Review: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Title: The Queen of the Tearling
Author: Erika Johansen
Publication Date:  July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Harper
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: 

An untested young princess must claim her throne, learn to become a queen, and combat a malevolent sorceress in an epic battle between light and darkness in this spectacular debut—the first novel in a trilogy.

Young Kelsea Raleigh was raised in hiding after the death of her mother, Queen Elyssa, far from the intrigues of the royal Keep and in the care of two devoted servants who pledged their lives to protect her. Growing up in a cottage deep in the woods, Kelsea knows little of her kingdom's haunted past . . . or that its fate will soon rest in her hands.

Long ago, Kelsea's forefathers sailed away from a decaying world to establish a new land free of modern technology. Three hundred years later, this feudal society has divided into three fearful nations who pay duties to a fourth: the powerful Mortmesne, ruled by the cunning Red Queen. Now, on Kelsea's nineteenth birthday, the tattered remnants of the Queen's Guard—loyal soldiers who protect the throne—have appeared to escort the princess on a perilous journey to the capital to ascend to her rightful place as the new Queen of the Tearling.

Though born of royal blood and in possession of the Tear sapphire, a jewel of immense power and magic, Kelsea has never felt more uncertain of her ability to rule. But the shocking evil she discovers in the heart of her realm will precipitate an act of immense daring, throwing the entire kingdom into turmoil—and unleashing the Red Queen's vengeance. A cabal of enemies with an array of deadly weapons, from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic, plots to destroy her. But Kelsea is growing in strength and stealth, her steely resolve earning her loyal allies, including the Queen's Guard, led by the enigmatic Lazarus, and the intriguing outlaw known simply as "the Fetch."

Kelsea's quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun. Riddled with mysteries, betrayals, and treacherous battles, Kelsea's journey is a trial by fire that will either forge a legend . . . or destroy her.

"Even a book can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and when that happens, you blame the hands, but you also read the book."

The summary for this book is a huge hunk of a summary, however, I think to an extent it shows what this book is. This book is so complex and intriguing with so many different facets to it. Due to the nature of this book, a long summary is necessary. However, I would give you this shortened summary: In this book you have the Tear people who have been under the brutal rule of the Reagent, and the Queen passed. In comes the rightful heir to the crown, Kelsea. Kelsea is our heroine who has  a long journey ahead of her to take her rightful place as Queen. This journey is riddled with politics, battles, and magic.

I went into this book knowing it was a slow read that had a lot to set up before it got to the quote-on-quote action. In many situations, I'm all for the slow world building, as long as it is done properly. And I have to say, Erika Johansen does an amazing job setting up this world and the characters. Very little happens plot wise in this book but we are introduced to the main villain and know what to an extent what Kelsea has to face to give her kingdom the prosperity and freedom it deserves. 

As for the characters, I have so many different thoughts about each one. They each have so many layers and reasons for their actions and choices and I loved the sheer amount of development that each character recieves. For me the character that has me most intrigued is definitely the Fetch and that is mostly due to just how little we actually know about him. We do not even really know if we can trust him. And there is definitely something special about him in Kelsea's eyes. Other than Kelsea and the Fetch, we have the members of the Queen's guard. I loved how they were slowly introduced to us and how we learned tiny details about them as Kelsea learned more. 

The one issue I had with this book was the timing of it. It is supposedly set in the future after some sort of apocalypse where William Tear left the Americas to travel to where this book takes place. This is clearly in our world since the Harry Potter books are mentioned, but I struggle with grasping the timing and how the almost medieval aspects of the book fit in with this future society. I also question where the rest of humanity is during all of this and why basic things such as medicine, doctors, and even a simple printing press are nonexistent.

As for what is to come, there are so many questions I have after reading this book. There are so many questions about the world, the Red Queen and who she really is (and who she is working with), the sapphires that seem to be magical, and especially who Kelsea's father is. I really hope we learn the answers to at least some of these questions in the Invasion of the Tearling.

Let me know your thoughts on the book if you've read it or if you plan to read it in the comments!

Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Title: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publication Date:  April 28th, 2015
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Giveaway via Topian Books
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: AN EMBER IN THE ASHES is a thought-provoking, heart-wrenching and pulse-pounding read. Set in a rich, high-fantasy world with echoes of ancient Rome, it tells the story of a slave fighting for her family and a young soldier fighting for his freedom.

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

“This life is not always what we think it will be. You are an ember in the ashes, Elias Veturius. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it.” - pg. 65

 I have so many different thoughts about this book. Between the writing, the characters, and the worlds, I was in love. Sabaa Tahir is an amazing writer and I cannot wait to see what else we get from her. As for this book, An Ember in the Ashes has been highly, highly hyped, even more so than Red Queen. As since it is a YA fantasy that is also a stand alone (as of right now), I was even more excited for it.

As for the actual book, we start out right away with action. I was immediately pulled into the Laia's family struggles and the life of the Scholar while also feeling incredibly bad for Elias and what he goes through as a Mask for the Empire. This story is told so well with the alternating perspectives and also with how the two stories eventually intertwine.

I have been really lucky this month so far with reading really amazing and well done books, and I'm so glad this book did not disappoint. I was a little bit worried about the hype ruining this book for me. But the action, the fantasy elements, and the political ramifications of the book were so engrossing, I was pulled right in and spent most of the day finishing the book. I just had to know how it would end.

