Book Review #721 - The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

 

 

My Rating: 8/10

 

 

I read this book straight after I finished the Wings series and whilst I would usually read a couple of book between picking up a book in a similar genre, I couldn't on this occasion as this book was for book club.

 

I have tried reading Holly Black before (not including her books with Cassandra Clare) and have never been able to get into them so I was rather worried this book would suffer the same fate.

 

 

When I first started this book, I found it really slow and if it wasn't for book club I probably would have given up. It took me around 100 or so pages though and then I couldn't put the book down. I ended up staying up until around 4:00am to finish it and read it entirely in one sitting.

 

 

The faeries in this book were simply amazing. I loved the mythology behind them and because the narrator Jude was a human surrounded by these immortal creatures, they were rather scary at times. This was the first book I have read where the faeries were portrayed on the darker scale - and I loved it.

 

 

I don't usually enjoy politics in books but I found this was one of my favourite elements in this story especially as the story progressed. There were so many twists along the way, it was never boring.

 

 

I loved Jude as a narrator. She was kidnapped from her human world and so has virtually grown up in the faerie realm her entire life. Even though it is completely dangerous for her there, this is the only home she has ever known so she doesn't have many options.

 

 

Jude's twin sister on the other hand makes entirely different life changing decisions than Jude and so I am eagerly anticipating the next book to see where that, and about a thousand other things are going to go as this book has endless possibilities.

Book Review #720 - Destined (Wings #4) by Aprilynne Pike

Laurel used to think she was an ordinary girl from Crescent City, California. She never would have believed she was truly a faerie from a realm called Avalon.

Now Laurel must risk her life to save Avalon from destruction by Yuki—a rare and powerful Winter faerie—and troll-hunter Klea. But Laurel won’t have to fight alone; David and Tamani, two boys she loves in different ways, will be by her side, along with her best friend, Chelsea.

 

 

My Rating: 7/10

 

 

This is the fourth book in the Wings series and is definitely my favourite so far. I loved the amount of action there was in this book especially as it was told over a 24 hour period.

 

 

Laurel didn't annoy me as much in this book as she had in previous books and I think this was because she finally started to mature.

 

 

David really developed a lot in this book as well, and I think he finally grew on me. He took his role in the battle to save Avalon from trolls very heroically.

 

 

Overall, I was really satisfied with how this book and series ended and so I am really undecided on whether to read the recently written fifth book which is set 10 years after the events of this book.

Book Review #719 - Illusions (Wings #3) by Aprilynne Pike

Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.

But just as life is returning to normal, Laurel discovers that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail.

 

 

My Rating: 6/10

 

 

Due to the constant possibility of a troll attack, Tamani enters the human world and becomes a student at Laurel's human school. This quickly causes tension between Laurel and David which I was totally okay with as I have never felt a spark between them anyway and prefer them as friends.

 

 

I loved that this book had a number of twists along the way, more than the first two books combined although I felt like the romance took way more focus that it needed to.

 

 

Like with Spells, Laurel's indecisiveness between David and Tamani was frustrating. She still continued to lead both of them on.

 

 

I loved the whole mystery surrounding Yuki and this was my favourite part of the book as it was something that was different from anything previously dealt with in this series. Plus, it sped up Laurel's indecisiveness.

 

 

Overall, I felt like this book tied up a lot of minor threads whilst setting everything up for the final book which I can't wait to read.

Book Review #718 - Spells (Wings #2) by Aprilynne Pike

Although Laurel has come to accept her true identity as a faerie, she refuses to turn her back on her human life - and especially her boyfriend, David - to return to the faerie world.

But when she is summoned to Avalon, Laurel's feelings for the charismatic faerie sentry Tamani are undeniable. She is forced to make a choice - a choice that could break her heart.

 

 

My Rating: 5/10

 

 

This book begins with Laurel going to study at the academy in Avalon, the secret faerie realm. I absolutely loved the setting of Avalon and how authentic and magical it felt. I only wished that more of the book could have been set there.

 

 

This book delved a lot deeper into the world of faeries and trolls as well as the characters. I especially liked the insight into Laurel's pre-human life.

 

 

The love triangle strengthened in this book. I think a love triangle is well written when the outcome divides readers. With this book however, of the reviews I have read, all have sided with Tamani.

 

 

In this aspect, I felt like Laurel through her decisiveness was stringing both David and Tamani along and I it frustrated me that she could not simply just make up her mind.

 

 

Laurel learns more about her role as a fall faerie. I loved the whole idea about the hierarchy amongst the faeries based on what season they blossom. I thought that element was really creative and unique.

 

 

Overall, I feel like this book started setting things in motion for future instalments and I can't wait to see where this story is going to go.

Book Review - Wings (Wings #1) by Aprilynne Pike

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

 

 

My Rating: 7/10

 

 

I read and reviewed this book back in 2012 and here is my original review. I decided to review it again because I didn't feel like that review accurately portrayed my opinions.

