Review: The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

The Beautiful by 

Renée Ahdieh

• Pub. Date: October 8, 2019
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
• Pages: 448
• Series: The Beautiful #1
• Rating:5/5
• Goodreads/Amazon

New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight.

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.

Review: I haven't picked up a book having to do with Vampires in a long time and I didn't realize how much I needed them back in my life until I got my hands on The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh.  Ahdieh took us into the world of a dark and wickedly ravishing New Orleans with writing so lush and vivid I couldn't stop turning the pages and found myself reading the novel late into the night sacrificing my sleep and I love my sleep time so any book that can get me to do that deserves five stars. And I just have to say THAT ENDING!!! Talk about a cliffhanger...wow.

Let's start with the characters, I loved Celine, Sébastien Saint Germain, and Odette the most out of the many noteworthy characters in the novel. Celine, she is courageous, spirited, and fearless. I also really loved how she didn't give a damn about fitting in with proper society. Moving on to Bastien, he has this whole dark mysterious ruthless vibe going on for him when you first meet him but I loved seeing his story unravel and I feel that there is still so much more we need to learn about him as much as I loved Celine he was far more interesting to me. As far as Odette I really did love her, for the most part, there was a moment when I questioned her motives also I know she isn't the MC but I do hope that she is more fleshed out in the next book because she really is one of those characters you wish had her own book. 

Now that I think about it one thing I would love to see overall in the next book is that I wish the supporting characters were more fleshed out.

I did enjoy being transported back into 1872 New Orleans, the attention to detail by Ahdieh was perfection. The writing was beautiful and lyrical and I didn't expect anything less from Renée Ahdieh.

I have to say I'm a huge fantasy reader and this felt more like YA Romance with Fantasy thrown in the mix, a quick read and I can't wait for the next book to be out. Overall if you love romance, vampires, and an author who can weave an amazing story The Beautiful is a must-read.

Mini Review: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

• Pub. Date: May 10, 2011
• Publisher:Henry Holt
• Pages:322
• Series: Ruby Red #1
• Goodreads/Amazon/Book Depository

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

First Line: As she fell to her knees and burst into tears, he looked all around the park.

Review: I liked Gwyneth's character she just wanted to be a normal teenager and wasn't the least bit excited about learning she was the Ruby. Gideon at times was arrogant and it took me some time to warm up to his character. As far as the romance between the two I liked there was no instant love but the romance just happened too fast.

My favorite part of the book was the actual time traveling.  I really enjoyed reading about the time periods they traveled to and how well the author described it. It was especially fun learning about the clothes they wore in each of their travels.

Overall the book was unputdownable. The pacing was great the plot was interesting at times a little predictable but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. And what I liked the most was we learned a lot of things right along with the characters.

Mini Review: Scorched Skies by Samantha Young

Scorched Skies by Samantha Young

• Pub. Date: March 11, 2012
• Publisher: Self Published
• Pages:350
• Series:Fire Spirits #2
• Goodreads/Amazon

FEAR THE HEAT...

The White King has crossed the line, sounded the horn, sent out the wolves.

When blood is shed and life is lost the reality of Ari’s position as both hunter and prey finally sets in. It seems her father will stop at nothing to force her will to his own and distracted by Charlie’s latest mistake and her seemingly misguided attraction to Jai, Ari never thought to fear anyone else but the Jinn King.

Blindsided and attacked, Ari learns a new wolf has joined the hunt. A dark sorcerer believes he knows a way to bleed the power of the Seal and wield it as his own, and he is even less patient than The White King.

The War for the Seal has only just begun… and it’s time for Ari to turn it on its head.
It’s time for Ari to stop acting like the hunted.

It’s time for Ari to become the hunter

First Sentence: Rusted earth trembled beneath Ari's feet, cracks in the thirsty ground glowing ember in the prevading darkness.


Review: Okay so I read this one back in December and realized I hadn't done a review for it, so here is a quick review of a few things I liked and disliked in the second book.

