Chasing the Star Garden - Karsak, Melanie

Fantasy, Steampunk, Young/New Adult, Romance, Mystery
5 out of 5 stars
Kindle 316 pages

An opium-addicted beauty.An infamous poet living in self-imposed exile.An ancient treasure about to fall into the wrong hands.
Melanie Karsak's Chasing the Star Garden takes readers on a thrilling adventure from the gritty opium dens of gaslamp London to the gem-colored waters of the ancient world. Lily Stargazer, a loveable but reckless airship racer with a famous lover and shattered past, reluctantly plunges into a centuries-old mystery in a romantic adventure best described as Dan Brown meets Mary Shelley.
It all begins on one of the worst days of Lily’s life. She just lost the London leg of the 1823 Airship Grand Prix. To top it off, a harlequin fleeing from constables shoved a kaleidoscope down her pants, told her to fly to Venice, then threw himself from her airship tower. What’s a girl to do? For Lily, the answer is easy: drink absinthe and smoke opium. 
Lily’s lover, Lord Byron, encourages her to make the trip to Venice. Lily soon finds herself at the heart of an ancient mystery which has her running from her past and chasing true love and the stars along the way. (Goodreads)

This was a very enjoyable read. It was quite refreshing from the stuff I normally read.
Lilly is an air jockey, someone that races airships across the world in Grand Prix style races. She had just finished the English Grand Prix, coming in second and getting bested by an American. Something that she was not happy about.

I've never read a steampunk book before, and I greatly enjoyed this one. And am eager to read the next book in the series.

I was immediately pulled in by the fact that the airship races, and Grand Prix reminded me so much of Formula 1 Grand Prixs.

There's action and mystery right off the bat. Lily has docked her airship and was making her way over to the podium when a harlequin rushes through the crowd, right up to her, shoves something down her pants and proceeds to jump off the edge of her ship, killing himself.
No idea what had happened, and a big ball of stress and confusion, Lilly goes to an opium den to quell her nerves and forget about what happened.

Lilly uses opium, laudanum, and alcohol to numb her pain, to make her forget about her trouble past. And it works for a long while, until near the end of the book when she decides to give it up.
She first goes to her lover Byron to see if he knows anything about the package she received. Upon opening it up it is reviled to be a beautiful antiquated kaleidoscope.  Byron, just as baffled as Lily, sends her to see someone in Venice that will know what the kaleidoscope is all about.

Lilly takes her <i>other</i> lover with her, an Italian genius named Sal who is quite a tinkerer, and quite handsome as well. He is older then Lilly, with salt and pepper hair, tied in a  pony-tail. But is strong and muscular and  handsome! It’s clear from their interactions that he really cares for Lily, especially when he agrees to travel with her to Venice.

Chaos insures when they finally arrive, and Lily finds out that the kaleidoscope belongs to the worshipers of Aphrodite.

Not to be too spoilery, Lily is taken on a wild ride in her airship, dealing with pirates, and what not. Lily and Sal’s relationship grows, as does Lily as a person.

Towards the end of the novel instead of running from her past and her fears, Lily decides to face them head on. She is no longer alone and has found love and solace with Sal, and she has come to terms with what happened to her in her childhood and is no longer afraid of her past.

We get to know a lot about Lily's past through intricately woven (and well done) flashbacks. We learn that her mother tried to drown her, before dropping her off at an orphanage. I really enjoyed how the flashbacks were done, they weren’t jarringly put into the book, but nicely woven into the story. Lily would be somewhere, and her surroundings would trigger memories from her past.

There is a second book out which I plan to read. Not sure what’s gonna happen in the next book, but I’m really excited to read it.

I’d say this was book was somewhere between Young Adult and New Adult. There are some mature themes, like drug and alcohol addiction, and a few steamy scenes, but nothing like ones found in NA books.