 

 

This was a very easy book to read. I read this straight after finishing Ready Player One and so the larger print sized helped me fly through this book.

 

 

Laurel has always known she was different but it isn't until she starts school after a lifetime of homeschooling that she realises just how different she is.

 

 

As if the fact Laurel can only eat fruit and veggies wasn't weird enough, Laurel notices a small lump on her back which soon blossoms into a large flower.

 

 

During this whole discovery Laurel never tells her parents which I thought was strange considering her close relationship with them. Instead she tells her new friend and nerd David who helps her come to the realisation that she is not human.

 

 

I never really liked David. He seemed too perfect and tries too hard. I can see that a love triangle is going to develop between him, Laurel and another non-human in Tamani. This could even potentially develop into a love square if Chelsea is considered as she seems to have an unrequited crush on David.

 

 

I really loved the unique mythology of how the faeries are plant type creatures and the lifelong feud between them and the trolls whose goal is to get into the secret faerie realm of Avalon.

 

 

Overall, I thought this was a solid first book in a series and I am intrigued to see where this story will go in future novels.

Book Review #717 - Right Where You Left Me by Calla Devlin

In search of the perfect story to put a human face on a tragedy for his newspaper, my dad will fly into the eye of the storm. And now he’s heading to Ukraine, straight into the aftermath of a deadly earthquake. I don’t want him to leave. I don’t want to spend the week alone in a silent house with my mother, whose classically Russian reserve has built a wall between us that neither of us knows how to tear down. But I don’t tell him this. I don’t say stay.

I think I’m holding it together okay—until the FBI comes knocking on our door. Now it’s all I can do to fight off the horrifying images in my head. The quake has left so many orphans and widows, but Mom and I refuse to be counted among them. Whatever it takes to get Dad back, I’ll do it. Even if it means breaking a promise…or the law.

My Rating: 5/10

I had to read this book for a book club and it probably otherwise wouldn't have been a book that I would have chosen to read on my own. 

This book was rather short (just under 300 pages) but it felt much longer because I felt like it tried to accomplish too much.

Charlotte's father who is a journalist goes missing whilst covering an earthquake in Ukraine. We see Charlotte's grief and anguish as she deals with this. 

Charlotte is also about to graduate high school and commence college. She is indecisive about which branch of photography she wishes to pursue. 

Then there is also the family dynamic. Charlotte's mother is Russian and there was a lot of Russian folklore thrown in there which I actually liked. 

On top of all that there was a romance which felt completely out of place with the tone and other elements in this book. 

Book Review #716 - The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

My Rating: 8.5/10

I was a little slow at being convinced to read this book because I didn't feel like I would be able to relate to the themes explored and also because the hype intimidated me. After reading however, I cannot believe how wrong I was as the book ended up being my second favourite read of 2017. 

I absolutely loved this book cover to cover and it really opened my eyes to a lot of cultural issues in the US that as an Australian, I knew absolutely nothing about such as Emmett Till. 

Starr was such a likable protagonist. I loved her whole family dynamic. Her relationship with her parents (especially her father), her brothers, and even her uncle was really realistic and not something we see enough of in YA novels.

What I didn't expect from this book was the amount I learnt about the Black Lives Matter movement which was something that I loved. The fact that these events are still happening in the modern world is shocking. 

Every single character in this book was so incredibly fleshed out and even the minor ones served a larger purpose. 

This book was very community focused especially in the 'ghetto' where Starr and her family live. The fact that her family have the means to move somewhere safer but CHOOSE to stay there shows just how much they see the members of their community as extended family. 

I'm never really good at reviewing the books that I really loved so to summarize the above, this book was really good and I definitely recommend it. 

Book Review #715 - Strange Angels (Strange Angels #1) by Lili St. Crow

In Strange Angels, Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.) Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?

My Rating: 6.5/10

I decided to read this book when I discovered that I surprisingly had the entire series on my shelves. I have found these books at thrift shops over the years and so this book has been on my TBR for a significant period of time. 

I'm a massive fan of the TV show Supernatural and there were very minor elements in this book that reminded of it, such as Dru's father being a hunter since her mother had died and him dragging her around the country to hunt monsters. 

Dru was a character I feel like I never really got to know. She went through so much in this book that she had to put on a strong exterior and I felt like this wasn't the real her, but we never really got to see past it.

I loved that this book creates its own lore when it comes to the monsters such as how Dru's father became a zombie. 

I really wanted to love this book more than what I did but I couldn't help but feel I would have loved it had I read it 5-10 years ago. 

Dru meets a mysterious guy called Graves who like Dru is all alone. I would have liked Graves to have had more character development as not much is explored with him especially as he is present for a significant portion of the book.

Dru also meets another mysterious guy called Christophe, but he is mysterious as in not human. 

Dru was very indecisive and I found that frustrating especially at the pivotal moments. 

There were also moments in the book especially the action scenes where I felt like I wasn't getting the whole picture. 

I had planned to marathon read this series but after reading this first book I already feel like I need a break from it which can't be a good sign.