Merin is a teacher, a book blogger, a baseball addict (Go Cardinals!), lover of music, movies and TV crime dramas, and YA/MG connoisseur. Follow me on my blog at http://ahandfulofconfetti.wordpress.com!
I am the first to admit that, when it comes to creepy reads, I am not always your girl. I am a bit of a wimp, and tend to watch those scary horror films through my fingers. Unfortunately, when it comes to reading, that doesn't really work so well, so it was with some trepidation that I went into The Madman's Daughter. Having only a cursory knowledge of the source work -The Island of Dr. Moreau - I was nonetheless sure that this would be a somewhat brutal book. And I wasn't wrong. There were times I definitely found myself cringing at the descriptions of the gore, but mostly I was horrified at Juliet's father, who was just ... a really terrible person.
I want to commend the author on the fabulously dark gothic setting of this book. Even when Juliet was still in London, the dark and dank of the walls and the city really came through the pages, placing me firmly in the narrative. I really felt myself traveling along with Juliet as she rode on the boat and came to her father's island. The descriptive prose was beautiful and flowing, and - even when the events of the book had me shrinking away - I still very much enjoyed her style of writing and the way she told her story.
My one complaint was the romance of this book, which honestly got on my nerves. I didn't like Montgomery very much at all; anyone who blindly follows such a horrible man as Dr. Moreau has some serious issues, and doesn't make for a very romantic character. Edward, on the other hand, is nicely dark and mysterious, and I loved how the story of his life was slowly unraveled and revealed to the reader. I was definitely pulling much more for him!
I also need to give props to Juliet herself, who is one tough, determined lady. While I didn't enjoy reading about her feelings for either of the boys, I did like how she worked to reconcile the fact that her father - despite his evil - was a part of her whether she liked it or not, and what that meant for her. I can't help but be intrigued by her character; she has a lot of truths revealed to her and is really going to have to grapple with her knowledge of some dark and terrible things that are definitely going to impact her for a long time.
Brutal and gruesome in equal measures, The Madman's Daughter is not a book for the faint of heart. There's a lot of terrible goings-on happening throughout the story, and Juliet's father is quite possibly one of the evilest men I've ever read about. While the romantic aspects of the story left a lot to be desired for me personally, I still very much enjoyed the setting, Juliet's character, and the driving tension that moves the plot along. There is a very open ending that sets up the sequel, and after seeing what book it's based on, I absolutely cannot wait to dive into it!
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To see more of my reviews, please visit me @ Read and Reviewed!
Knowing exactly how much I loved Grave Mercy, I could hardly wait to dive into Dark Triumph. While I adored Ismae and Duval's story, I really wanted to know more about Sybella, and what exactly her task was that brought her into the political upheaval of Anne's attempt to keep the duchy of Brittany from French control. I was expecting something politically-driven, as that's precisely what Grave Mercy was, and while there were some politics on the fringe of this story, what we got instead was Sybella's personal journey from a girl who was so consumed with darkness she barely wished to live, to one who winds up being so incredibly strong that I came away feeling even more emotionally attached to her than Ismae.
I don't want to mince words here. Sybella's story is dark and horrifying, and her despair is so thick at times it's difficult to read. While Ismae had a bad life prior to coming to St. Mortain's, Sybella's was downright awful. And while it takes a while for all of her past - and the horrors of her childhood - to come to light, it is very clear what an impact growing up in her father's household had on her. Not only does she have a bleak outlook on her own life, but her interactions with everyone around her are likewise colored in that same gray despair. It is precisely this that makes her growing relationship with Beast so satisfying to read.
While Beast may not be every reader's dream of a man, I couldn't help but love him despite his flaws. His way of embracing life and living it to its fullest - despite not being the best looking guy in the world - is infectious, not only for Sybella but for everyone reading the book he's featured in. Like Duval, Beast has flaws, but is still so completely swoon-worthy despite them that I had a smile on my face throughout most of his appearances in the book. I loved how we got background on him, how Sybella's past was tied to him, and how - most of all - he was able to help lift her out of the darkness that surrounded her. Their interactions were witty and smart, while still having that edge of compassion and affection, especially toward the end. Knowing just how much I adored both him and Duval, I cannot wait to see what kind of male counterpart she has in store for us in the third book!
