Category: Young Adult

Title: The Devouring Gray
Author: Christine Lynn Herman
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Indigo Summer Preview
Format: Paperback
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

On the edge of town a beast haunts the woods, trapped in the Gray, its bonds loosening…

Uprooted from the city, Violet Saunders doesn’t have much hope of fitting in at her new school in Four Paths, a town almost buried in the woodlands of rural New York. The fact that she’s descended from one of the town’s founders doesn’t help much, either—her new neighbours treat her with distant respect, and something very like fear. When she meets Justin, May, Isaac, and Harper, all children of founder families, and sees the otherworldly destruction they can wreak, she starts to wonder if the townsfolk are right to be afraid.

When bodies start to appear in the woods, the locals become downright hostile. Can the teenagers solve the mystery of Four Paths, and their own part in it, before another calamity strikes?

Review:

I loved this book! It’s spooky and suspenseful.

This story has been compared to The Raven Cycle and Stranger Things, and I was definitely reminded of both of those series while reading it. In this story, there is a place in the woods called the Gray. It is like an alternate version of the forest where time feels different. The Gray holds a beast that kills people in the town, so the founding families use their special powers to defend the town. This reminded me of the Upside Down in Stranger Things, which is also like an alternate version of their town.

This town felt like a real place because of all of the history it had. There were four founding families, each of which has their own special power, including seeing the future and bringing stone to life. There was so much history of the town that it seemed like a real place, though it would be a creepy town if it were real.

The characters were also well developed. They had intense histories, including losing family members. The three main characters have to do rituals to get their powers, if they have them. If they don’t have powers, the town looks down on them. The narrative alternated between the perspectives of Justin, Violet, and Harper. They are each in a different position in terms of their relation to the town and the Gray, so they have very different perspectives of the town.

I really enjoyed this story. The ending was open ended, so I’m curious to see what happens in the rest of the series.

What to read next:

Have you read The Devouring Gray? What did you think of it?

Title: Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy #1)
Author: Emily A. Duncan
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings. 

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy.. 

Review:

This book definitely lived up to the hype. It had lots of emotional ups and downs. I loved it.

While I was reading it, I kept thinking of the Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. They both have a strong presence of saints in the world. There are monsters masquerading as humans in both worlds. Also, the main character has special powers that she is just learning how to use to the fullest.

I became so emotionally invested in the story by the end. Some characters were not who they appeared to be at first, so I didn’t know who to trust. I loved that both Nadya and Serefin had separate narratives, so two sides of the story were told.

The final scenes were some of the most intense scenes I’ve ever read. There was tons of action and there were revelations that I wasn’t expecting. I never could have guessed how the story ended!

I loved this book. I’m excited to see what happens in the rest of the series!

What to read next:

About the Author:

Author Links:

Website: https://eaduncan.com/
Twitter: @glitzandshadows
Instagram: @glitzandshadows
Tumblr: http://glitzandshadows.tumblr.com/

Buy the book:

https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/wicked-saints/

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

Title: The Last Namsara (Iskari #1)
Author: Kristen Ciccarelli
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: October 3, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be darkness—and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death-bringer.

These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up learning in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn’t until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari—a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl.

Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm. When she’s offered the chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the life of the most powerful dragon in Firgaard, she finds that there may be more truth to the ancient stories than she ever could have expected. With the help of a secret friend—a slave boy from her betrothed’s household—Asha must shed the layers of her Iskari bondage and open her heart to love, light, and a truth that has been kept from her. 

Review:

I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for so long, and I regret not reading it sooner. It’s an amazing story!

I loved the power of stories in this book. Stories have the ability to attract dragons and give them the power to breathe fire. However, they are also believed to steal life from the person who tells them. Words and stories are very powerful because they represent our histories and dreams. I appreciated the way stories played a small part in this narrative, as a weapon, but didn’t take over from the main narrative.

There was a strong hierarchy of power in this story. The people in positions of power own the skral people, who work as their slaves. The skral aren’t even allowed to touch or look at their masters or anyone above them on the social hierarchy. Though Asha has the power to kill dragons, she doesn’t have any power over her own life. Her father controls the decision of who she will marry, and once she marries, her husband will control her choices. Though Asha is at a disadvantage in her position, she is very strong willed, which encourages her to fight for her life.

I loved this story! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

What to read next:

Have you read The Last Namsara? What did you think of it?

Title: Mirror, Mirror (Twisted Tales #6)
Author: Jen Calonita
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

What if the Evil Queen poisoned the prince?

Following her beloved mother’s death, the kingdom falls into the hands of Snow White’s stepmother, commonly referred to as “the Evil Queen” by those she rules. Snow keeps her head down at the castle, hoping to make the best of her situation.

But when new information about her parents resurfaces and a plot to kill her goes haywire, everything changes for Snow. With the help of a group of wary dwarfs, a kind prince she thought she’d never see again, and a mysterious stranger from her past, Snow embarks on a quest to stop the Evil Queen and take back her kingdom. But can she stop an enemy who knows her every move and will stop at nothing to retain her power… including going after the ones Snow loves? 

Review:

This is the first book that I’ve read in the Twisted Tales series. I love adaptations of fairytales, so I knew I would love this book!

This book is a modern adaptation of the classic Disney movie Snow White. It follows both Snow and the Evil Queen, Ingrid. I liked how familiar the story was, since I grew up watching the movie. It’s been many years since I watched it, but the characters were the same, so I could imagine what they looked like.

Though this story is based on the Disney movie, it has more modern themes. Snow is a leader who takes charge of the plan to remove the Evil Queen from power. She has more power than the original Snow White would have had in the 1937 movie. Gender roles were reversed when her prince was placed in a glass coffin instead of her (This is not a spoiler because it happens in the prologue). Snow is a much more active character in this modern story.

I loved this story! I’ll definitely have to check out the other books in the series.

Thank you to Disney Book Group for providing me an e-galley of this book via NetGalley.

What to read next:

Have you read Mirror, Mirror? What did you think of it?