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The Promise - Wilson, C.E

Fantasy, Supernatural, Mystery, Young Adult

3 out of 5 stars
Ebook

What does it mean to be a human?
Lily Larkin is about to find out when on what should have been a day of great happiness, she is diagnosed with a rare and unbelievable disease. She is shrinking, possibly without limit.
As her life starts to spin out of control and the world starts to grow around her at an uncontrollable rate she is forced to confront her greatest fear - losing the man whom she loved from the moment she saw him. Can they stay together even though she feels her humanity slipping away? Can she trust him with her secret and, as her disease progresses, her safety and even her life? Can she trust herself?
A bittersweet story of love and loss, The Promise is a YA 
Paranormal Fantasy that will have you questioning the meaning of your own humanity and the weighing of trust against love.
What will Lily choose?
What would you choose? (From Goodreads)

This took me a lot longer to finish then I intended, but I couldn't get as much into the story as I liked.
Lilly is a tough girl complete with tattoo's and dreadlocks. She's married to a wonderful man named Eric, who loves her so very much, despite her rough exterior and stubbornness.
Lily who stands at about six feet tall, realizes one day that she is shrinking. At first she tries to hide it from Eric, but he eventually notices. They are flabbergasted that Lilly is getting shorter and it doesn't seem to be stopping. Eric's best friend Mark researches that there could be others like Lilly out there, those that have shrunk down to about six inches, and can no longer live amongst normal humans.
Eric is adiment about trying to live a normal life with his wife, despite the fact taht she is getting smaller and smaller every day. While Lilly doesn't want to get help from anyone and tries to do everything on her own despite being three feet tall.
I didn't like Lily as much as I wanted to. I found her to be way to stubborn. She should have just accpeted Erics, seen that she couldn't handle this problem on her own. Especially since Eric was so loving, caring, patient, and wanted nothing more then to see his wife happy. He wanted to help her, to show her that she wasn't alone, but Lily had a hard time getting that through her head. She seemed to think she was a burden to Eric, even though he told her he wasn't. Silly stubborn girl.

At the 75% mark the book really started to pick up, and I loved it. We know that Lilly isn't alone with this shrinking disease, and she can go somewhere and be safe with others like her.
The ending was bitter sweet, and I had wished to see more of it, especially what it was like for Lilly growing up with others like her, and how she met her husband.
I wouldn't mind reading another book about that, as this new world the author created has left me wanting to know so much more about it.

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Oath of Servitude - Wilson, C.E

Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
4 out of 5 Stars
Kindle 159 pages 

This is the story of Teague and Cailin, two teenagers who have been brought together by fate. Teague, a human, struggles to come to terms with the consequences of a recent accident that has destroyed the happy life that he had once enjoyed. Cailin, a pixi, is trying to stay true to herself while fighting against forces beyond her control that have exiled her from her home into this strange world of humans. She fears the darkness. He cannot escape it. But when the two of them are thrown together, they begin to discover the light inside of themselves. (GoodReads)

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were lovely, well rounded and entertaining. They all interacted really well with each other and it felt so real! No cookie cutter characters here. These characters are full of flaws, worries, fears, happiness, sadness. Every emotion in the book.

There was a bit of mystery involved in this book too! Ms. Wilson was able to keep me guessing as to what Teague's accident was in the beginning of the book, what exactly happens in the Darkness; why it was so scary, and just what did the Willow Family do to get into so much trouble and why everyone hated them so much. Hopefully there will be some light shed on these subjects in the next book.

The characters really grow and mature in this book, which is something I haven't seen so much lately. It was a much welcomed surprise.

Teague, who starts of as a very angry young man, hating the world and the accident that happened to him, meets Cailin, a pixi (although he doesn't know that until much later!) who shows him that even through all the bad thats happened to him, that there can still be joy in life.

Cailin, who's quite tall for a pixi is feared and not well liked by most in her clan. Both because she dyes her hair, wears outrageous looking attire and her sheer height make her a bitter person. A pixi is taught that they must never lie, and always be polite and kind. Which is hard for Cailin because she has a temper. She does enjoy the solitude and superiority feeling she gets when pixis stay clear of her because of her tall stature. But she too grows as a person once she enters Teague's life. She enjoys the freedom of being herself, but she is also very afraid of entering a new world, one in which she has no experience in and is literately no bigger then a Barbie doll. She learns to get over her fears, become a better person, accept who she is despite her flaws, and learns to care for Teague on a level she didn't think possible.

