Category: Fantasy

Title: Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: November 15, 2011
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Review:

I loved this book! I keep hearing about the series, so I bought a boxed set to see what it’s like. I read this book in one sitting, all one afternoon. I couldn’t put it down!

The story is unlike other similar YA dystopians I’ve read. It starts with Juliette already locked up to prevent her from using her powers. Typically, the main character discovers their powers in the first book in a series. I liked how this one jumped right into the story.

Juliette’s growth throughout the story is physically demonstrated on the page. At the beginning, she crosses out a lot of words and lines on the page. The author says at the beginning that these crossed out parts are intentional. As the story progresses, Juliette crosses out less of her story. She becomes more confident in her narrative. When she is more uncertain, the lines return on the page. I loved the way that her character development was portrayed in this way.

This book was an amazing start to the series! I can’t wait to read the next book!

What to read next:

Have you read Shatter Me? What did you think of it?

Title: An Affair of Poisons
Author: Addie Thorley
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: February 26, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

No one looks kindly on the killer of a king. 

After unwittingly helping her mother poison King Louis XIV, seventeen-year-old alchemist Mirabelle Monvoisin is forced to see her mother’s Shadow Society in a horrifying new light: they’re not heroes of the people, as they’ve always claimed to be, but murderers. Herself included. Mira tries to ease her guilt by brewing helpful curatives, but her hunger tonics and headache remedies cannot right past wrongs or save the dissenters her mother vows to purge.

Royal bastard Josse de Bourbon is more kitchen boy than fils de France. But when the Shadow Society assassinates the Sun King and half of the royal court, he must become the prince he was never meant to be in order to save his injured sisters and the petulant dauphin. Forced to hide in the sewers beneath the city, Josse’s hope of reclaiming Paris seems impossible―until his path collides with Mirabelle’s.

She’s a deadly poisoner. He’s a bastard prince. They are sworn enemies, yet they form a tenuous pact to unite the commoners and former nobility against the Shadow Society. But can a rebellion built on mistrust ever hope to succeed?

Review:

This fantasy story is based on the real events of the seventeenth century, referred to as the Affair of Poisons. I didn’t realize that it was a real event until I read the author’s historical notes at the end. That made it more fascinating!

This story was fast paced. Many things happened in this fairly short novels. I liked that it was a stand alone story, because many contemporary fantasy novels turn into long series.

For some reason, I didn’t feel connected to the main character, Mirabelle. Compared to her mother and sister, she was a great person, but I wasn’t rooting for her in the story. I liked Josse much more! He was determined to help his family no matter the costs. He was an admirable hero.

I enjoyed this historical fantasy story!

What to read next:

Have you read An Affair of Poisons? What did you think of it?

Title: The Dysasters (The Dysasters #1)
Author: P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: February 26, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Foster Stewart knows she’s different. Her life has never been “normal.” Talking to plants and controlling cloud formations aren’t things most seventeen year olds are into. Tate “Nighthawk” Taylor is perfect. Star quarterback and all around dreamy boy next door he never thought about his “extra” abilities. What quarterback wouldn’t want night vision? That’s not weird, right? It’s cool! 

But on the night of their first meeting a deadly tornado brings them together and awakens their true abilities – the power to control the element air. Unbeknown to Tate and Foster, they are the first in a group of teens that were genetically manipulated before birth to bond with the elements. Which truly sucks for Foster, as she has to face the fact that Dr. Rick Stewart, her beloved scientist father, betrayed her and now wants to use her and the others for his own nefarious world domination plot. 

Foster and Tate must stop Dr. Stewart and his minions before he destroys their lives and the world.

Review:

This is a great start to a new fantasy series.

P.C. and Kristin Cast have been huge fantasy writers for years, but I haven’t read one of their books before. I loved this one! It was very detailed and fast paced. It was never a dull moment while reading this story!

There were lots of characters that were introduced throughout the story. There are the two main characters, Foster and Tate, who have special powers that control the air. There are also Foster’s adoptive siblings, Mark, Matthew, Luke, and Eve. Later in the story, two more main characters are introduced, named Charlotte and Bastien. There were loads of other important characters as well.

I felt like there were so many characters, that we were barely introduced to some of them. I’m not sure how long this series is going to be, but this seemed like a brief introduction, even though it was a full book. The ending was really a huge climax in the story! I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!

What to read next:

About the Authors:

#1 New York Times & #1 USA Today bestselling author P.C. Cast was born in the Midwest, and, after her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, Booksellers’ Best, and many, many more. Ms. Cast is an experienced teacher and talented speaker who lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her crazy Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses.

Kristin Cast is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author who teams with her mother to write the wildly successful House of Night series. She has editorial credits, a thriving t-shirt line, and a passion for all things paranormal. When away from her writing desk, Kristin loves going on adventures with her friends, family, and significant other, playing with her dogs (Grace Kelly and Hobbs the Tiny Dragon), and is currently obsessed with her baby.

