Title: Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: Orion
Published: February 10th, 2015
Series: Red Queen Trilogy
How I Served It:Kindle
How I Got It:Live-brary
Summary:
"The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.
To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.
Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?" - Goodreads
Review:
This book was so, so good. I mean, it wasn't perfect, but I had exceedingly high expectations (it was definitely the most hyped up debut this winter), and it didn't fall short. I'm going to try to do the five and three style review again, since I liked it so much with Clockwork Prince. Overall though, I like what Aveyard is setting up here. I think it has promise.
Top 5 Things About the Book:
1. The World Building - The world Aveyard has created clearly has a deep history. It's implied that the Silvers were once angels who fell, and that the world that Mare lives in is just a far distance future. Unlike some, I like how Aveyard doesn't weigh us down with the particulars of how this future came about. There's just enough implication that I can fill in the gaps with my own assumptions, and in truth the specifics of this world's history don't matter nearly as much as the present, and Aveyard has the present covered. There's a clear power dynamic here and I think the idea of distinguishing by blood color (while a little reminiscent of Harry Potter) is unique.
2. The Trick Love Triangle, or Rather, the Fact That Love/Lust Isn't the Focus - Spoilers! I like how Aveyard does not fall into the stupid love triangle trap that is the basis of basically every other trilogy in the genre right now. Yes, I know I am ignoring what is obviously set to come in the sequel. Let me have the moment! I like how Mare, while she has feelings for both her childhood best friend and Cal, the heir, doesn't spend the whole book crying about that. She has real feelings too for her betrothed, but even that isn't the center of the novel.. It reminds me vaguely of what Collins did in the Hunger Games, in that there is a romantic issue happening, but the girl has other issues to deal with and prioritizes them like a person. There might be a love-quadrangle going on in the background, but it's written in such a way that you're never confused as to whether or not this book is a romance novel in disguise. I am desperately hopeful that Aveyard maintains this approach throughout the series.
3. The Powers - I saw on Goodreads one reviewer compared the powers in this book to those in X-Men. I like it. I like how the Silvers have these supernatural powers that the Reds do not because it makes it clear why the Silvers are still in power and how they got there. It also at least kind of explains the difference in blood colors and stuff; Silvers and Reds are probably different species (back to the fallen angels theory!). I think it's neat how different Silver Families are associated with different types of abilities and how there are names for the different types of ability-users. I am a little worried about how Mare has a 'mutation' that makes her special and able to toss around lightning but I suspect that that's just PTSD from Allegiant. I also wonder how they'll explain away the rise of this mutation.
4. Mare - She will also probably be on the list of things I didn't like, but I like it when a heroine is real. Mare felt real to me. She made stupid decisions because she acted like a teenaged girl. If I was still sixteen I would probably like her even more. At 20-something, some of her choices made me want to slap her, but that's hindsight for you. I like how she was aware of what she needed to do to survive and didn't lose herself in the pretty palace life being offered. I know the Queen was crazy and the threats to Mare's safety were always present, but even so she definitely could have abandoned herself to what the royals wanted. I liked that she kept who she was. I also liked that she started out with no special talent or skill set aside from being a thief. Maybe I've seen Captain America too many times, but I really think that there's something to the idea that those who have nothing appreciate it more when they get something.
5. Cal - Now, I'm not saying that out of all of Mare's options this is the guy I like best. To be honest, I'm not really sold on any of them (though I did love Maven up until the reveal), but I like how realistic Cal is. A prince whose father never treated him cruelly isn't exactly likely to grow up questioning the world around him. It made sense for Maven to be interested in revolution because he was always in the background, but I like how Cal is both a good guy and someone with a twisted perception. He was raised to believe a certain way and I like that Aveyard didn't undermine all of his good loyal, kingly qualities. That said, I also like how it's clear that he can grow to understand the problems in society and become an actually decent human instead of just a decent prince.
3 Things I Didn't Love:
1. The Super Big Plot Twist - Major Spoiler. Okay, I'm still not sure how much I buy the plot twist. I am, of course, referring to Maven's huge betrayal at the end. I liked how Mare repeated the like "anyone can betray anyone" over and over, very cryptic, but I didn't really see this coming. Or well, that's kind of a lie. I expected someone to turn on someone else. I sort of thought Maven was going to turn on Mare, but I didn't think it would have been premeditated. Don't get me wrong, I love a plot twist. I liked the fact that it surprised me, but I'm not sure that if I re-read the book knowing what I know now that I would be able to pick up signs of what was coming.
2. Kilorn - I feel like Kilorn is the Gale of this series. He's the obvious choice for pre-events Mare, but after all that Mare is going to go through she's going to change too much to be able to be with him. Plus, while I know his intentions are good, he sort of comes off as a jerk. Not that she has a single love interest who doesn't act like a butt-head at least once in this book, but Kilorn strikes me as especially... weak? I'm assuming his character will be further developed in the books to come, but right now he sort of strikes me as a flat representation of a blind revolutionist who doesn't fully understand what's going on. Not that Mare does understand, just that I think Kilorn's character hasn't been developed enough to make me care what he's doing. To be honest I fully expected Aveyard to kill him off as sort of an incentive for Mare to join the rebels.