As much as I really enjoyed this book there were a few flaws. There were some grammatical errors sprinkled throughout, but not enough to detract me from getting sucked into the world the author created.

There was also a bit of an issue with the world building. I found it hard to picture what the pixie world looked like. How did they live in the forest? Up in trees, on the ground, in the hollow of trees? I would have loved to know more about their daily lives. I'd love to know more about the laws and culture of the pixies as much of it remains a mystery.  Knowing more of what the pixie world looked like would have made reading those parts of the book much more enjoyable.

There was a pretty big cast of characters to keep up with, but each character introduced an in turn each point of view that was throughout the story was well executed. I could remember who was who, where they were and what they were talking about. Although I had to say I cared a lot more about Teague and Cailin then I did the pixie world.

Overall a really enjoyable read. Although not everything was resolved at the end, Teague and Cailin were able to reunite, and the pixie world has been set up so that something will definitely be going on in the next book.

I'm very excited to read the next book and can't wait until it comes out.

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Wolf Sirens: Forbidden: Discover The Legend - Smith, Tina

Supernatural, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Mythology
3 out of 5 stars
Kindle/PDF, 370 pages

 When Lila unwillingly moves to the country town of Shade, she can’t imagine the life-altering events that lie in wait for her. Shade has a curfew and has always been surrounded by myths. A central feature of the town is its famous statue of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, whose spirit is said to protect the innocent.
Lila falls in with a group of intriguing teenagers with luminescent eyes and soon she is drawn into the shadow-lands of fantasy and reality, where destiny collides.
A mysterious local girl, Cresida, warns her to stay away, but Lila is drawn to them like a moth to a flame. (From Goodreads)

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed it, especially the last half and the ending was just wracked with emotion, but for a while I thought it was a bit messy. There were so many questions, and not enough answers.

We get a nice prologue that sets up the mythology of the book nicely, but it never makes a reappearance till near the end of the book.

Lila's the new girl at school, and everyone seems to ignore her except for the popular kids. They draw her into their group, want her to be like them. But Lila is skeptical, she can't understand why the populars would want her in their group. Then Cres comes into the picture and warns Lila to stay away from them. And Lila can't understand why. She thinks that Cres is crazy, especially after seeing a video of the popular kids turning into wolves. For about a quarter of the book Lila doesn't believe what Cres is trying to show her and thinks that Cres is crazy and that a few of the kids are getting hazed and bullied at school.

Eventually Lila learns that Sam and her popular friends are infect werewolves, and that Reid has taken an interest in her. She's accepted into the pack, wants to become one of them, and  be just like them, for who wouldn't want to live forever.

I felt that this was a mash up on genre's, romance, urban fantasy/supernatural and mystery. I felt like it was trying to be a bunch of different things, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.  At one time when Lila and Reid got together it felt like something out of a New Adult book, I thought there was going some hot sexy times, but that was completely skipped over. All the mention of it was 'we made love', which took me by surprise becauseI thought there'd be something more. At the same time I'm assuming the author didn't want to focus so munch on the romance, but more so on the struggles of Lila and joining the pack and all the angst that went along with it.

Sky and Lilia's romance came out of no where! All of a sudden Lila seemed so obsessed with Sky, and getting him to be hers. I could see it coming a mile away that he had feelings for her. Their romance was quick and heated, and didn't last long because of the ending!! That just took me by surprise! How could the author do that!! Made me so sad, because by the end I wanted Sky and Lila to reunite.

I felt that the mystery part of the novel felt a bit messy. I was tired of Lila thinking that everyone was apart of some sort of hazing or bullying just because the popular kids took an interest in her and seemed to ignore everyone else, but I guess that's what the reaction would be now a days, which felt real. Lila's reaction to the video was spot on too, she thought it was fake, and wanted to expose how crazy Cres was to everyone. It took her until about half the book, when she started hanging out with the pack, and see them transform to finally believe that it was all real.

