Standing

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to China Dennington for giving this book to review.

Gale has always been afraid of the sea but when she rescues her sister from drowning, she discovers a group of technologically advanced mermaids who need her help. Because of her genes she can travel into the future and the mermaids need her, along with another human Force, to go to 2212 to stop the apocalypse. Will they be able to stop two tyrants before it is too late to go back to their time?

Standing is an enjoyable and unique story as it is mixture of paranormal, sci-fi and dystopia. It was predictable and a bit naïve story but still a fun light read. I tend to have problems with time travel but I liked this one. I feel the story could have been fleshed out a bit more with a 100 more pages. Also the beginning was too fast and I found I struggled to work out what was going on.

All of the characters are likeable (apart from the baddies) if a bit one-dimensional and I would have liked to have seen both good and bad sides of them and for them to act their age. Gale is intuitive, kind and a strong leader but I would have liked her to have panicked a bit when discovering everything rather than calmly accepting it. Force is smart, sensible but also fun-loving and curious.

While this book is not perfect, considering the age China Dennigton wrote this book, it was good and I look forward to seeing her grow her writing talents and see what she writes next. I would recommend Standing to fans of unique paranormal novels.

Azurite

**

2 Stars/5

Thanks to Megan Dent Nagle or giving this book to review.

Zora has been denied the right to be heir to the Samarian throne by her mother Queen Evangeline. Zora loves her country and the people but she is sent to Cara to be married off, but on the journey she discovers she can wield Ithillium. Will she be able to master her ability in time to save the country she loves from her own mother?

Azurite is a good story idea but I struggled with it, but this may be because I had a lot going on when I was reading it. I found it hard to figure out what was happening and why, and I feel there should not have been as many POVs as there was.

The characters are not the most compelling or complex, as while I felt sorry for Zora and how her mother treated her, I felt that it was too forced. I liked Milo and how his character was not who I was expecting him to be.

I found Azurite hard to get into and I DNF at 48% but I think I struggled with it because I was distracted by the ‘real world’ while reading it and I might want to give it another go sometime.

The Secret Fire

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for giving this book to review.

French teenager Sacha cannot die, until he turns 18, which will trigger his death and an apocalyptic event. Taylor is a straight A student who believes she is normal until she discovers that she can short out lights with her brain. They discover that Taylor is the only one who can save Sacha but they live in different countries and deadly forces are trying to stop them. Will they be able to break this curse in time?

The Secret Fire is a paranormal novel which is fast paced and has a hint of romance. I liked that this book was set in a different place than USA, as I feel that quite a lot them are set there,  I especially enjoyed the parts that were in the UK as I could relate to it.

Taylor is likeable but too perfect and good at everything, as she is responsible, considerate and hard-working. I preferred Sacha as he is wounded, sarcastic and comes across as rude and distant but this is a defence mechanism which hides how kind and lonely he is.

I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next book, The Secret City. I would recommend The Secret Fire to fans of the Ceruleans series by Megan Tayte and The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain.

Daughter of Dusk

***

3 Stars/5

Kyra has developed a tentative alliance with the palace but she is worried that her bloodline will be discovered and she will be hunted like the other Demon Riders. With the assassin James imprisoned, Kyra fears that he will give away her secret to save himself. With Kyra caught between two armies and with things becoming tense with Tristam she has few people she can turn to. Is she able to use her Makvani blood to help stop the hostiles or will that become the catalyst for more violence.

Daughter of Dusk is the enjoyable sequel to Midnight Thief, which was fast paced and full of politics and action but I still found it a bit forgettable and not as good as the previous novel. There was not as much romance in this book than I was expecting and while I found it to be realistic I did wish there was more in it.

Kyra is more decisive and capable than in the previous book and she has learnt to understand and accept both sides of herself. She is also caring about her friends and compassionate while also able to handle herself. Tristam is level-headed, honourable and tried to do what is right even if it will negatively affect him. I was disappointed with the part James played in this book as he was the most interesting character and he I didn’t feel his character was utilised as he could have been.

I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to reading more of Blackburne’s books. I would recommend Daughter of Dusk to people who liked the previous book Midnight Thief.

Daughter of Winter

*****

5 Stars/5

Thanks to Amber Argyle for giving this book to review.

All Elice has ever known is the never-ending isolation of the Winter Queendom. She has no company apart from her immediate family, including her mother, the Winter Queen, and the animals that she heals, but all that changes when a ship crashes and she rescues the lone survivor, Adar. Elice wants the freedom to see the rest of the world but when she discovers that the world is in more turmoil than she ever knew, will she be able to escape her mother?

Daughter of Winter is the brilliant and magnificent third book of the Fairy Queens series. It is very addictive and it pulled me into the story. Also, it has some action and a hinted at romance. Unlike the other books in this series the POV is from both Elice and Adar rather than just the heroine. One tiny problem with this book is that I was confused about the timeline and how people are the ages they were.

Elice is resilient, creative and innocent because she has been sheltered all of her life. She also reminded me a bit of Senna from Amber’s Witch Song series. Adar is cocky, talkative and easy-going but also protective and a bit mysterious. I was sad to see how different Ilyenna is and how cold and distant she has become.

