Review: The Midnight Star

The Midnight Star by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We meet up with the ever-charming Adelina one year into her reign. she rules with fear and swift action. The unmarked are given rotten food and harsh punishments. The marked are freed from their owners and given titles, never to be called malfetto again.

I actually believe that I enjoyed the conclusion to this series more than the previous two installments. The ending even had the emotional depth that I was waiting for since the first book. Since Adelina is an anti-hero, the reader usually has a difficult time relating to her and must rely upon secondary characters. Unfortunately, in the first two books there weren't many characters that I connected to. By the third book, I feel that it had changed. You felt the characters' pain when they experienced the death of a fellow.

I can't much else without spoiling the plot, so just go read the series. I definitely recommend it.

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Review: Three Dark Crowns

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three sisters, triplets are each born with a power. Katharine is a poisoner, able to consume the deadliest toxins with no harm. Mirabella is an elementalist, able to call storms of rain and lightning. Arsinoe is a naturalist, able to bloom flowers and call animals. Only one may be queen and she must kill her sisters to achieve it.

When reading the description of the book I personally came to an opinion about what I thought the characters would be like. But Kendare Blake completely flipped my perceptions about who I expected would be my favorite character. The book was intriguing to the last but not completely surprising. I don't want to spoil the plot but one of the reveals at the end was something I had come to the conclusion much earlier was probably what was affecting the sisters. I found that another reveal at the end was unexpected. So you don't go through the book knowing what's going to happen in this series right from the start. It's well-written and doesn't have too much foreshadowing.

The premise is fascinating, the world building is fairly good but I wish there was a little more character development. Overall, I would definitely recommend this series to fans of fantasy novels with royalty, conflict or magic.


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Review: Crooked Kingdom

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Crooked Kingdom is the second book in a duology set in the world of the Grisha. It continues the story and Van Eck's double cross. You always worry a conclusion won't live up to the story, but this book did not disappoint. The pacing was well done, the characters continue to be realistic and diverse and the plot was engrossing.

It wouldn't be the wonderful heart-wrenching book that it is without a little death, but that doesn't have to mean that I like it. The death is poignant and makes your heart hurt. You feel like these characters are a part of your crew and their losses are your losses. It was lovely and beautiful and everything I could ask for in a conclusion. There's nothing else to say without spoiling the novel, so just go read it. The series is so good and I'm going to purchase the box set as soon as I am able.

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Review: Six of Crows

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Six of Crows is set in the world of the Grisha trilogy, but with an entirely new cast of characters. As the reader is already familiar with the world it only takes a few chapters to be hooked. The beginning of the book introduces us to the gang who we will accompany on a perilous journey.

Kaz is the mysterious leader with the gaze of a shark. He keeps more secrets than a diary and trusts no one. Kaz is never without his crow's head cane, gloves and willingness to do anything to get the job done. Inej is a wraith, able to make herself unnoticeable and get almost anywhere. She can scale walls, discover secret and have a blade in a man's back before he is any the wiser. Jesper is a good shot and prone to outbursts. He also has a gambling problem that has put him so far in debt that the only way out is to join Kaz on this likely deadly mission. Nina is the resident Grisha and a heartrender, although she must use her skills at times to heal or transform the others. She and Mattais have a history that is never far from either his mind. Mattias is Fjerdan and knows their target, but the only thing keeping him on this journey is the promise of a pardon at the end. Finally, it's Wylan the insurance and the son of the man offering them 30 million kruge to complete the job. He's also good with demolition and bombs, but not enough to warrant his place on the crew.

The mission is impossible or near to it, but they all have their reasons for needing it to succeed. Even though they're crooks, murderers and thieves you want them to succeed. They're strangely likable. All humans with flaws and backstories to show how they became the people they are and why. Leigh Bardugo's characters are wonderfully complex and well-developed. Each person's history is fluidly woven into the story and does not pull the reader out of the narrative or make them wish for a novella to help further flesh out the story or characters.

By the end, you love this misfit gang of hooligans and can't wait to read the stunning conclusion to this duology. Highly recommended to young adult readers who enjoy fantasy with great world building and character development.