The romance was a bit wonky too. I liked Lilia/Reid, it was cute and seemed guanine, but then she seemed to become so obsessed with Sky and it was out of the blue. Suddenly she didn't care about Reid anymore, even though a few pages before that she was really happy with him, and was actually surprised that someone as handsome as he could take an interest in her.  Another instance where it tried to be like a New Adult novel was the constant going back and forth between Reid and the obsessive feelings she had for Sky. Suddenly, she would do anything to be near Sky and she wanted him so badly, and would think about him almost constantly. Why she didn't break up with Reid eludes me, but I think she was too cowardly to do it, liked having a boyfriend, someone to love her. But then we learn that Reid never really liked her, that it was Sam's ploy to use Reid to ensure that Lila would stick around.

There were a few twists and turns, what Lila was destined to become, even though she wants nothing more then to be a werewolf. Which sounds just like Twilight! Lila is like Bella, although much more developed and has a backbone, doesn't like anyone push her around. Lila is a strong character, and I really liked her. She goes from being a loner, to having friends, and becoming  a strong person.

I wouldn't classify Ms. Smith's werewolves as 'werewolves'. To me a werewolf is something like out of Harry Potter, while these were just people that transformed into wolves. I see them more as shape shifters rather then werewolves. But I do like that when one was bitten, you stopped aging, and even looked younger! So Sam, who was about thirty when she was bitten, now probably looks like she' in her late teens.

Everything did tie up nicely, all the confusion and frustration I had throughout the book was tied up by the end. Although sometimes the wording and sentences in the book seemed a bit off, some things were worded oddly, some sentences I had to re-read because it sounded a bit off.

There is a second book, which I plan to read, because this one seemed to end a bit suddenly and I want to know what happens with Lila, now that she's becoming a hunter.

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Crash - Williams, Nicole

Young Adult, New Adult, Fiction, Romance
3 out of 5 stars
Kindle, 215 pages

Southpointe High is the last place Lucy wanted to wind up her senior year of school. Right up until she stumbles into Jude Ryder, a guy whose name has become its own verb, and synonymous with trouble. He's got a rap sheet that runs longer than a senior thesis, has had his name sighed, shouted, and cursed by more women than Lucy dares to ask, and lives at the local boys home where disturbed seems to be the status quo for the residents. Lucy had a stable at best, quirky at worst, upbringing. She lives for wearing the satin down on her ballet shoes, has her sights set on Juilliard, and has been careful to keep trouble out of her life. Up until now.

Jude's everything she needs to stay away from if she wants to separate her past from her future. Staying away, she's about to find out, is the only thing she's incapable of.  (From Goodreads)

What a roller coaster! First I liked the charcters, then hated them for a while, then found them silly. But by the end I liked the characters, especially Jude. He grew from hating himself and life, to learning that the past doesn't define your future.

Not sure how much Lucy grew, or if she grew at all. But she did learn to stop feeling guilty for the death of her brother. Which is something.

Although I was annoyed at how all the guys were drooling over her, and I'm not even sure if she thought of herself as very pretty. Although she did excert an heir of confidence, and she didn't take any crap from anyone, especially Jude when they first met. She didn't like how arrogant he was, although she was still very attracted to him, based soley on his bad boy looks and attitude. The fact that she did her best to resist him was something.  And she had a mouth! She didn't let guys walk all over her! What a refreshing change.

I felt so bad for Lucy's father, a shell of his former self, because of the death of his son and collapse of his company. Hated the mother, never met someone so cold in my life.

A roller coaster of a book, and I'm glad that there will be more in the series. Lucy and Jude had a pretty belivable love story, and I'm glad that Jude grew as a character because of Lucy. I liked that he was protective, but not in the overly creepy Edward way. He just didn't want to see the girl he loved get hurt.

There was a nice twist that threw a wrench into their relationship, but they are strong enough in the end to over come what happened in each of their pasts, reconcile with each other and stay with each other. I'm sure in the other books there will be a lot more in store for the two of them to overcome together.

Overall a pretty good story, although I think the love between Jude and Lucy was a bit instant at first, but they spent time together, and solidified their relationship, even though it got really rocky at some points, the couple breaking up a few times, but they always got back togther.