I love this series and I am really looking forward to reading the fourth and final book in the series Winter’s Heir. I would recommend Daughter of Winter to fans those who have read the Fairy Queens series and to those who are fans of YA fantasy books. 

Gypsies, Tramps, and Weeia

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Elle Boca for giving this book to review.

Danni has completed her training to become a marshal, the police sworn to protect Weeia hiding among humans, and is surprised to receive a good assignment in Paris. However, when she gets there Danni discovers that not all is as she was expecting, with an apathetic boss, an office in shambles and her predecessor Marshals dying under mysterious circumstances. Despite the risks, Danni is determined to do her job, even if some in Paris believe they are above the law.

Gypsies, Tramps and Weeia is an action-packed book set in the Weeia universe. It is enjoyable and really well written, especially when describing Paris. This book also had suspense and humour.

Danni is persistent and determined to do a good job and to prove herself, she also comes across as blunt and abrupt but that is just a front because she is really insecure. There are a few secondary characters but only one really stands out in my mind, Iaen, as he is cocky, charming and a loveable rogue. I liked that Ernie was in this book and I hope he is in more of the future novels.

I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. I would recommend Gypsies, Tramps and Weeia to fans of the Weeia series. 

Dragonfriend

**

2 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Patchwork Press for giving me this book to review.

Lia’s life changes forever when the traitor Ra’aba takes over her adoptive fahter’s throne and pushes her of the side of a dragonship. She would have fallen to her death if it hadn’t been for Flicker, a green dragonet who saved her and then treated her wounds. She is desperate to return home so that she can defeat Ra’aba and restore the king to the Onyx throne but what will happen when the dragons find out that she has been recovering on their island?

Dragonfriend is a fantasy novel which started strong but soon got confusing and the pace was slow. I felt that there were too many plot points going on at once and I was unsure what I should be focusing on.

Lia is brave and protective but I didn’t really care about her or what happened to her adoptive family and I was really unsure why she was standing up for her abusive parent. Flicker was a cute character who was fun and adorable but also had a very big ego and could be annoying.

I felt Dragonfriend had potential but I could not get into it and DNF at 42%.

Firebolt

**

2 Stars/5

Elena has been on the run all of her life with her father, even though she has no idea why, that is until a dragon kills her father. She wakes up in a mystical land called Paegeia, and is soon enrolled in a new school where she meets lots of new people, including those who are able to change into dragons. Elena is struggling to learn everything she needs to be able to understand this new world she finds herself in, and with a long thought dead sorcerer back and Elena has to find a way to save her new home.

Firebolt was an OK book which in some points I found entertaining but mostly I found it to be predictable, forgettable and the story didn’t pick up until near the end. It felt too teenage for me and had too much school drama and the relationships, both romantic and non-romantic developed way too quickly.

I felt Elena was very immature for a 16 year old, for example blushing whenever anyone mentioned sex, and gets over the death of her father and arriving in this new world too quickly and I just generally was not a fan of her. However, I did like some of the secondary characters, like her two friends Becky and Sammy. On the other hand the boys irritated me as Lucian was too perfect and his relationship with Elena seems very superficial. Blake was mysterious and a jerk and I do not get why so many people like his character.

I have heard that the following books go downhill and I am not sure I want to carry one with The Dragonian series. 

Passenger

*

1 Star/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Children’s Group for giving me this book to review.

Etta is just about to perform on her violin, a skill she has been practicing since youth at the expense of everything else, when everything changes. She is pushed through a time portal and is transported to a ship in the year 1776 which is captained by a man called Nicholas. Etta discovers that she is a legacy and that the Ironwood family is holding a loved one hostage. Will Etta be able to get home or will she be stuck in the past forever?

I really could not get into Passenger as the pacing was very slow and the story did not grab me as it focused on small unimportant details. The main problem was that I was detached and did not care about what was happening to the characters.

Etta is obsessed with her violin and getting back to her right time but I did not care as it focused too much on her internal thoughts and she is self-absorbed and whiny. I liked Nicholas a bit better as he was determined to fight for a better life no matter what other people thought.

I could not finish this book and stopped reading at 37%.

The Altarian Saga: The Maiden of Springhaven

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to C D Brosnan for giving me this book to review.

Living in a war torn nation, Altaria is stuck helping her injured father on their farm but dreams of leaving and becoming a healer. After an unexpected tragedy she has to leave her home, along with her newly returned friend Theseus, her pet dragon and horses and has to find her way in this dangerous world. She is determined to find her brothers but is unaware that more is going on than she could have imagined and that she is about to be caught in the middle of it.

The Altarian Saga: The Maiden of Springhaven is a really enjoyable and engaging YA fantasy novel. This book has adventure, romance and a quest, and while it was predictable the writing was descriptive. I found it had a slow beginning but when I got about 20% into it, I felt it picked up pace and was engaging.

Altaria is a likeable and realistic character who is friendly and caring but is also hard-working and impulsive. Theseus is another character I liked because he is considerate and generous but is also protective and he adapts to the situation he is in. Ureal was mysterious and enigmatic and I could not decide if she was trustworthy or not.

I found this book to be really likeable book and after that cliff-hanger I am really looking forward to when the next book comes out. I would recommend The Altarian Saga: The Maiden of Springhaven to fans of The Gift by Alison Croggon and Winter Queen by Amber Argyle.