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Review: Greeth

Greeth by Charles LaFave
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The world building in this novel could have been better. While it is a world set within our own, there are many elements that are unfamiliar. The reader is thrown into the story without any background knowledge and it leaves you a little confused. There is an entire culture of wizards, a ruling body called the Praesidium and wars that we learn very little about. Some knowledge is given to you in the form of flashbacks, unfortunately, they’re not specifically shown that way (for example, saying 3 years earlier or one month ago) and you start reading for a bit before you realize you’re not in the present anymore. It takes a little to adjust and could have been written more fluidly. But the flashbacks are important because they are filling in story holes and information about the world that the reader needs. While you don’t want to give the reader an info dump, when you’re creating an entirely new wizard culture with past wars, abilities and phrases it’s important to familiarize the reader with that world before throwing them headfirst into the story.

You immediately want to know – what types of powers do the wizards have? Are they all-encompassing or does each individual specialize in something like water or necromancy? Is the Praesidium in charge of all wizards around the world, or just in Japan and what exactly is the Praesidium? You encounter a few different wizards during the course of the novel, but those questions are never satisfyingly answered. The premise is unique and interesting enough to prompt the reader to want to know more. Unfortunately, the world building isn’t quite as expansive and detailed as I hoped that it would be. Locations are painted in beautifully, vivid detail and materialize in the reader’s mind even if they are unfamiliar with Japan.

Despite those concerns, I was intrigued by the story and by the time I was around 15% off the way through it I was really curious about what was going to happen. The main character had been approached by a mysterious man and offered a large sum of money if he would offer his expertise. His former girlfriend, Julie, was the more curious story as she had an unusual connection to her rapier and was potentially under attack by water wizards (who were believed to all be dead). The main character, Peter, is a wizard whose abilities have been taken away from him but must go on this harrowing journey.

** Warning: There is mature language and imagery. ** Curse words are used throughout the novel. The writing can be very gruesome and morbidly descriptive at times, so I would not recommend this book to younger (teen) readers or people who are squeamish. The author vividly describes the decomposed state of a hallucinated body a number of times, details horrifying destruction of bodies and other events that I would caution certain readers against. There is also a moment in the last few pages of the book that is a little unnecessary, in my opinion, and absolutely should not be read by teens. But that level of detail is also afforded to the people, places and events in the book which is definitely a positive overall even if it’s sometimes a little much. I would also warn you away from this book if you have a fear of insects and wish to sleep well tonight.

Overall, the book would fare better with a good editor who could cull the extraneous parts. While the plot was fascinating, some parts of the story dragged and could have been cut or shortened to help the flow of an otherwise engaging story. I would recommend this novel to fans of magic and horror, as the author seems to blend these two ideas together into his creation – Greeth. Again, I would not recommend to young adult/teen readers.

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Review: Red Queen

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The world is ruled by Silvers, with their shining blood and abilities. The Red have no special powers are seen as lesser. They are relegated to perpetual poverty, while the Silbers live lives of luxury. But what happens when a Red manifests abilities in an arena filled with noble Silvers? They make her a future princess of course, but it's not the fairy tale it sounds like.

Mare is thrust into a world she never wished for and doesn't fit into. She is given no choice but to accept. There is much to learn about her abilities and how to control them. The one demand she made was to ensure the safety and well-being of her family. Her brothers are called home from the war, but not soon enough to save all of them. (view spoiler)[ One was a member of a rebel/revolutionary group and was executed for it. (hide spoiler)] This pushes Mare over the edge and she joins the rebel group, the Scarlet Guard.

It's intriguing to learn what each person has the ability to do. The control over water, manipulation of light, healing, mind-reading and more. But it's very off-putting and juvenile when the author refers to them as greenies or telkies. It sounds more like a two-year-old naming their stuffed bear Brownie or Fluffy than an author giving life to special abilities.

The world is not our own, so it would be nice to learn more about it. Unfortunately, Mare is not very learned and we must view the world through her lens. It would be fascinating to be given a history, geography and culture lesson from Julian in novella form. What does their domain look like? What about the surrounding kingdoms, their rulers, ruling abilities and geography? How did these new borders come to be? (It is mentioned that the borders were not always the way they are currently.) Overall, the world building is pretty good but could be improved (which it does later in the book.) The physical descriptions of the towns the royals pass on their way to the palace late in the story are good and allow the reader to immese themselves in the world more fully.