I also found this book to read much more quickly than Grave Mercy, probably because all of the background and setup had been taken care of in that book. We definitely get to dive straight into Sybella's narrative without any delays in the storytelling, and the book has a very real pace of "go, go, go" that was sometimes missing in Ismae's tale. There is a lot at stake in this story, and the danger of the time period - and Sybella's family - is certainly ratcheted up. I also liked the little glimpses of what might come next in the series, and the way both Ismae and Sybella have come to stand on their own two feet, more certain of their places in the world. This bodes well for Annith in the third book, although I wouldn't be surprised in Mrs. LaFevers throws us a curve or two along the way!
Dark Triumph is very much a story of personal journey and hardship. While there's still quite a bit of the "assassin nun" theme that so drove folks to pick up Grave Mercy, I think readers will become far more enamored with Sybella's slow reconciliation with the life she's been dealt, and her ultimate path to the freedom she so desires. If you loved Grave Mercy you definitely need to pick this one up!
An e-galley was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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To see more of my reviews, please visit me @ Read and Reviewed!
I don't know if I'm the only reviewer to do this or not, but when a book gets so much hype, the way Cinder has, I tend to be reluctant to read it. I don't want to be the black sheep, the one person amongst my friends to NOT like it, so I just avoid it all together. But since the release of the second book, Scarlet, and AGAIN seeing nothing but praise for it, I realized I really needed to just bite the bullet and read the book. And now that I've finished, I seriously could kick myself, because the story was indeed worth everything it has gotten!
What kept turning me off of this story was the sci-fi elements boasted by the summary. People on the moon? Cyborgs? Intergalactic struggle? WHAT? As striking as the cover is, I just wanted no part of it whatsoever. But upon starting the book, what I found instead was a character I really felt for: one who has been dumped on her entire life for something that is completely not her fault or her doing. I absolutely adored the way Meyer took the tale of Cinderella and turned it on its head, while still keeping with the story's main themes and making it recognizable to the readers (like myself) who adore fairy tales and their retellings. For me, it was the creative aspects of this that actually made it the most enjoyable.
Of course, simply calling this a retelling does it a disservice. What the story is made up of is a little sci-fi, a little dystopia, a little fairy tale, a little mystery, a little kick-ass female lead character, and a (not-so) little swoon-worthy male lead. It basically has all the aspects of a story that I'm going to love, and I can firmly putCinder in that category. I loved unapologetic Cinder, who does the best she can with the family (and life) she's been given. I loved that one of her sisters, Peony, actually really cared about her. And I loved that Prince Kai couldn't help but be intrigued by her. What I hated was the fact that Adri and Pearl's feelings for cyborgs colored Cinder's own opinion of herself, and that society chose to blame the cyborgs themselves for their "disformaties" when it didn't sound like most of them made the choice to have the surgery themselves. Talk about punishing the person for circumstances out of their control!
Cinder was written in a style that's just made to keep the reader reading. Lauren and I read three chapters a night, and sometimes it was SO hard to put that book down for that day, because each chapter seemed to end with it's own little mini cliffhanger that makes you want to keep turning its pages to see what happens next. Particularly once you get close to the end, and everything with Kai and Levana starts coming to a head, the book just screams to be read and read until it's finished. But at the same time, I'm glad I only read a little at a time because it made the book last longer, and allowed you to think about what you'd read for a bit before diving in again. It was like savoring that last bite of chocolate cake; the story melted in your brain and allowed all your feelings to bubble up to the surface. As someone who tends to consume books rather quickly, this was a nice feeling!
And I would be remiss if I didn't give Kai a little love in this review. I adored him from the very second he appeared on the page, not only because of his strength, but also his frustrations. I loved the chemistry between him and Cinder, and I loved that he wasn't afraid to embrace it, while she very much shied away from him. I have a feeling Kai is going to have to face a lot of things throughout this series, and I just can't help but pull for him to get a happily ever after. He definitely deserves the title of swoon-worthy hero!
Utterly compelling, with fascinating characters and situations populating its pages, Cinder is definitely one of my all-time favorite stories. Even though you can basically tell where the story is headed - it IS ultimately a fairy tale retelling, after all - there is still a fabulous sense of mystery surrounding everyone that just pulls you in and grabs hold. I absolutely cannot WAIT to dive into Scarlet and see how Cinder's story continues, and what Meyer has planned next for her and Kai!
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To see more of my reviews, please visit me @ Read and Reviewed!