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Book of Flying - Miller, Keith

Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Epic Journey

5 out of 5 stars
Paperback, 288 pages

Our hero, Pico, is a poet and librarian, and forbidden to pursue the girl of his dreams, for she has wings and Pico does not. When he discovers an ancient letter in his library telling of the mythical Morning Town where the flightless may gain their wings, he sets off on a quest. It's a magical journey in which he meets a robber queen, a lonely minotaur, a cannibal, an immortal beauty, and a dream seller. Each has a story, and a lesson, for Pico-about learning to love, to persevere, and, of course, to fly. (From Goodreads)

I've become a fan of characters going on quests/travels and meeting people along the way.

The Book of Flying reminded me of the series The Unexpected Dragon. Main character sets out on a quest, and meets a host of companions that have a great impact on their life. Full of bittersweet memories and experiences, all of which shape the main character.

Pico is no exception. He sets out from his home in the city by the sea a pale, frail, young man and throughout his journey to find the morning town meets

I was immediately sucked into the story in the first few sentences, the prose, writing style are beautiful. Pico is a poet and a librarian and the book flows like one.

Pico at one point reads a book about a girl that lands on a planet where everything is made out of books, living books. The grass, flowers, butterflies even people are made out of books, and each is different from the last. Those wr

Yet there is a huge flaw with the writing style, just about every sentence contains a large amount of similes or alliteration.

There was not a single character I didn't like in this book, and there were a few, and they were all memorable. Well, Sisi got on my nerves a bit, but only because she seemed a bit stupid, especially for leaving Pico because the other winged people didn't approve of it.

It's a bitter sweet story that left a sad taste in my mouth, but a hopeful one as well for now Pico has another journey to start.

I hope that the author will one day write a sequel to Pico's journey. I would pick that up in a heart beat. The author knows how to weave words in such a way that leave me spell bound.

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Wither (Chemical Garden Trilogy #1) - DeStefano, Lauren

Young Adult, Romance, Dystopian, Fantasy, Fiction
2 out of 5 Stars
Hardcover, 358 pages

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. (From Goodreads)

So much happens in the first few pages of the book, its baffling. Everything happen so quickly, yet we barley get any information regarding the going ons, or even what Rhine is feeling. Her character had me seething with anger and thats something I never do. I don't remember one time when I was ever mad at a character, or didn't like one.

I really don't like Rhine. I'm growing attached to Linden cause he seems like an ok guy. Gabriel alright in my book.

Not much really happens for most of the book, its only at the end where it really picks up, where so much bad starts to happen. Things start to spiral downhill pretty quickly. Rhine goes to places she shouldn't, sees things she shouldn't, tries to escape.

All the while, she's complaining how much she hates the lavish life style she's living in. Where she can do whatever she wants as long as she stays on her floor. I think her and Linden could have been a really good couple. Especially since he really cared for her, and it seemed like she was starting to like him.

I wanted Rhine to like where she was staying, to accept her fate, to love Linden, but she couldn't. She was angry and bitter about living in such luxury. Linden was nothing but kind, and she was surrounded by people that loved her, and all she could do was hate where she was, she didn't even try to like it.

Yet she decides that she's gonna run away with Gabriel, whom she barley knows anything about, I don't get the connection they have, I don't understand what its based on seeing as they didn't spend much time together.

I wanted to like this book, but so much was glossed over, skimmed over and just didn't make a whole lot of sense. I'm not sure if I'm gonna read the other two books in the series.

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Shiver - Stiefvater, Maggie

 Young Adult, Romance, Supernatural, Fiction
 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover, 392 pages

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever. (From Goodreads)

When I first started reading this it reminded me so much of Twilight with those stupid wolves. But then I realized how much better it was then Twilight, that the wolves are actual wolves, and I've always loved wolves.

It's believable so far, Grace isn't a perfect Mary Sue like I thought she would be. She's in introvert, loves books and her wolf. Reminds me of myself actually, which is wonderful because I can actually connect with the character.