The princes are, unsurprisingly good people despite the harshness of the King and Queen. (view spoiler)[ Or at least appear to be that way in the beginning, but it does not last. (hide spoiler)] The future love interest(s) must be liked by the reader. Mare herself is harsh and quick-tempered by likable nonetheless. Though she has no choice in her future, she assures her family's well-being and that shows she has a good heart.

Of course, our protagonist catches the attention of not just one but two princes. The older and future King, Cal, wants to be a good ruler so he secretly ventures out in public to learn and experience his people outside the reports of advisors. He even decides to send a group of Silver soldiers to the front line and chooses to lead them. It may win the war, but it could also kill him. The younger, forever shadowed brother Maven believes that Reds and Silvers are equals. He even joins the Scarlet Guard to help propel change and spark a revolution.

Anyone can betray anyone.

The Scarlet Guard secrets Maven and Mare out of a play and transports them to another town just to have a conversation. Clearly the travel and discussion would take a significant amount of time and yet no one wonders where they are. The return trip and the play ending are just completely skipped. It was abrupt and didn't seem well-thought out.

The book ends with betrayal and bloodshed. But it also ends with a promise and the hope that not all is lost. It makes me want to begin the next book immeiate. Highly recommended book to fans of YA novels with good world building and character development that deal with monarchical rule and upheavals as well as people with special abilities.

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Review: The Rose Society

The Rose Society by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Young Elites series. Adelina has been cast off by the Dagger Society and the darkness in her heart is consuming her. Accompanied by only her sister, who she discovered is also a Young Elite like her, Adelina sets out to form her own version of the Dagger Society - the Rose Society. The crown prince is dead and Adelina focuses all of her rage and vengeance against Teren. She and Violetta have been practicing with their abilities and are stronger than before.

About one-quarter of the way through the book and it has hit its stride already. It is more immersive than the first, which seemed to suffer from slow pacing. Now that the plot has been established, it seems to allow the author more freedom with writing and storytelling. A number of new characters are introduced like Queen Maeve and her brothers, an unnamed charlatan, and the infamous Magiano.

Magiano is a greedy thief, but you can't help but be a little charmed by him. Adelina plans to surround herself with other Elites so that her Rose Society can flourish. She sets her sights on Magiano whose power is (view spoiler)[mimicry. He is able to copy the powers of the other Elites (hide spoiler)] Unfortunately, he is not eager to abandon his life of solitary thievery and challenges the sisters. If they succeed, he will join them. Will his skills as a thief give him victory or will Adelina be able to weave enough illusions to secure herself an ally?

Her acts may even gain her the support of others, thus growing her society. But mercenaries aren't the most loyal of followers. Adelina causes chaos during the theft and must flee with Magiano and her sister. During the course of their escape, they discover another Elite, called (view spoiler)[Rainmaker, or Sergio. As his Elite name suggests, he can control the rain. His abilities are impressive enough to brew fierce storms and call down deadly lightning strikes (hide spoiler)]. Her Society may be called Rose, unlike the Daggers she left behind, but she is much more ruthless and cold than her more violent sounding counterparts.

Queen Maeve has the ability to (view spoiler)[bring people back from the dead and she plans to do so with Enzo. Whether he will be the same Enzo as before his death or be utterly changed by his new bond with the Underworld, Maeve cannot know. (hide spoiler)]

Adelina's love for Enzo and introduction of Magian leads to a typical love triangle. Enzo may have died, but Adelina still pines for him and it show. Despite those feelings, she forms a connection with Magiano and it complicates their relationship because "caring for a scoundrel is a dangerous thing." Magiano plays the role of the rogue with a hidden heart of gold, like Sinbad, Thorne from the Lunar Chronicles or Flynn Rider (*cough* Eugene Fitzherbert *cough*) from Tangled. He is a thief and a trickster, who is seemingly on in it for the money but over the course of the novel his heart gets in the way.

The battle is painted so vibrantly that it plays like a movie in your mind. The anticipation is palpable, each attack makes you catch your breath - who is going to die? Who will be victorious? The action and revelation in the book keep the reader hooked until the end.

Recommended, but you need to read the Young Elites first book for the story's foundation to be build... otherwise the story won't be as affecting and probably won't make sense. The conclusion of Rose Society leaves the reader intrigued and wondering what happens in the third novel.

