden of Weeia is the enjoyable spin-off novella set after the events of the Weeia series. It is fast paced and interesting to see the Weeia world without Amy and her family and how much impact they have had on this world. That being said the action in this novella didn’t really happen until late in the story.

Ernie is a likeable character and I felt closer to him than Amy because we are similar as he is geeky, shy, rebellious and quick. However, I was not fully invested in the secondary characters but that is not surprising as it is a novella, and hopefully if Elle decides to continue this story we will get to know more about Amanda, Harry and the Marshals.

In the Garden of Weeia is an enjoyable novella and I hope we will get to see more of Ernie in the future. I would recommend this novella to fans of the Weeia series. 

Unelmoija: Paradox

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Elle Boca for giving me this book to review.

Still reeling from the death of her mother, Amy is trying to learn more about her powers when Vlad interrupts her loved ones and her life again. He tells them that his father Klaus is going to destroy all of Florida if he does not kill her father Thomas. Klaus is sure that Thomas is responsible for his father’s death but she is able to convince him to use her powers to discover what really happened. What she discovers doesn’t just impact her father and Klaus but has dire consequences for those she loves and they will have to make a choice that will change everything.

Unelmoija: Paradox is the fifth and enjoyable conclusion to the Weeia series. It is well written and has a lot of tension but it was not the fastest paced. This book also had twists and turns even if I did predict some of them.

Amy has grown since the first book and thinks things through a bit more but she is still active, resilient and good natured. Duncan and Kat are just as good and interesting characters as in the other books as they are both motivated people and are resourceful, especially when it comes to helping Amy. We also got to know Amy’s maternal grandparents better and I really liked how easy going and kind they are.

I was not expecting the ending but I was not a big fan of it as I felt it went on for too long. I would recommend Unelmoija: Paradox and the rest of the Weeia series to fans of YA paranormal novels. 

Unelmoija: The Timeshifter

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Elle Boca for giving me this book to review.

Amy keeps on having unusual and realistic dreams about her past which seems to be causing problems with her Weeia powers and causing her to be tired all the time. Amy discovers that this is her fourth power as a timeshifter and she has to be careful not to change anything in the past as it may affect her present. Will she, along with her family and boyfriend be able to figure out a way to control her new power before it is too late?

Unelmoija: The Timeshifter is the very enjoyable fourth book in the Weeia series and so far my favourite in this series. I felt there is more in this book, with more romance, adventure, danger and discovery about her powers. However, I did find the book did drag a bit in the middle. The best part of this series is the way the characters are written as they are empathic and dynamic.

Amy is tired and struggling to find out why she is feeling this way, and she is also brave and generous. I really like the loyalty and love from those she is close to, and how they would do anything for each other. Duncan is my favourite character as he is the perfect guy for Amy with his sense of humour, charm and is always there for her but is not too perfect.

This book ended on a massive cliff-hanger and I am really looking forward to reading Unelmoija: Paradox the next and final book in the Weeia series. I would recommend Unelmoija: The Timeshifter to fans of YA paranormal books. 

The Heart of Betrayal

***

3 Stars/5

Lia, along with Rafe, are being held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Verda. Lia feels betrayed and confused by both by Rafe, who lied about who he is but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her, and Kaden, who has given her a gift to the Komizar but he did choose not to assassinate her. Venda is not what Lia was expecting it to be and she tries to control her gift and her sense of self, and has to fight to not be a pawn in Verda’s politics.

The Heart of Betrayal is the enjoyable sequel to The Kiss of Deception and while predictable it was a fast read and I did not want to put it down. That being said, like the previous book not much happens and there is too many pages for the amount of story in it. It is still really romance heavy and while it did feature some of the politics of Verda there was not much magic and fantasy elements to it. However, it was nice that we got to see Verda and its people, and it is hard not to feel sorry for them, even if we did not see much of what was happening outside this nation.

Lia is playing a dangerous game in this book, especially as she is quite impulsive, but also she has grown and shows compassion to the people of Verda. Rafe is clever, sometimes idealistic and has to learn to control his anger and repress who he truly is to survive. Although it is annoying, and makes a bit of a dull story, that both of them were waiting to be rescued rather than being proactive and trying to escape themselves. We learn more about Kaden past, which makes me feel sorry for him even though I did get annoyed at his unwavering loyalty to the Komizar.

I did like this book but it did not really improve on the first book, and I am worried that the third book The Beauty of Darkness will have the same problems as the rest of the series. I would recommend The Heart of Betrayal to fans of the first novel The Kiss of Deception.

The Kiss of Deception

***

3 Stars/5

Princess Lia, First Daughter of the house of Morrighan, flees on her wedding day as she doesn’t want to marry someone she has never met. Wanting a new life Lia and her maidservant Pauline settle down in a distant village and becomes a barmaid and waitress. When two mysterious strangers arrive at the inn she is unaware that one of them is the jilted prince she was set to marry and the other is an assassin sent to kill her. Will Lia be able to get the life she has always dreamed of or will all these deceptions end up in disaster?

The Kiss of Deception is a likable book even though not much happens in it and it have of the story could have been cut out without losing most of the plot. Too much romance in this book and there was kind of a love triangle between Lia, Kaden and Rafe, and they developed feeling for each other way too fast. I would have liked more fantasy and magic but the second half of the book was better than the first.

I was not a fan of Lia as she was selfish because she put herself before her people and securing peace, which made it hard for me to like or respect her. The assassin irritating as what is the point of being an assassin if you won’t assassinate anyone, plus why does assassin’s always fall in love with their targets, if it getting a bit boring now. I think I preferred the prince because at least he did not plan what he was going to do once he found Lia, but I was also annoyed that he was not upset at Lia for ruin the peace for the two nations but mostly about his hurt ego.

Despite the many problems I have with this book, I did enjoy it and I hope the second book The Heart of Betrayal is more to my tastes. I would recommend The Kiss of Deception to fans of romance heavy YA fantasy novels. 

Unelmoija: The Spiritshifter

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Elle Boca for giving me this book to review.

Loi, an amplifier who is able to develop Weeia’s abilities, is found dead is mysterious circumstances in which the Elders seem to be involved. Amy along with her sister Kat and boyfriend Duncan investigate, but Amy fears she might be next as there is a possibility that she is an amplifier and the murder is targeting them. Amy also wants to help the young Weeia who seem to be not developing their abilities, but is she able to help without her identity being revealed and her life being in danger?

Unelmoija: The Spiritshifters is the enjoyable third book in the Weeia series and I found it was not as dark as the previous books. It is easy to read with humour, romance, and action (although not as much as the previous books). The one small problem I had with this book was that the beginning few chapters were very confusing as it came across as starting part way through.

Amy is selfless as she always thinks of others and is trying to figure out her unusual amount of powers and what it means for her. Kat and Duncan are good secondary characters and I love their interaction with Amy, with Kat’s protectiveness and Duncan’s humour.

I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to reading Unelmoija: The Timeshifter. I would recommend Unelmoija: The Spiritshifter to fans of the rest of the Weeia series.