Escapement

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Xpresso Books Tours for giving me this book to review.

Ten years after the great war of 2185 the queen’s reign is threatened by uprisings and fear. In celebration of my sixteenth birthday it is my duty as princess to sacrifice a slave to be initiated into the ruling council, solidifying my mother’s empire. When my own erratic powers surface I’m captured and tried for treason. Slaves hate me, my mother wants me executed, and my only chance of survival rests in the hands of a young man, Ryder Arteres, whose sister I sentenced to death.

Escapement is a really enjoyable YA dystopia full of action, suspense, romance, and unique powers. I found this book a bit hard to get into, but I think that had more to do with want was happening in my life at the time, rather than the book. This book is really well written as it has good world building and in-depth characters especially how the three main people interacted.

I really could connect to Semara as she is not perfect and very naïve, especially as she want to believe in her mother but is still willing to fight, to prove herself and always putting others before herself. Ryder is sacrificing and harsh character, but is also very caring and protective, especially over his sister Raeth. Raeth is a sweet girl who I wanted to protect but while scarred, she did not let it affect her too much.

I really liked this book and I am looking forward to reading the rest of The Neumarian Chronicles. I would recommend Escapement to fans of YA dystopia novels like Perfection by J L Spelbring.

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Aire

***

3 Stars/5

Principessa Annalisia is a seer but this kept secret by her grandmother the queen. On her way home after an awful party her cloth maiden, Mira, was mistaken for her and was abducted. Wracked with guilt, she is determined to find her friend, so she disguises herself as Anna, along with her loyal servant Illan, and joins up with Mira’s older brother, Jovanni, to search for her together. Jovanni, unknown to Anna, is a Sentinel, a person able to transform into a falcon, and as they grow closer together they realise they are from completely different social worlds and are unable to be together. With them uncovering clues and with other girls getting kidnapped, will they be able to rescue Mira in time.

Aire is an enjoyable light fantasy romance, but it was not what I was expecting when I read the blurb, as I thought it was going to be more of a quest than it was.  This book felt very vague, like a watered down adult book, and is full of clichés.

Anna is a free-spirited princess but she is also very stubborn as she will do want she has put her mind to, but she is also very naïve. Jovanni is brave, devoted to those he cares about but also hides a big part of himself from everyone.

A lot is left unanswered in this book and I felt it was not as good as The Language of Souls but still likable. I would recommend Aire to fans of light YA fantasy romance. 

Shadow Fire

****

4 Stars/5

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

Ashlyn – a free-spirited teenager whose peaceful life is shattered when the village elders honor her with a perilous quest to recover a stolen relic.

Zane – a jaded mercenary, torn by his undeniable desire for Ashlyn and the dark secret that could make her hate him forever.

Delistaire – a malevolent sorcerer driven by an insatiable lust for power.

All three are bound together by an ancient relic supposedly infused with the power of a Goddess.

Shadow Fire – adventure, passion, secrets, and betrayal.

As Ashlyn and Zane race to stay one step ahead of the evil lurking in the shadows, their passions are ignited and their bond strengthens. But will they find the relic before Delistaire? Or has their entire quest been orchestrated from the very beginning by a madman in pursuit of ultimate power?

Shadow Fire is a really enjoyable and light YA fantasy, full of secrets, action and lots of romance. Very quick paced and addictive but it did slow a bit during the middle of the book. This book has an interesting magic system which is based on the different elements but I wish we could find out more about it.

Ashlyn is nice, brave and easy to connect to as a character, but while she was described as being very self-reliant, most of the time she had to be helped by others especially Zane. Zane is a good, swoon worthy hero as he has a masculine, alpha male exterior but is also caring and protective without being controlling. The romance in this book is really sweet, but it came across as very immature as they kept making out while in inappropriate situations, and while I have no problem with the instant attraction, they fell in love way too quickly.

I really liked this book and am looking forward to the next novel in this universe, Stolen Moon, even though both books stand alone. I would recommend Shadow Fire to fans of romantic YA fantasy books such as You Are Mine by Janeal Falor and Witch Song by Amber Argyle. 