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Review: Mirrored

Mirrored by Alex Flinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a fan of Alex Flinn's fairytale re-tellings, especially Beastly, I was anticipating this novel greatly. It was a unique take on the Snow White tale's Queen, Huntsman, Prince and happily ever after. As the story of Snow White is pretty well known, there's not much I can say without giving away how this re-telling decided to approach the story. Definitely recommended for those who enjoy fairy tales and happily ever afters.

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Review: The Graces

The Graces by Laure Eve
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I was very intrigued by this book from the description and it immediately pulled me in. I came into the story expecting magic and a similtarity to the Secret Circle. That is not at all how this book ended up being. It turned my expectations on their head. The Graces: perfect, different and maybe a little bit feared. To be honest, it read a little like the Cullens from Twilight. The main character is just a normal girl that gets pulled into their dazzling orbit and her life is changed. There is drama, heartbreak and completely unexpected twists and turns throughout. The entirety of the plot was unexpected and I could never foresee what was going to happen. It ends on a cliffhanger that makes you want to know what happens next. Not highly recommended, but give it a shot and see how you feel.

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Day 22 (30-Day Challenge)

A Book That Makes You Cry

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

You never forget where you were, bawling, when Dumbledore died.

Day 19 (30-Day Challenge)

Favourite Book Turned Into A Movie

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

True, they changed some scenes or left some out that I loved - but I've watched this movie so many times and tend to quote it during viewings. 

Day 6 (30-Day Book Challenge)

A Book That Makes You Sad

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - JK Rowling

This book was devastating. I remember reading it on the couch at my Grandmother's house and legitimately crying when Dumbledore died. There has never been a more traumatizing book. But I love it.

Review: Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I felt that this book started off slowly. It took a while to get into the storyline, but after a few chapters I was completely involved in the story. I wasn't sure that I was going to like the story, but I ended up falling in love with the concept and can't wait to read the other books.

The world and character building was a little sparse considering that the reader is going into these novels without any idea about the world, the rulers and rules, or the Grisha. I do wish we were given a chapter or so to really explain the Grisha as they are the most fascinating part of the novel. There are these people with powers and you're introduced to what they can do as you see them, but I feel like a reader would connect with the novel more if you understood the heirarchy of the Grisha, the way they categorize powers, and what those powers could entail before we are introduced to the multitude of abilities and fringe characters.

The novel progressed at a good pace until it came to the end and then it seems like a number of plot points were just jammed into the conclusion. It felt like the author wrote 87% of their novel and then said, "Shoot. We need the bad guy to accomplish x by the end of the novel, mess up the good guy's life, and then have the good guy come up with a plan that allows them to segue into the next novel... and I've only got 13% of the book left to accomplish it." It just seemed to jump around too much and I would have preferred it if the book was lengthened so that the storyline could be fully fleshed out.

Other than those concerns, I did really enjoy the book and look forward to reading the rest of the series. Definitely give it a chance if you like YA and unique magic series like Sword of Truth or Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

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Day 2 (30-Day Book Challenge)

A Book That You've Read More Than 3 Times

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

When I was a child, I used to keep track of the number of times I read each of my Harry Potter books. This one surpassed 40 and then I just lost count.

The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia


By: C.S. Lewis

HarperCollins

Published: 1950+

Acquisition: Personal Books 

Summary: 

Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evil—what more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, written in 1949 by Clive Stables Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia.

They open a door and enter a world.

Narnia...the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy...the place where the adventure begins.

Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first, no one believes her when she tells of her adventures in the land of Narnia.

But soon Edmund and then Peter and Susan discover the Magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. In the blink of an eye, their lives are changed forever.

My Review:

This series is absolutely incredible. You should stop reading my review right now and just go read it. Go on. I'll wait here.

Obviously not every book is perfect in this series, but overall it is incredible. The character development, world building, and language is on par. If you start with the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe you will enter the world of Narnia and fall in love with the Pevensies. From there you could venture through time to meet the future King, Prince Caspian or travel to Narnia's sister countries to meet a boy and his horse. Or should I say Horse? Sail the seas with Caspian or find out where it all began with the White Witch.

Although there are a number of different orders that people suggest you read the series in, there is no debate about one thing - you must read it. And honestly, I don't know why it took me this long. So go, dally no longer.