And I know I said it is a stand alone as of right now, but I have to say that while it ends with many things wrapped up, I need so much more. This story is by no means done, there are still so many storylines that were not finished and still so many unanswered questions about the fate of both the Empire and the characters, especially Elias and Laia. I really hope we get at least a sequel of this book because I really want more!

I'd also like to add how absolutely stunning the book is in person. Between the cover and the initials under the dust jacket, it is gorgeous. However, the best part for me is the end pages with the maps. You have the Empire in the front and Blackcliff in the back and they are gorgeous black and white pictures. 

Let me know if you've read the book and what your thoughts are in the comments! Or if you plan to read the book!

Blankets by Craig Thompson

“I wanted a heaven. And I grew up striving for that world-- an eternal world- that would wash away my temporary misery.”

This is an interesting graphic novel in the sense that it is autobiographical. It is the coming-of-age story of Craig Thompson. The novel depicts Craig’s home life with his religious parents, brother, and first love Raina. The story focuses on the desolate conditions of Craig’s life. Between his parents and school, Craig’s life leaves much to be desired. Craig finds solace in Raina though and the two become extremely close. This story is not a happily ever after, instead it is the story of Craig’s life and how he distances himself from his faith and his family.

I really liked how this novel unfolded. It began with Craig’s childhood and sharing a bed with his brother. Then we when to summer camp and meeting Raina. The story was told with Craig as a teen with “flashbacks” to his childhood and other events in his life. I loved how Craig’s childhood was woven into his teenage years and spending time with Raina.

For a graphic novel this novel has won a lot of awards, and it was also the first graphic novel I have read. And I’m not going to lie, the main reason I read this novel was because it is the Booksplosion Book of the Month for December. However, I’m glad I read it. From what I have gathered, this novel is very unique in the realm of graphic novels, it also happens to be quite long at over 600 pages.

The illustrations in this novel were completely black and white, but I think that fit the tone of the novel well. This novel is also definitely for more mature audiences between the content and the illustrations. However, I still really got a sense of the difficulty of Craig’s life and what he had to overcome. This was a really fast read for me. I definitely will be picking up more graphic novels in the future.

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ stars 

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

So this is the Bookspolosion book of the month for October. And yes I just bought this book yesterday and I’m already done with it. Don’t judge. Becca Fitzpatrick has also written the Hush, Hush Series which I absolutely adored! So I was definitely looking forward to see what else Becca Fitzpatrick could right. This book did not disappoint. She is definitely able to write an eerie, mysterious, thrilling book.

The main character in this book is Britt. She is an average teenager who has still not gotten over her ex and is hoping this backpacking trip will be the key for them to get back together. But everything is not as it seems. I found it a little hard to believe that the way Britt and Korbie’s parents are described that they would let them drive up to the cabin with a storm coming. I just don’t believe they wouldn’t have checked the weather before letting them leave. But I understand they had to get stranded on the mountain for the plot to occur.

As for the love story in this book, it bothered me for a lot of the book that this girl was falling in love with one of her captors. But as we learned more about Mason, it started to bother me less. I think the love story could have been written a little bit differently to make it not so weird to fall in love with your captor.

Overall, I really enjoyed this style of writing from Becca Fitzpatrick. I definitely think she should continue to write novels with this thriller aspect. Was this an amazing book, no. However,  I did enjoy it.

4/5 Stars

Rumble by Ellen Hopkins

Matt has a terrible life by anyone’s standards. He has parents who were only together because of an accidental pregnancy who are constantly fighting and drinking excessively, a recently deceased  brother, a relationship that is falling apart, depression, anxiety, etc. Reading this book was hard for me because of how horrible Matt was treated by those around him. Plus, for the most part he just dealt with it which was just sadder to me.

Throughout the book you learn that Matt’s brother was gay and committed suicide. This action basally leads Matt to lose his faith and no longer believe in a God. He writes this essay all about why God is not real that you get snippets of within the story. I really enjoyed those snippets because it gave the reader a better understanding of Matt and what was going on with him.

This is an Ellen Hopkins book, so it is written in verse. It is really different to read a book in verse, it is not something I have ever done before and it took some time to get used to it. But once I did it was not bad. The only thing that really bothered me was the lack of true dialogue. It was weird reading a book with such short sentences and pages.

Overall, this book dealt with some typically taboo themes and I really appreciated that Hopkins was tackling them. I enjoyed experiencing, through Matt’s eyes, how he dealt with all the negativity in his life and how he was able to come to terms with everything.

3/5 Stars

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

This book absolutely infuriated me! But at the same time I loved it. I went into it with no expectations and no idea what it was about and that is how I think everyone should go into it.

A book hasn't made me this angry or caused this level of emotion in a long time.

I don't want to say anything else except everyone should read this book. And don't look up stuff about it. Go into it blind. 

4.5/5 Stars

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

First let me just say, that last line was fantastic. It was really powerful. As for the book itself, I struggled at first with the jumping timeline and the different characters. But once I got into the book enough it was not as difficult to keep everything separate.

Now that I have finished the book, I really wish I could visit the Night Circus, it seems like such a magical place. Bailey was by far my favorite character and I loved figuring out how he fit into the circus and the story.

While the challenge between Celia and Marco was confusing at times, it played out nicely and ended in a way I did not expect.

Overall, this was a magical book that was at times slow and confusing. But the magic behind the circus kept me interested. 

4/5 Stars