Buy the book:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dysasters-P-C-Cast/dp/1250141044
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Dysasters-Audiobook/B076XQ72M5
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dysasters-p-c-cast/1127202690?#/
Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Dysasters/P-C-Cast/9781250141040
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/P_C_Cast_The_Dysasters?id=dfQ4DwAAQBAJ
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/cy/book/the-dysasters/id1300201444
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250141040
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-dysasters

Thank you to Wednesday Books for letting me participate in this blog tour.

Title: Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1)
Author: Amanda Foody
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 10, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, Enne has only one lead: the name Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn’t have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne’s offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems. 

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless Mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi’s enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

And she’ll need to play.

Review:

I’ve been wanting to read this book for so long! It definitely lived up to the hype!

This story was different from other contemporary fantasy novels which are set in worlds that resemble past eras. This one was set in the City of Sin, which was like Las Vegas. Instead of kings and queens, there were gamblers and gang leaders.

The story was told between two perspectives: Enne’s and Levi’s. This gave two points of view of the city. Enne was new to the city so she was new to everything, just like the reader. Levi has always lived there, so there were many more characters and drama in his narrative. I preferred Enne’s narrative because I could relate to it more since she was a newcomer to the City of Sin.

I loved this story! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series when it comes out in a couple of weeks.

What to read next:

Have you read Ace of Shades? What did you think of it?

Title: Hollow City (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #2)
Author: Ransom Riggs
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Quirk Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: January 14, 2014
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerising) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.

Review:

This story begins right where the last one ended. It was thrilling right away because the action began immediately.

The kids meet more peculiars in this story. It was a little confusing and difficult to keep track of all of the peculiars because there were so many! It also got a bit overwhelming because there was a lot of drama with the ymbrynes who go missing.

The ending of the story was exciting. It was a great cliffhanger to lead to the next book!

My review for Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children can be found here.

What to read next:

Have you read Hollow City? What did you think of it?

Title: King of Scars (Nikolai Duology #1)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Orion Children’s Books
Source: Indigo Book Box
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: January 29, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal. 

Review:

I’ve been excited about this book for months! I’m so glad I finally got to read it.

It’s been a while since I read Six of Crows and the Grisha trilogy, so it took me a few chapters to get oriented in the story. It was a little confusing because there are characters from both series in this one, so I had to remember what happened in both series to understand this one.

This story was so thrilling. It was so hard to put down because there were a lot of plot twists. This book followed different perspectives, like the Six of Crows series, including Nina, Nikolai, and Zoya. We get to learn a lot about their histories. These were some of the most interesting characters so I’m glad they were the focus of this book.

This is a fabulous story! I recommend reading the Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows duology before reading this book, since those characters appear in this book. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!

What to read next:

Have you read King of Scars? What did you think of it?

Title: Lady Smoke (Ash Princess Trilogy #2)
Author: Laura Sebastian
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that was “made for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sabaa Tahir” ( Bustle ), Lady Smoke is an epic new fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people. 

The Kaiser murdered Theodosia’s mother, the Fire Queen, when Theo was only six. He took Theo’s country and kept her prisoner, crowning her Ash Princess–a pet to toy with and humiliate for ten long years. That era has ended. The Kaiser thought his prisoner weak and defenseless. He didn’t realize that a sharp mind is the deadliest weapon.

Theo no longer wears a crown of ashes. She has taken back her rightful title, and a hostage–Prinz Soren. But her people remain enslaved under the Kaiser’s rule, and now she is thousands of miles away from them and her throne.

To get them back, she will need an army. Only, securing an army means she must trust her aunt, the dreaded pirate Dragonsbane. And according to Dragonsbane, an army can only be produced if Theo takes a husband. Something an Astrean Queen has never done.

Theo knows that freedom comes at a price, but she is determined to find a way to save her country without losing herself.

Review:

I loved this book!

It started exactly where Ash Princess ended. The characters discussed some things that happened as a refresher of the last book. It was easy to get right back into the story.

This story explored some of the other countries in the world. Theo and her group have to get some help gathering armies to invade Astrea. I loved seeing how different these other countries were from the Kalovaxians.

Theo is a great character. She grows a lot in this story. She was so sheltered that she doesn’t understand a lot of things in the world, but she doesn’t show her lack of knowledge. She is still able to control her people and grow as a queen.

The ending of this book was so thrilling! I can’t wait to see what happens next!

What to read next:

Have you read Lady Smoke? What did you think of it?

Title: Ash Princess (Ash Princess Trilogy #1)
Author: Laura Sebastian
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 24, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess–a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

Review:

This book was so good!

Theodosia is in a unique position in this story. She is living with the people who invaded her castle when she was a child and killed her mother. She is their prisoner, though she doesn’t always live like one. She is put on display, and is often beaten in front of an audience. Now it’s time for her to rise up and take her place as Queen.

I liked how Theo was positioned in this story in relation to the royals. In many contemporary fantasy novels, the main character is placed below the royal family, usually in a servant place. However, this one was different since Theo was more of a prisoner or hostage. I liked this twist.

The story got a little slow and repetitive in the middle. However, the last 100 pages were so fast paced, I could hardly put the book down. There were some twists at the end, which have made me so excited about the next book!

What to read next:

Have you read Ash Princess? What did you think of it?