Verdict: Go Read Immediately

Star Rating: 

His Dark Materials (Golden Compass, Subtle Knife and Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman

His Dark Materials Series

By: Philip Pullman

Knopf Books For Young Readers

Published: April 16th, 1996

Acquisition: Personal Book

Summary: 

Golden Compass

Here lives an orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford's Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He leaves Lyra in the care of Mrs. Coulter, an enigmatic scholar and explorer who offers to give Lyra the attention her uncle has long refused her. In this multilayered narrative, however,nothing is as it seems. Lyra sets out for the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate, Roger, bearing a rare truth-telling instrument, the compass of the title. All around her children are disappearing—victims of so-called "Gobblers"—and being used as subjects in terrible experiments that separate humans from their daemons, creatures that reflect each person's inner being. And somehow, both Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are involved.

Subtle Knife
Lost in a new world, Lyra finds Will--a boy on the run, a murderer--a worthy and welcome ally. For this is a world where soul-eating Specters stalk the streets and witches share the skies with troops of angels.

Each is searching--Lyra for the meaning of Dark Matter, Will for his missing father—but what they find instead is a deadly secret, a knife of untold power. And neither Lyra nor Will suspects how tightly their lives, their loves, their destinies are bound together . . . until they are split apart.

Amber Spyglass
In the astonishing finale to the His Dark Materials trilogy, Lyra and Will are in unspeakable danger. With help from Iorek Byrnison the armored bear and two tiny Gallivespian spies, they must journey to a dank and gray-lit world where no living soul has ever gone. All the while, Dr. Mary Malone builds a magnificent Amber Spyglass. An assassin hunts her down, and Lord Asriel, with a troop of shining angels, fights his mighty rebellion, in a battle of strange allies—and shocking sacrifice.

As war rages and Dust drains from the sky, the fate of the living—and the dead—finally comes to depend on two children and the simple truth of one simple story.

My Review:

Although this is very obviously a work of Christian-fiction, I would recommend it to any reader. It was one of those books that I always wanted to read, but just hadn't gotten around to. I am very happy that I am not able to say that I read the series.

The characters are well thought out and executed, while also developing throughout the series. Characters that initially seem like minor, relatively forgettable people are woven into the fabric of the plot and given backstories. Others are able to grow as the books progress or their motivations are uncovered. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, their flaws, desires, dreams throughout the story.

The author also did a wonderful job with world building, giving each new place a life of its own whether it was familiar to us or not. Even short trips to new worlds were given breadth and dimension that made me enjoy the story further.

I don't want to give the story away, since I would recommend it to all - so just go read it. Enjoy it.

Verdict: Classic Read For A Reason

Star Rating:

The Paper Magician - Charlie N. Holmberg

The Paper Magician

By: Charlie N. Holmberg

Publisher: 47North

Published: September 1st, 2014

Acquisition: Purchased on Kindle

Summary: 

Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic… forever.

Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined — animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.

An Excisioner — a practitioner of dark, flesh magic — invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.

My Review:

Although I was dismayed by the romantic nature of this book, the overall premise was quite agreeable. I honestly judged a book by it's cover, or rather its title. The Paper Magician. Intriguing, no? I quite like magic, so the title spoke to me and I decided to purchase it. It was set in the early 20th century, although there was almost no world building. Outside of the magician's home, the reader did not get to experience much of London. There seemed to have been very little research into the customs of the time or manner of speech. A times, modern colloquial terms and slang would be used in the book which made it more difficult to believe the time period.

The reason why Ceony was sent to Magician Thane? Folding, or paper magic was becoming a dying art. In the modern age of emails, texts, and instant communication - that is completely feasible. Where once one would sit down with a quill and some paper, now to correspond with acquaintances they just need to tap away at a keyboard. Bookstores adorned every town, filled with pages and pages of the most fantastical stories or tales - suddenly closed and those same stories now in digital form. The absolute necessity of paper is being replaced by technology and that would translate wonderfully well into the plot of the book. But in the early 20th century, why is paper folding a dying art? Unfortunately, we never find out.