I didn't like this one as much as the first one but I did love all the action and getting to know some of the characters on a more deeper level along with learning more about the world in which the Jinn lived in. My favorite character is still Jai we learn so much more about this swoon worthy guy and why he struggles with his feeling for Ari. Also we get to meet his friend Trey who so far is an all around good guy and pushes Jai to see how good Ari is for him.

What I didn't care for in this book much was Ari, well okay I liked her as far as getting what needs to be done when it came to the action/adventure part of the book but she got on my nerves in the romance department her character still has a lot of developing to do that's all I have to say about that.

Overall still found this to be a quick read and will soon be picking up the third book once I put a little more dent in my tbr pile.

Review: Pantomime by Laura Lam

Pantomime by Laura Lam

• Pub. Date: February 5, 2013
• Publisher:Angry Robot
• Pages:400
• Goodreads/Amazon/Book Depository

R. H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass—remnants of a mysterious civilization long gone—are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide.

Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star.

But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.

Review: It is going to be so hard to write this review without giving away spoilers. And seeing how the blurb was obviously purposely made to be misleading to hide a major twist in the story i'm going to also do my best to stay all secretive and not give anything up.

The story is told in two povs Micah in the present who has just joined the circus and Gene in the past who is the daughter of a noble and very unhappy with her life. I loved Micah and Gene, amazing characters who were very well fleshed out and I felt a world of sympathy for them and their situation. Honestly all the characters in the book were done amazingly well and one of my favorites besides Micah/Gene who stood out was Drystan. He had his own secrets as well and I liked the friendship he built with Micah although there is still some mystery surrounding him that I can't wait to find out about in the next book.

I loved every bit of the circus it was eerie and fascinating all at once. Then there were the "freaks" of the circus that Micah worked with and Lam did a really great job in making them very diverse and unique in their own ways. Also there was magic involved in Pantomime unfortunately it was a little disappointing since we just get a little glimpse of it here and there and the author doesn't go deeper into that aspect of it in this book but it's obvious that we will definitely learn more about it in the second novel.

Overall Pantomime was very unexpected and just different in many ways from what I normally read  and Lam was not afraid to take this novel in a direction not to many YA books have gone. The world building, writing and the main characters were done very well and I am looking forward to see how the second novel develops especially with that huge cliffhanger at the end

.

Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Splintered by A.G. Howard

• Pub. Date: January 1, 2013
• Publisher: Amulet Books
• Pages:384
• Goodreads/Amazon/Book Depository

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

First Line: I've been collecting bugs since I was ten; it's the only way I can stop their whispers.

Review: I love reading retellings or in this case it was more of adding to the tale, and even though Alice in Wonderland is not my most favorite of the classic tales the cover to Splintered made me go into some crazy fan girl mode and I had to read it, needless to say I got my hands on an advance copy and devoured this dark twisted world that was created by Howard.

This tale follows a teenager named Alyssa who is a descendant of Alice. Her mother is in a mental institution due to a curse that falls on all the women from Alice Liddells side and Alyssa has just found out that Wonderland is actually real and in order to stop the insanity that falls on all the descendants she needs to go down the rabbit hole and end the curse. What she finds is not the Wonderland that was told in Lewis Carrol's Alice's Adventure in Wonderland but a world that is sinister, dangerous and full of madness.

Where do I began without going into fan girl mode, there was so much creativeness thrown into this that it did not fail to meet my high expectations. This has to be the darkest version I've read of this particular tale, all the Wonderland characters were not at all the cute friendly beings we have come to imagine but they were twisted and shuddersome and a thrill to read about all at once.

Even though this is mostly an adventure type book there is romance and to a point a love triangle. Which had me knock it down the half star that I did, well that and the way things wrapped up with with her and the main love interest at the end, I would explain further but that would be giving away some major spoilers. We have Jeb who is a childhood friend of Alyssa's and who she has had a crush on for years but he is too busy dating a girl who is a complete bitch to Alyssa and not to mention Jeb at times treats Alyssa like a child. And then when we get to Wonderland there is the complicated and very layered character Morpheus who has motives of his own and even though he is someone I shouldn't like, I did. I enjoyed all the scenes that involved him because he made things very interesting and was one of the driving forces behind all the incredible twists and turns this book took.