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Voices of Dragons

***

3 Stars/5

On one side of the border is modern life full of internet, mortgages and school, and on the other side are dragons. 17 year old Kay rock climbs at the border, but when she falls in a stream she crosses the border and is rescued by the Dragon Artegal and they develop and unlikely friendship. Kay struggles to balance her friendship with Artegal and her school life with her friend turned boyfriend Jon. With the fragile truce between the humans and dragons fracturing, Kay and Artegal are caught in the middle of the conflict. Will Artegal and Kay’s friendship be able to alter the course of the war and save lives?

Voices of Dragons is a good paranormal book with action and a bit of romance. I enjoyed the bits of this story with Artegal and it made me want to learn more about the dragons’ culture, but I got irritated by the school bits in the book.

Kay is an adventurous, mature and outdoorsy character, but is also a normal teen, who has typical 17 year old worries such as peer pressure, but she does not make rash decisions. Artegal is a young rebel dragon who does not want to do what he is told to do but to find out the truth for himself. Jon is a nice boy who likes nature and is understanding but he is a bit too passive and I did not feel we really got to know him.

The ending of this book is rushed but that being said I hope there is another book in this series. I would recommend Voices of Dragons to fans of the Firelight series by Sophie Jordan. 

Curse Breaker

*

1 Star/5

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

Wendy has lived a Privileged life in Jupiter city until her mother is murdered and she is framed for it. Wendy is sent away to Greenleaf asylum and after years of terror and pain she is rescued by a mysterious guild, which shows her a world of magic users called Validus, and half-breeds. However, Wendy is a special and powerful Validus, the curse breaker, but this means all the other guilds either want her for themselves or want her dead.

I did not like Curse Breaker as I really could not connect to the story, it had a slow pace and lacks world building. It seemed to be a steampunk book, but when I started to read it, I realised it is a sci-fi novel.

I could not connect to Wendy as I just did not care about what happened to her, even when her mother was murdered and everything that happened to her at Greenleaf asylum. The rest of the characters were not as bad as Wendy but all of them felt a bit flat.

Curse Breaker had an interesting premise but I could not finish it.

The Iron Trial

***

3 Stars/5

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

Call has been bought up by his father to believe that the Mages are evil and selfish, and are the reason that his mother was killed. When he unwillingly takes part in the trial for the magic school, magisterium, he does everything he can to make sure he fails, however, he is unexpectedly by the most sought after Master. As Call learns magic and grows close to the two other students of Master Rufus, Aaron and Tamara, he does not know who to believe, his father or the Masters. However, The Enemy of Death, the chaos mage who killed his mother and others, is seemingly growing in strength and testing the treaty, but does Call have an unknown connection to him?

The Iron Trial is a tween fantasy book which is full of action and unexpected twists which kept me interested, and it did not feel like it was written by two authors. While this book is not a copy of Harry Potter, it is very similar, for example three friends, 1 girl and 2 boys, at a school of magic, with an evil mage threatening them.

Call is definitely not a perfect hero, he is sarcastic, confident, and a bit annoying but this is just a front as he feels very vulnerable and unsure of himself. Aaron is a good and loyal friend to Call, but as the series continues it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure. Tamara is smart, a bit of a know it all and has the worry of living up to her family’s expectations.

The Ending has a twist I did not see coming and I am looking forward to the next book The Copper Gauntlet. I would recommend The Iron Trial to fans of Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl.

Reason for Vengeance

****

4 Stars/5

In the distant future, mankind has spread out onto many worlds, but society is very unequal.  The Privileged live in wealth and power for hundreds of years, and the rest of humanity live short, menial lives, struggling to survive.  Valerie Carter is Privileged, working as one of the best Special Operatives in the Legion, putting down rebellions against the Privileged, and living as a loving wife and mother when not working.  When tragedy strikes she turns rogue.  In time she meets Hanna, a street waif whose life she saves, and through their association, gradually her thoughts turn to vengeance.

Reason for Vengeance is a very good Sci-fi novel with elements of dystopia.  It is a little bit too detail-heavy, especially in the beginning, which made it a bit slow to get into, but it picked up pace later on.

Valerie is a strong and powerful lead character, maybe a bit too perfect in her family life, but her character flaws came to the forefront later in the book and made her quite intriguing.  Hanna is another strong character, a survivor in a dangerous world, and someone you feel you can relate to.

I really liked this book and am looking forward to the next one.  I would recommend Reason for Vengeance to fans of classic Sci-fi novels.