2019 5 Star Read #4 - Greta and the Lost Army by Chloe Jacobs

Greta and the Lost Army by Chloe Jacobs
Mylena Chronicles, book three
Published Feb 2016 by Entangled: Teen

Format Read: ebook from Personal Kindle Library

*Spoiler Alert as this is the final book in the trilogy!!*

Description from Goodreads:
A fate as unavoidable as love itself...

After spending the last four years trapped in a place of monsters, demons, and magick, the last thing the fierce teenage bounty hunter Greta expected was to ever be back on Earth. But a rare opportunity gives her and the Goblin King Isaac the opportunity to do just that. Now she’s home. With a boy in tow. And her parents have lots of questions.

Although Greta finally has her heart’s deepest wish—to see her family again—every step she takes to reconnect with them drives her further away from Isaac. Greta and Isaac planned for her to return to Mylena and become his queen, but she’s not sure if she can go back to that harsh world, though staying on Earth means giving up the boy she loves.

But a powerful enemy refuses to let Greta escape. A demon who will stop at nothing to destroy her and everything she loves. Even if it means following her to Earth and forcing her to face a fate as unavoidable as love itself.

My Review: 

I'm going to try and be somewhat spoiler-free here, but again this is the last book in the trilogy, so some hints may be unavoidable as to what happened in the first two... 

Anyway, this is not the first series, nor I'm sure will it be the last, where the main character finds themselves transported to a hostile world.  What I really enjoyed about this particular book in the series was that the author takes the main character, Greta, back to her home world and then lets both Greta and the reader come to the realization that Earth may no longer be the best place for her.  It explores both the joy and guilt associated with her homecoming.  The excitement and the bewilderment.  The horrible confliction that she now feels as she realizes there are things she truly loved about Mylena, even as she was working so hard to escape it. 

I hadn't quite expected when I started this series to get so emotionally invested in it.  It seemed like it would just be a breezy, fun paranormal YA romance and I found it to be so much more by the time I finished it. The characters had depth and there was both action and romance that built in a believable way.  There was good world building and consequences to characters' actions and betrayals that moved the plot along well. As I said, I ended up really loving this series.  I was so happily surprised.  

I think this is a trilogy that never got the buzz it deserved and is well worth a shot if you are looking for something new to read!  

2019 5 Star Read #3 - Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Six of Crows, book two
Published Sept 2016 by Henry Holt and Company

Format Read: Book borrowed from Public Library

Description from Goodreads:
Welcome to the world of the Grisha.

Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties.

A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets - a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

My Review:

So since this is the second book, I will attempt to be somewhat non-spoilery for anyone who hasn't read Six of Crows. For me, both of these books were absolutely stellar and I loved them much more than Bardugo's original Grishaverse trilogy.  Why? I happen to LOVE ragtag heist stories.  The Dregs, the six members that make up Kaz Brekker's newly formed "mini-gang" develop into a mini-family and though each is pretty flawed, they are all super interesting characters doing bad things for good reasons.  Even Kaz himself, though he would never, ever let on that he might be anything but the worst guy out there.  These characters have HEART.  

And, though this is the Grishaverse and many people in this world have magical abilities, this group primarily relies on wit, stamina, sheer stubbornness, a hint of luck, and Kaz's ability to think eight steps ahead of anyone else. I LOVE that.  I felt as if the characters in these two books were more fully formed than the ones in the original trilogy.  They felt real.  Less caricature-ish (oh she's the good guy, oh he's the bad guy, oh he's the love interest)... here they were all a little bit of everything.  Even Ketterdam itself had a gritty personality. 

This book, though the first also sucked me in immediately, was fast-paced and full of what felt like imminent danger around every corner.  There were almost no times that I wasn't sort of white knuckling the book and I haven't had one put me on edge like that in a while.  I was fully engaged from start to finish.  Fantastic and now I'm hoping that King of Scars will engage me the same way... and that Bardugo truly is working on a Six of Crows #3 to come sometime after that...  

2019 5 Star Read #1 - Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep

Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep
Crown of Shards, book one
Published Oct 2018 by Harper Voyager

Format Read: Book from Personal Library

Description from Goodreads:
In a realm where one’s magical power determines one’s worth, Lady Everleigh’s lack of obvious ability relegates her to the shadows of the royal court of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. Seventeenth in line for the throne, Evie is nothing more than a ceremonial fixture, overlooked and mostly forgotten.