Overall Howard is obviously a very talented and imaginative writer to come up with something as amazing as Splintered and I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us. Also I would love to see this version turned into a movie. Anyways I highly recommend it especially for fantasy lovers.

Memorable Quote:

“I hate you," I say, the sentiment muffled against his heart, hoping to make it true.
"And I love you," he answers without hesitation, voice resolved and raw as he holds me tighter so I can't break away and react. "A crossroads, my beautiful princess, that was unavoidable—given our situations.” 

Review: Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem by Melissa Lemon

Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem by Melissa Lemon

• Pub. Date: December 11, 2012
• Publisher:Cedar Fort, Inc.
• Pages:288
• Amazon/Goodreads/Book Depository

Stuck in her family's apple orchards, Kat's got plenty of work to do and only pesky Jeremy to help. But when Jeremy convinces her to run away, Kat will discover that nothing---and no one---in her life is quite what it seems. Wonderfully re-imagined  this is the magical tale of Snow White as you've never read it before!

First Line: This is a story about a princess, and, unfortunately  it is also about a queen.


Review: I love reading fairytale retellings so of course I jumped at the chance to review Lemon's take on Snow White. 

In this spin the evil queen is actually Kat's (Snow White) mother, not the step mother and she still of course wants her dead but in this retelling she tries to kill her while she is still just a baby. The king runs off with her and takes her to the safety of Uncle Barney  who lives in an apple orchard in the next kingdom over. The queen thought her to be dead since she did send an executioner after them and the executioner came upon the kings ripped up dead body which happened due to thieves murdering him and then animals finishing the rest of him off, and the executioner just assumed the princess was killed as well and reported back to the queen.

Anyways the story really started up when Kat became older and her uncle who was for so long such a wonderful man taking care of her all of a sudden lost his sight and turned to alcohol and then started mistreating Kat. It was a little hard to adjust to his personality changing up like that since I got so used to him being a caring uncle who really took Kat under his wings and then next thing you know he is putting his hands on her and emotionally abusing her as well. 

What I didn't expect going in but it was a nice surprise that really worked was that the Magic Mirror was the narrator. At first I was skeptical but as I kept reading I really grew to like the man who was trapped in the mirror by the queen. And what I liked more was how in this one the man in the mirror had a huge role in the overall plot, and he was able to tell the queen partial truths and get away with it with the queen never finding out until it was too late.

I really liked the characters, Kat even though at times she felt to be a little clueless ( I mean who can blame her, she had no idea who she really was and was told to never leave the apple orchard ) was a character who when times called for it was very strong and determined. I loved Jeremy Simkins  and the dwarf's especially Pokole, the friendship that grew between him and Kat was very sweet.

I did like some of the twists and shocking revealings of certain characters, it put a nice spin on things. The one thing that I didn't really like was how rushed the ending felt. I was just sitting there like "Wow that was it." The fall of the queen fell flat in my opinion. Overall this was a creative spin on Snow White and I enjoyed it for the most part. 

Review: Slumber by Samantha Young

Slumber by Samantha Young

• Pub. Date: May 17, 2011
• Publisher: Self Published
• Pages: 350
• Series: The Fade #1
• Amazon/Goodreads

Molded by a tragic childhood, nineteen-year-old Rogan finds it extremely difficult to trust people. Now Haydyn, her best friend and the one person she does trust, is dying and only Rogan can save her.

Setting off on a journey to retrieve the plant that will cure Haydyn and subsequently the ills that will befall them all if she dies, Rogan is stuck in close quarters with a protector she distrusts above all others.

Wolfe Stovia.

The son of the man who destroyed Rogan’s family.