When I first saw the summary for Frost Fire, I was instantly intrigued. I like books where the main character finds out she or he is something different from what they'd always thought, and the self-discovery that usually takes place. While Frost Firedidn't have any of that self-discovery - Allai is on the run for her life, which doesn't leave a lot of room for ruminating on your future - and Allai herself wasn't actually my favorite part of the book, I still found quite a lot to enjoy in its pages. I'm betting now that things have been solved in terms of where Allai is, we'll (hopefully!) see more of that questioning in the second installment.
First of all, the world this is set in is very interesting. While I really would have loved more world-building - how did these paranormal creatures come to be, and why are they protecting the humans? why don't they like the Mages, who can perform magic? how can the humans have no idea these creatures exist? etc. - the little glimpses we did see of the various factions intrigued me and made me want more. I was especially interested in how the Mages were seemingly working with Drake's father, but don't actually seem to like him. The whole thing left me very curious. I also enjoyed what we could see of the Mages' magic and how it works. I am always a fan of magic, and am especially intrigued with Drake's abilities.
As for the characters, I had a bit of a problem with Allai herself. She proclaims to have trained to fight the Keepers and Rhaize's forces, but she spends most of this book being very damsel-in-distress. Drake has to save her neck several times (and his view of her as soft and weak didn't help), which made it all the more disappointing. I know Allai is dealing with something pretty severe throughout the book in terms of her magic, but I would have liked to see her be a little stronger. Drake, too, has his own flaws (see his view of Allai above), but on the whole I found him enjoyable to read, and especially liked when we got to read from his point of view. He's made out to be all-powerful and strong as well, but he, too, sort of didn't live up to that hype. I'll be interested to see more growth from both him and Allai in the second book.
The character I felt most drawn to is Luke, who I have loads and loads of questions about (and not just because of what we discover at the end). I'm really hoping he's going to make an appearance in the second book as well, because there's so much I want to know about him and his past!
While I seem to be complaining a lot about Frost Fire, that's not really my intention. Truthfully, I found this book extremely intriguing and compelling. The action and introspective parts were very well mixed, keeping the book constantly moving forward at a good pace. While there are things I wish I had more information on, this is the first in a series, so not finding answers to everything isn't exactly a deal breaker. The twists at the end regarding Drake's father's ultimatum and the appearance of the Mages leaves things with a definite question mark hanging over them, and I for one am very interested to see what happens next!
A copy of this book was provided by Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
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To see more of my reviews, please visit me @ Read and Reviewed!
I was drawn to Root Bound for two reasons. One, it's a MG fantasy title, and as a librarian working with elementary students, I'm always on the lookout for MG titles they might enjoy, and two, the summary mentions mythology, and as anyone who follows my reviews can probably tell you, I love mythology. So, as far as I was concerned, this book already had two marks in its favor.
For the most part, I did enjoy this book. I very much liked Emma. Her father has a very transient job (he's a musician), and it's caused him and Emma to move a lot. I loved Emma's outlook and the way she just made the best of everything. It has to be so incredibly hard to pick up and move all the time, leaving behind friends and family, and constantly having to figure out how to fit in with a new place or group of people. Her thought process surrounding her first few days at her new school were spot-on and perfect and I felt so terrible for her, especially when she caught the attention of some truly horrible girls.
I also very much loved the world in Root Bound. So much thought and detail went into its creation and development, from the Brownie Burrows, to the witch and how she came into being, to the gift that Emma has and the special skills she possesses. I loved how the author weaved in the mythological elements, from Hades (in this case, Hades refers to the Underworld and not the god) and Ceres, and the way she was still suffering after all this time with having to give up her daughter for those six months. I also love how Emma uses her knowledge from a book to best the badies at one point!
However, that world-building was also what, for me, caused a bit of a ratings drop. Fantasy books need to have a strong foundation in order for the reader to understand the world and what's happening, but in the case of Root Bound, I couldn't help but feel that there was perhaps too MUCH detail. All of the description made the story itself drag in places, and I found myself skimming over parts. Don't get me wrong; the world and the characters populating Under and Emma's journey through this new land were a lot of fun to read, full of adventure and action, but I really feel that the rooms and places they visited perhaps could have done with a little less information in order to help the story flow a bit better. Of course, your mileage may vary, so take my opinion with a grain of salt!
While I think that ultimately this book may be a bit confusing for younger readers, I still very much enjoyed Emma's character and her cast of motley adventurers. I'm definitely curious about what's next for Emma and her friends!
A copy of this book was provided by Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
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To see more of my reviews, please visit me @ Read and Reviewed!