But dark forces are at work inside the palace. When her cousin Vasilia, the crown princess, assassinates her mother the queen and takes the throne by force, Evie is also attacked, along with the rest of the royal family. Luckily for Evie, her secret immunity to magic helps her escape the massacre.

Forced into hiding to survive, she falls in with a gladiator troupe. Though they use their talents to entertain and amuse the masses, the gladiators are actually highly trained warriors skilled in the art of war, especially Lucas Sullivan, a powerful magier with secrets of his own. Uncertain of her future—or if she even has one—Evie begins training with the troupe until she can decide her next move.

But as the bloodthirsty Vasilia exerts her power, pushing Bellona to the brink of war, Evie’s fate becomes clear: she must become a fearsome gladiator herself . . . and kill the queen.

My Review: 

Holy cow, did I love this book. 

I am a fan of high fantasy, but I also love quick reads, and sadly, the two are not always one in the same.  However, this book delivered all the things I love about high fantasy - a world with a fully-fledged magic system, a loosely medieval society, and epic battles - in a super easy to read writing style.  I devoured this book...and immediately pre-ordered the sequel! 

The main character of this book is a girl with a strong core, but has been brow-beaten enough that she believes she is worthless. The girl finding her inner strength and going on to kick ass trope is one I'm all in for... every single time.  I love that in this book, too, there is romance, but it is completely secondary to her doing what she needs to do AND the friendships she builds with others along the way.  This is no princess that drops everything for a man. No, indeed. 

The magic, the sword-fighting, the royal intrigue, the secrets, the romance, and the main character all sold this book for me.  I am waiting WITH BATED BREATH until July (wahhhh!!) for the sequel, Protect the Prince, to be released. 

Falling Kingdoms

Falling Kingdoms

by Morgan Rhodes

 

In a land where magic has been forgotten but peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is simmering. Three kingdoms grapple for power—brutally transforming their subjects' lives in the process. Amidst betrayals, bargains, and battles, four young people find their fates forever intertwined:

Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.

Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.

Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword. . . .

The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed? (description from Amazon.com)


Intricate storylines weave together into a tale of magic, betrayal, greed, and even murder.  Three kingdoms on the brink of war... four teens struggling to survive and prosper. Each teen has something to fight for, and unfortunately, that brings each of them up against one another as they work for the interests of their own kingdoms. 

Throughout, there is the hunt for magic.  Once acknowledged as existing in all the kingdoms, magic has now seemingly disappeared. Each kingdom believes that if they can harness the magic, they will be triumphant...and the ancient Watchers who keep tabs on all are desperate to retrieve the magic that they've lost. One teen is the key to it all.

Politics, murder, secrets, war, romance...this book has it all.  Rhodes masterfully built an intriguing world and left me breathless at the end. I cannot wait until this story picks up in book two! I NEED to see where everyone goes from the cliffhanger at the end...

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for AudioFile Magazine

Book Trailer Reveal - The Cadet of Tildor!

The Cadet of Tildor

By Alex Lidell

Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin)

Publication Date: January 10, 2013

Book trailer by: Medieval Reenactment Group “Liberi Lusenta” located in Italy
Organized by: AToMR Tours

 

And, here is the official trailer...check it out... *squee!*

I loved it! I cannot wait to read this book. I think it is going to be EPIC!

You can also "meet" the trailer cast here, which I think is awesome! Check it out!

And...very last thing!  The author is doing a great giveaway to celebrate the release of the trailer...if you want to enter, just go HERE. Good Luck!!

Anxiously Awaiting...The Cadet of Tildor!

The Cadet of Tildor

by Alex Lidell

Publication date: January 10, 2013

Having already survived six years at the Tildor’s top military academy, sixteen-year-old Renee De Winter is determined to graduate, training day and night to compete with her male classmates. When the boys overpower her parries, she works harder. When a bully sabotages her gear, she fights without it. But when an underground crime group captures her mentor for its illegal gladiatorial games, she must choose between her career and her conscience. Determined to penetrate the group’s inner circles, Renee will leap from academia to the crime filled streets, pick up a sword, and weigh law against loyalty.

I believe that I may have mentioned once or twice, or you know, a million times if you know me in real life...that my favorite book of all time is Tamora Pierce's Alanna: The First Adventure. It is epic. It is the standard to which all my book love is held...

This, this sounds like it would be perfectly up my alley. I can only hope that it meets the same high standard I require for my high fantasies. I *CANNOT* wait to find out. I think I'll be pre-ordering this one. :)