At a constant battle of wills with the handsome Captain of the Guard, Rogan just knows this adventure together will be fraught with tension. She never imagined, however, that the quest would be so dangerous… not least of all when she finds herself falling for a man she could have sworn was her no.1 enemy…

Mature YA fantasy romance (for older readers).

First Line: When I was a child the world smelled of summer.


Review: Have I been under a rock, how is it this is the first time I have come across a Samantha Young book. I was sucked in to the world Young created, and her writing was done so well. Needless to say I'll be adding some more of her books to my kindle.

Rogan witnessed her entire family get violently killed when she was young because of her power, now years later she is the handmaiden and very close friend of Haydyn the princess, but when Haydyn falls ill to a sleeping disease the world in which they live in starts to become pretty chaotic and Rogan is the only being who has the powers to track the one thing that will wake their princess up. So Rogan along with the royal guards and of course the Captain of the Royal Guard Wolfe who also happens to be the son of the man who killed her entire family set out on a journey to find the plant that will save their princess and their world.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for Rogan the beginning of the book which started off so brutally violent sucked me in and then as the story progressed to see how she dealt with being around the son of the man who killed her parents and her little brother was only making me feel for her character even more. Of course Rogan has Wolfe all wrong and he does not take after his father in any way but you can't tell Rogan that for the first half or so of the book. She thinks he is just like him and is plotting his revenge to kill her since because of her, his father eventually was found guilty for his crimes and killed. But boy is she wrong about Wolfe in every way imaginable.

There was some serious tension between the two characters, obviously. But I lived for the moments in which they interacted, things were so heated I couldn't get enough of the two. The relationship was so very complicated between the two especially since Rogan truly does hate Wolfe but it was interesting to see that hate slowly very slowly turn into love throughout their journey.

I also loved the world building. Young created a whole new world called Phaedra and the cities and the people within it with all their magical powers were quite entertaining to read about. And I liked that there was a lot of action in the book also, there was always something going on besides just the development of Rogan and Wolfe's relationship. Overall this is a fast paced read and I highly recommend it.

Memorable Quote

He was the last man in Phaedra I should ever trust, should ever feel anything toward. But those shades of grey just kept creeping in.

Review: Flutter by Gina Linko

Flutter by Gina Linko

• Pub. Date: October 23, 2012
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Pages: 352
• Amazon/Goodreads

All Emery Land wants is to be like any other 17-year-old—to go to school, hang out with her friends, and just be normal. But for as long as she can remember, she’s suffered from seizures. And in recent years they’ve consumed her life. To Emery they’re much more than seizures, she calls them loops—moments when she travels through wormholes back and forth in time and to a mysterious town. The loops are taking their toll on her physically. So she practically lives in the hospital where her scientist father and an ever-growing team of doctors monitor her every move. They’re extremely interested in the data they collect when Emery seizes. It appears that she’s tapping into parts of the brain typically left untouched by normal human beings.

Escaping from the hospital, Emery travels to Esperanza, the town from her loops on the upper peninsula of Michigan, where she meets Asher Clarke. Ash’s life is governed by his single-minded pursuit of performing good Samaritan acts to atone for the death of a loved one. His journey is very much entwined with Emery’s loops. 

Drawn together they must unravel their complicated connection before it’s too late.

First Line: It is bright.


Review: I don't think I had any real expectations for this book, but Flutter really surprised me. It captured my attention from the very beginning and held it all the way to the very end.

Seventeen year old Emery lives her life in a hospital, she has been having "loops" since she was little and as she became older it has become worse to where she can't even go on with day to day activities without looping (time traveling). The loops are slowly killing her and she knows it. When she loops she sometimes visits people from her past, she goes to the future and most of the time she meets up with a little boy. At first things are vague but eventually her time spent with the little boy becomes more and more vivid to the point where she runs away from the hospital and her father who looks at her as a lab rat to experiment on and ventures off to find out more about the little boy and what he wants from her.

