Review: The Rook

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Really enjoyed this book. Thought the concept of a supernatural agency was pretty cool and then to top that the idea of having your memories erased and trying to cover the fact up was kinda awesome.



View all my reviews

Review: Ashes, Ashes

Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



A post-apocalyptic novel where small pox makes a reappearance and devastates the world's population which is further decimated by a stream of natural disasters.

Lucy Holloway has spent the past year surviving on her own in the wilds. Now her home has been destroyed by a tsunami and she must find a new place to live. The only place she knows to go that might be safe from the Sweepers, the S'ans, and scavengers, is where the boy, Aidan, who rescued her from a pack of dogs lives. However, when she arrives there she learns it isn't safe there either. She must decide if staying with people is worth the pain that comes with becoming involved.

My number one complaint with this book is when Lucy is hunting rabbits with Del and Aidan. How is it physically possible to shoot a bow from your elbows?!? I don't get it. And if they sit up when they do it then why are they laying down on their bellies to begin with? There would be so much noise made sitting up into position that the rabbits would hear and scurry off before you could get your bow strung.

The editing could have been better. I guess when I read a published book I expect it to be without simple reading errors. Del's hair did not have hanks hanging in her face. I believe she might have had hunks, but definitely not hanks. That would just be weird.

I gave this 3 stars because it was entertaining and I didn't hate it. It just was a little lack luster for me and the characters didn't seem to develop. Do they just like each other for their looks? Because I am having a hard time understanding what it is again Aidan and Lucy that makes them like each other.





View all my reviews

Anxiously Awaiting Arrivals of.....

There are several books that I have been anxiously awaiting the release of and have marked the day they come out on my calendar. I wanted to make a list for myself so I can do a quick check on how much longer I have to patiently wait on these books or if I am getting close to being able to let myself loose and get all excited and have happy fingers. So without further ado and in order of appearance...

Borrowed Ember (Fire Spirits #3) by Samantha Young.................................June 29, 2012
Wilde's Army (Darkness Falls #2) by Krystal Wade.........................................July 4, 2012
The Palace of Stone (Princess Academy #2) by Shannon Hale...................August 21, 2012
The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies #3 by Pittacus Lore..............................August 21, 2012
Outpost (Razorland #2) by Ann Aguirre................................................September 4, 2012
Hidden (Firelight #3) Sophie Jordan....................................................September 11, 2012
The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns #2) by Rae Carson.................September 18, 2012
Finale (Hush, Hush #4) by Becca Fitzpatrick............................................October 23, 2012
Rebel Heart (Dust Lands #2) by Moira Young.........................................October 30, 2012
Reached (Matched #3) by Ally Condie................................................November 13, 2012
Sneak Thievery (The Fade #2) by Samantha Young......................................Late 2012????
Through The Ever Night (Under the Never Sky#2) by Veronica Rossi.........January 8, 2013
Shades of Earth (Across the Universe #3) by Beth Revis...........................January 15, 2013
Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand...............................................January 22, 2013
Asunder (Newsoul #2) by Jodi Meadows.................................................January 29, 2013
Prodigy (Legend #2) by Marie Lu.............................................................January 29, 2013
Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer......................................February 5, 2013
Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi..........................................February 5, 2013
Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare............March 19, 2013
Untitled (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth...................................................Sometime 2013
City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare...........March 2014

Wilde's Fire by Krystal Wade

Title: Wilde's Fire

Author: Krystal Wade

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Publication Date: May 13, 2012

Pages: 324 pages

Series:  Darkness Falls

Reading Level: 16+

Content: Cursing, Mild Sexual Content

 

Book Description

“There is no pain in this death, only peace, knowing I am going to die with the one I love the most.”—Katriona Wilde.

Katriona Wilde has never wondered what it would feel like to have everything she’s ever known and loved ripped away, but she is about to find out. When she inadvertently leads her sister and best friend through a portal into a world she’s dreamed of for six years, she finds herself faced with more than just the frightening creatures in front of her.

Kate’s forced to accept a new truth: her entire life has been a lie, and those closest to her have betrayed her. What’s worse, she has no control over her new future, and it’s full of magic and horrors from which nightmares are made.

Will Kate discover and learn to control who she really is in time to save the ones she loves, or will all be lost?

Review
 
By accidentally stepping through a portal and into another world imprisoned in darkness and war, Katriona comes face to face with the man she has been dreaming about for the past six years. Unsure if she should trust this man she has fallen in love with in her dreams, Kate is left to try to figure out where she is, who she is, and what is so special about her while worrying about her family back home. Not only that, her best friend, Brad, who stepped through the portal with her, now lies barely clinging to life after being attacked by creatures whose presence in this world has plunged it into darkness and Kate needs to find a cure before he dies. 


Krystal Wade's debut novel is a delightful read. Written in the present tense, first person, it was an adjustment, but I quickly became engaged with the story. It seemed the first few pages were quick choppy sentences also. Fortunately, this did not continue throughout the story and the writing became fluid and more enjoyable. (Maybe it was just that I was reading late at night and was too tired to process the words correctly too.) The world of Encardia is nicely built with just the right amount of description so as to give you a vivid picture in your mind while not being over done to make you want to skip ahead to the dialogue. 


Kate, Brad, Arland, and their relationships with each other develop and show growth and change during the course of story which we as readers want to see. I was glad to see Arland and Kate's relationship developed realistically over time. My one complaint with the characters was with Kate and her feelings toward Brad after she discovers he has betrayed and manipulated her. Her black and white feelings are a little too much for me given the situation of him almost dying and then knowing that she is never going to see him again when he is sent back through the portal. 

Arland, Kate's dream boy...literally, and the wonderfully exciting, enticing, suspenseful ending to this first installment of the Darkness Falls series will leave you anxious to get your hands on the next!