High school drama, fighting friends, all totally believable.  The only thing thats squicked me out so far is that Grace is in love with a wolf, which screams bestiality, which is mega creepy. Luckily for her her wolf turns out to also be a boy.

Who happened to get shot, and transformed naked on her porch. Grace said she didn't stare, but if I just found my love interest naked on the floor, bleeding or not, I'd take a moment to stare.

I like that the book is split into Grace's and Sam's perspective. I enjoy Sam's POV much more then Graces. He has a much more interesting take on the world, because he spends most of it as a wolf.

The rules on changing seem to be pretty straightforward, if you get bit by a wolf, you become one. Although for some reason Grace hasn't, although she does have a 'wolf sense' or something, that if she focuses gives her heightened senses of smell and hearing. You become human in the spring months, and turn back into a wolf at the winter months, which seems pretty interesting to me. Although I think I'd rather be a wolf in the spring months, and human during the winter so at least I won't freeze or starve to death as a wolf. You also get a limited number of changes, I'm wondering if you get to chose to become human or wolf at the end. Although Sam said that this time would be his last time changing or something.



The chasity fact also annoys me. It's clear they Sam wants to be with Grace, but he's really hesitant about putting any moves on her. It seems like he doesn't even want to kiss her, yet he's seen her naked. And they sleep in the same bed! You can't tell me he doesn't wake up in the mornings aroused. Do something already!! Or at least talk about it or something, especially since they are clearly madly in love with each other.

I find it hard to classify the wolves as werewolves, to me those creatures are something like out of Harry Potter, a bit grotesque and very scary, not actual wolves. To me  Sam and his group are move like shape shifters, or lycans or just plain people that change into wolves, or wolves that change into people since they will eventually become wolves forever.

The ending was so frustrating! It just ends, they see each other again, and thats it no feelings from either character on what its like to see the other.

I'm going to read the next book because I liked the first one. Although Grace annoyed me more as the book went on. Sam did a bit too, although I really liked the character, the fact that he was so chaste, and felt that their love making was a mistake or something was just off. It made no sense, especially since he loved Grace so much, and wanted to be with her. He didn't react like a guy was supposed to, he was far to chaste for today's men. Which while isn't necessarily a bad thing, it would have been nice to have Sam display his want for Grace a bit more.

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Seraphina - Hartman, Rachel

Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery
4 out of 5 stars

Hardcover, 467 pages

 

 

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life. (From Goodreads)

The writing is dense, but beautiful and very descriptive. I can easily visualize the world that the author has created.

The book is categorized as young adult, but personally I think it might be a bit difficult for some people to get through, as the writing is a bit dense, and you have to pay close attention to whats going on or you'll get lost and confused.

There is so much information to digest throughout the book. In fact there is a whole new world to understand, religions, species, and places. Readers have to pay attention to get all of what is going on in this world.

I did find the grotesque garden a bit hard to visualize. I was really confused by it at first, how she "entered" the garden, and dealt with the people in there. I actually don't really like those parts of the book, it takes me out of the story a bit. I find myself so easily engrossed in this world, what the palace and village looks like, the dragons, yet when Seraphina goes into her garden its like i'm pulled out of the story, or into another story altogether.

I feel that the garden wasn't executed as well as the rest of the story. It was confusing, and very hard to picture what was going on. Until the last parts of the book, the garden didn't really have any connection with the main plot.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Kiggs and Seraphina that developed throughout the book. There was no "insta-love" that has been seen in a lot of YA novels lately.

I like that the mysterious death of Prince Rufus is woven intricately throughout the novel. It's only half way through that Kiggs and Seraphina, while on a quest to find a knight, really start to dig deeper into how/why the Prince was killed. There was a nice air of mystery about the whole thing that made me not want to put the book down and keep reading.


There is a glossary of terms and characters found at the back of the book. Personally, I think this would have been a lot better if it was in the front of the book. Or at least a name of the most important Saints in the front, as there were a lot listed, and it wasn't always clear what their purpose was.

Everything flows together wonderfully and vividly that it feels like I'm actually there. Overall an amazing book, and I'm quite excited for a sequal.

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