3. Stupid Decisions - Now I know I said earlier that I liked how Mare acted like a real sixteen year old girl and I do. That said, I also wanted to shake her at times. She wasn't more naive than would be humanly possible or anything, it's just that she seemed way to easy to trust the two princes even after openly acknowledging that she had suspcions about Maven. Also she just jumped in to the rebel movement after like, barely any time at all in the palace. I know she needed to jump in and that it would be a boring book if she didn't do it early but... I feel like I would have waited a few months until the queen thought I was trustworthy. She just seemed a little too free with trust, though I suspect that this might have been the lesson intended for this book. Either way, I know I'm nitpicking.
The Final Noodle:
I really, really liked this book. It's surely not perfect but it's a great start for a series and I think it lives up to its hype. The true test for the series will probably be the next book since it seems like the days of dresses and princes are over for the heroine at the end of the novel, but I definitely think that it's worth reading.
Title: Branded
Author: Abi Ketner &
Publisher: Month9Books
Published: June 25th, 2014
Series: Sinners
How I Served It: e-book
How I Got It: Purchased, amazon
Summary:
"Fifty years ago The Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society.
To punish the guilty, he created the Hole, a place where sinners are branded according to their sins. Sinners are forced to live a less than human existence in deplorable conditions, under the watchful eye of guards who are ready to kill anyone who steps out of line.
Now, LUST wraps around my neck like thick, blue fingers, threatening to choke the life out of me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit, and the Hole is my new home.
Constant darkness.
Brutal and savage violence.
Excruciating pain.
Every day is a fight for survival.
But I won’t let them win. I will not die in the Hole.
I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story." ---Goodreads
Review:
Once again I find myself saying that I really, really wanted to like this book. The premise just sounded... different? I mean, dystopian is so in right now that it's hard to find anything truly original, but the idea of people being branded with their sins and condemned to live as inferiors... it just sounded like something vaguely fresh. And the whole 'falling for the one person you're not allowed to love' thing is the basis of nearly all of my favorite books. So, when I used that stupid '1-Click Buy' button on amazon to purchase Branded, I had pretty high hopes. I so wanted to fall in love with this story. I didn't expect it to be a Pulitzer Prize worthy work of life-changing fiction. I didn't want it to be, I just wanted an escapist story filled with angst and romance and all of the ya tropes we all hate to love!
Title: Princess of Thorns
Author: Stacey Jay
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published: December 9th, 2014
How I Served It: Kindle eBook
How I Got It: Stalked it on goodreads for months, then bought
Summary:
"Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.
Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.
Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?" -- Goodreads
Review:
I loved this book. Couldn't put it down from the minute I picked it up. This is the book that forced me to learn how to master the Kindle app for my iPhone. I've always loved girl-power books where the girls kick ass or dress up as guys to infiltrate an army. This was like taking the Lioness (Tamora Pierce) books and amp-ing up all of the things I loved about them. It's definitely not a book for everyone, and I really don't think it can/should be sold as a fairy-tale retelling, but I will recommend it to anyone who loves losing themselves in ink (or pixels, whatever floats your boat).
This is not a retelling of Sleeping Beauty or really any fairy tale. Yes, Aurora is the daughter of a woman presented as Sleeping Beauty, and Niklaas a twelfth son of a mad king, and there are hints of Rapunzel and a few other famous princesses, but this isn't a retelling as much as it is a new adventure that hints at familiar roots. At the start of the novel Aurora has disguised herself as her brother Jor in an attempt to win an army to storm the palace of the ogre queen. Aurora is the rightful queen but the ogres took control through murder and bloodshed and literal soul-sucking. The ogres aim to invoke a prophecy that will doom the world but requires the blood of a fairy-blessed briar-born child... which as far as I can tell really just means Aurora or Jor. Ogre Queen Ekeeta has kidnapped Jor (not knowing that it's Aurora who is fairy blessed), and it's the mission of the novel for Aurora to save her brother. Hence the need for an army.
Title: The Winner's Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Published: March 4th, 2014
Series: The Winner's Trilogy#1
How I Served It: Kindle eBook
How I Got It: That Stupid Easy 'Buy With One Click' Button
Summary:
"Winning what you want may cost you everything you love
As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.
One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.
But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.
Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart." --- Goodreads
Review:
Okay, I know this book has rave reviews and a cult following and obsessed fans but... I'm sorry I just don't get it. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it, it wasn't terrible, I even liked parts of it but... I'm just not getting why this book is such a phenomenon. To be honest I don't even feel the need to read the sequel. Please, disagree with me. I want to love this book as much as everyone else did. I want to understand but, I just... don't.
Title: These Broken Stars
Authors: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Published: December 10th, 2013
Series: Starbound #1
How I Served It: Hardcover
How I Found It: Purchased (work book sale)
Summary (From Goodreads):
"It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.
Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.
Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?
Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it."
Review
So at work they have this big quarterly book sale (to get rid of all the free books the hosts acquire). They basically give books away, $8 for hardcovers that have never been opened, less for kids books (more for cookbooks). It's a poor post-grad's best and worst nightmare. And it's where I found this book. I bought it solely for the cover - I do that. I judge books by their covers. I know it's a bad habit but, I mean, it's steered me pretty well so far! It found me this, after all.
I've had These Broken Stars on my shelf since early September (and by shelf I now mean floor since I've moved out of my parent's house and am holing up in Bushwick at least for the month). I would pick it up, read the description, shrug and put it back down. SO MANY WEEKS WASTED! On Saturday night at like 10 I was like, I'll read a chapter and then go to bed (let's not talk about what I do with my Saturday nights, 'kay?). One chapter turned into the entire novel and suddenly it was 1 AM and I was staring at my ceiling half crying, half beaming because this novel was beautiful.