Hmm where to really start, I really thought I knew what was going on the entire time but boy was I wrong about everything literally. And I loved it! This book was not predictable at all, I would have never guessed what was really up with her loops and no way did I even imagine for it to the end the way that it did. After I was finished reading I was walking around just a little shocked because I did not see it coming, the ending came out of left field. It was sad and beautiful all at once.

As for the two main characters Emery and Ash they both had depth to them, and I liked the fact that it wasn't all centered around Emery. Ash also had some messed up things going on in his life that made him and easily believable character. I loved the chemistry between the two and the fact that it took time for their feelings to develop for each other.

Overall Flutter was a wonderful read and I really am looking forward to see what else Gina Linko writes in the future.

Review: Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

• Pub. Date:October 9, 2012
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
• Pages: 416
• Series: Mystic City#1
• Amazon/Goodreads

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself. 

First Line: "So little time is left."


Review: Before I start my review I have to say I love the cover and I loved the fact that it went so well with the actual book. I was a little torn between if I wanted to give the book 4 stars or not and in the end I couldn't do it because of a couple of things but nonetheless this is a really great read.

Aria  wakes up with a huge memory gap. She doesn't remember how or when she supposedly fell in love with Thomas Foster who is the son of her families number one enemy, and she doesn't remember overdosing on a mind altering drug called Stic which according to her very wealthy and influential family is the cause of her memory loss. It becomes to the point where she starts to question if all they are saying really happened and then she meets Hunter a mystic rebel that lives in the Depth and that is when things get really interesting.

This in a way reminded me of Romeo and Juliet. There is forbidden love, the family will kill to keep her from him, and lots of politics at play. I really liked Hunter he was strong, brave, and was more then just the love interest he had a real purpose in the book. Aria was someone that had to grow on me only because I was a little frustrated at how she couldn't see what was in front of her eyes about all the lies that were being told to her, there were so many clues. As a reader you already know who Hunter is within the first few chapters but it takes Aria a really long time to figure it all out.

I also found it pretty cool how the Mystics had these powers kind of like the x-men in a way. They supposedly have always been around and they helped use their powers to develop the Aeries which is where the prominent families live. But then they were accused of some terrorist acts and they were looked at as dangerous and were required to have their powers drained and the ones that didn't were considered rebels. Overall the Mystics were very intriguing beings and I actually hope the author dives even more into their world in the next book.

Besides the few little issues I had with the book I am looking forward to the next book in the series.


Memorable quotes 

I betrayed my family, and I betrayed Thomas, and worst of all...it felt amazing.

Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

• Pub. Date:November 2011
• Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Pages: 336
• Series: The Pledge #1

http://www.kimberlyderting.com/

"In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed. 


Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime"

First Sentence: The air crackled like a gathering thunderstorm the moment the girl entered the chamber.


Review: I was thrown  into a world full of danger and dark secrets.  I loved The Pledge and couldn't tear myself away from it. I literally finished it in one sitting. Derting is an amazing writer and the characters, the world building, the alternating point of views everything was pulled off very well.

Charlaina ( Charlie ) can understand all languages which is pretty awesome except for the fact she lives in a world in which it is against the law to know a language above your class and if you do you get executed. Charlie was as real as they can get, she was a believable character with fears and faults. I also adored her relationship with her little sister, who also like our protagonist had secrets which needed to be hidden.

Then there was Max he was full of surprises and very swoon worthy. I didn't know what to make of him in the beginning but I enjoyed learning more about him side by side with Charlie.

One thing I have to admit as much as I loved pretty much all of the characters including the evil queen, I fell more in love with the world Derting created. It was interesting to read about a place in which women are the rulers while the men are on the sidelines, then there was the fact that you are only allowed to speak the language of your class and you can never escape it. I would personally never want to live in a world like that but it was the world in which they lived that really engrossed me to the point where I did not want to put the book down.

Overall this is a must read if you love Dystopian novels, although it does dip a little into the fantasy genre as well.