The idea of individuals, or magicians, bonding with a manmade thing (paper, glass, etc) was interesting although unfortunately not developed well enough. I would have loved to read about the different crafts, learn the extents of the magician's abilities with each material, and be able to develop my own love of (or desired affinity toward) a material. Personally, I love the idea of being able to harness one of the elements - air, fire, earth, water, or spirit. An author could write a beautiful description of a water user bending the liquid to their will or soothing injuries, giving the reader wonderful ideas and showing them the possibilities of the element. This author just made me want to do some origami, which don't get me wrong is beautiful but all of her descriptions of the "magic of paper folding" was just that... paper folding. She did a half fold here and a dog-eared fold there. Don't get me wrong, the final results were sometimes amazing - like a human-sized paper airplane with convenient handholds. Who wouldn't want to fly that? I would have loved a short chapter just dedicated to the various crafts - a magician 101 if you will. For example: Magicians who work with metal are called Smelters, they can craft bullets that never miss their mark. Those who deal with paper are called Folders, they can breathe artificial life into paper. Glass makers are called... And those that practice the darkest of magic, blood/flesh magic are called Excisioners.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and purchased the second one in the series only one day after I finished the first. It had its pitfalls, but I found myself generally ignoring them as the book really drew me in.

Verdict: 

Star Rating:

Princess of Thorns

Princess of Thorns

By: Stacey Jay

Delacorte Press

Release Date: December 9th, 2014

Acquisition: NetGalley

Summary:

Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?

My Review:

Princess of Thorns is a not-so-classic retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story. The main character is actually the daughter of the cursed princess, who awoke from a kiss. Her name is Aurora, like the Disney movie's princess and her mother's name is Rose. In the french version of the tale, Sleeping Beauty's daughter is named Aurore. I believe that her mother's is the shortened form of Briar Rose, like German version of her tale by the Brother's Grimm. If you are familiar with the Grimm and Perrault versions of the tale, not only the Disney one, then you will notice many similarities. In a few versions of the tale, there is an evil step-mother or mother-in-law who attempts to eat the leading lady's children.

The author makes use of these characters and plots in her novel. She chooses to include the ill-fated mother, brother and sister, as well as the villainous step-mother. Although that familial tie is not explicitly stated, the King was the children's father and he married the ogre. Thus, she would be their step-mother. And you thought you had a dysfunctional family?

In true fairytale fashion, there are ogres, witches, fairies, and ruffians. Not all are portrayed as you would expect. The ogres have evolved, or perhaps devolved depending upon who you ask. In the early years, the ogres were monstrous creatures that devoured souls whole. They did not control themselves, but feasted on the entire soul leaving nothing behind. As time went on, they were forced to change and limit how much they took. After a time, the ogres began to become smaller and take on much more human-like appearances. Their food source never changed and they prided themselves upon each soul they took, marking their bare skulls.

The Fae seem human, although they possess extra-human traits and magic. One may not think of fairies and immediately imagine a human-like creature with great dexterity, skill in battle, and a lack of guilt -but the Fair Folk are shown this way in the novel. A fairy can bestow a gift upon a human child, like beauty, courage, eloquence, obedience, or strength. But each blessing comes with a curse, as the magic always finds a way to turn the gift into a burden. There are untold consequences to the blessings that cannot be avoided. As such, the fairies stopped giving their gifts to human children.

As with most fairytales, there is an element of romance. The love story blossoms under unusual circumstances and not without its share of problems. The two characters get to know each other throughout the journey, but their are many secrets left untold. As they are discovered, the relationship is altered for good or bad. And in the end, a choice must be made.

Most importantly, the novel isn't entirely predictable (although the budding romance was expected). Generally, you expect good to triumph over evil in most modern retellings of the story - unlike their Grimm counterparts. The plot's climax was frankly a little anti-climactic, but enjoyable non-the-less.

I think the author showed an average amount of character development, although I usually think more would be incredibly beneficial. Certain aspects of the world were explained, but not vividly enough. The "show-don't-tell" method could have been employed here to create a richer, more immersive world. Overall, I was pleased with the author's lexicon, grammar, and spelling - which happens much less often than should reasonably be expected.

I would certainly read another novel by this author as I love stories based upon fairytales. If you read Alex Flinn, I would highly recommend this novel to you just keep in mind it is slightly darker. Readers of fantasy, romance, and the like will enjoy this book and should give it a chance. It seems to target the female demographic, but males should enjoy it as well.

Verdict: Take A Chance

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