Review - The Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
Title: The Uninvited (Uninvited #1) Author: Sophie Jordan Teaser: “They say she’s a killer. One day she will be.”...
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I have spent a lot of time lately adding to my TBR list with 2016 and even some 2017 books. BLARG I can't stop. I am an addict to adding more and more to my TBR. Here are some recent cover releases for this Monday of some books I am looking forward to!
Title: The Abyss Surrounds UsAuthor: Emily SkrutskieGenre: YA Science Fiction GLBT with PIRATES!Number of Pages: 288Release Date: February 8th 2016 by FluxBlurb:
For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the genetically-engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water.There’s no time to mourn. Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched Reckoner pup. Santa Elena wants to take back the seas with a monster of her own, and she needs a proper trainer to do it. She orders Cas to raise the pup, make sure he imprints on her ship, and, when the time comes, teach him to fight for the pirates. If Cas fails, her blood will be the next to paint the sea.But Cas has fought pirates her entire life. And she's not about to stop.
Title: The Shadow QueenAuthor: C.J. RedwineGenre: YA High Fantasy Fairy Tale RetellingNumber of Pages: 400Release Date: February 23rd 2016 by Balzer + BrayBlurb:
Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.
Title: Sword and VerseAuthor: Kathy MacMillanGenre: YA High FantasyNumber of Pages: 400Release Date: January 19th 2016 by HarperTeenBlurb:
Raisa was only a child when she was kidnapped and enslaved in Qilara. Forced to serve in the palace of the king, she’s endured hunger, abuse, and the harrowing fear of discovery: everyone knows she is Arnath, but not that Raisa is a Learned One, a part of an Arnath group educated in higher order symbols. In Qilara, this language is so fiercely protected that only the King, the Prince, and Tutors are allowed to know it. So when the current Tutor-in-training is executed for sharing the guarded language with slaves, and Raisa is chosen to replace her, Raisa knows that—although she may have a privileged position among slaves—any slip-up could mean death.That would be challenging enough, but training alongside Prince Mati could be her real undoing. And when a romance blossoms between them, she’s suddenly filled with a dangerous hope for something she never before thought possible: more. Then she’s propositioned by the Resistance—an underground army of slaves—to help liberate the Arnath people. Joining the rebellion could mean freeing her people…but she’d also be aiding in the war against her beloved—an honorable man that she knows wants to help the slaves.Working against the one she loves—and a palace full of deadly political renegades—has some heady consequences. As Raisa struggles with what’s right, she unwittingly uncovers a secret that the Qilarites have long since buried…one that, unlocked, could bring the current world order to its knees.And Raisa is the one holding the key.
Title: A Drop of NightAuthor: Stefan BachmanGenre: YA Mystery ThrillerNumber of Pages: 384Release Date: March 15th 2016 by Greenwillow BooksBlurb:
Five gifted teenagers are selected out of hundreds of other candidates to fly to France and help with the excavation of a vast, underground palace buried a hundred feet below the suburbs of Paris. Built in the 1780's to hide an aristocratic family and a mad duke during the French Revolution, the palace was sealed after the aristocrats fled there. No one has set foot in it for over two centuries.Now, in the present day, the teenagers enter with cutting-edge technology, state-of-the-art security, scientists and chaperones. And then a brutal accident occurs. No way out. Caught in the dark.They will have to fight to survive. But are they really alone in the depths? -
Title: Dorothy Must Die
Author: Danielle Paige
Teaser: “Your Mission: Remove the Tin Woodman’s heart. Steal the Scarecrow’s brain. Take the Lion’s courage. And then – Dorothy Must Die.”
Genre: YA Fairytale Retelling
Number of pages: 452
Released: April 1st, 2014 by HarperCollins
Description:
I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado - taking you with it - you have no choice but to go along, you know?
Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road - but even that's crumbling.
What happened? Dorothy.
They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.
My name is Amy Gumm - and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission.
Positives:
-The world created. Oh my golly. The author’s descriptions are so vivid and detailed, that you feel like you are there. The descriptions are never too little and never too much. I could picture everything in my head, and was already wishing throughout the book that I hope it was turned into a movie.
-A lot of books have to survive off of a romance in the book. Even though this one has a bit of romance in it, I never had a problem being excited for what was going to happen next. The plot and world are the main focus of this book, and I loved that it was. That, to me, always is a sign of an awesome book. If I have to cling onto a romance just to want to turn the page, it isn’t quite enough.
-Creeptastic. A lot of the parts of this new world created by the author is creepy in an oh-so-good way.
Negatives:
-Ummm…. Ummmm….. It’s not romance heavy? If you really need heavy romance to enjoy a book, that might bother you.
Overview:
Where do I even start? This book was stunning. Amazing. The last time I felt this wrapped up in a world that was created was in Cinder. I’m a sucker for retellings, but if you do a retelling… You have to NAIL it. It’s like being on American Idol and performing an epic, super popular song. Don’t even try to do it unless you can be spot on. And Danielle Paige? She hit every freaking note.
One of my favorite parts of this book was the creativity and imagination she put into it. It would have been easy to just skate by or leave the world mostly as it was, but she truly made it a world that was warped by ‘evil’. The things that she thought of in the book sort of makes the author an inventor. Her interpretations of the Tinman, Lion, and Scarecrow were scary and sad. I felt a drop in my heart when I saw how twisted they had become. It was like my own view from watching the movie a million times was let down just like it had for Amy, the protagonist.
As for the characters? Great character building, details, and characteristics. They were all well-developed and I felt a connection with each, even if they weren’t around for long. I remember the characters, even now that it’s a day after I finish it. I laugh thinking of funny things they said. It is almost like I was able to experience and make friends with the characters at the same time Amy was. My favorite character? Dorothy, actually. Her arrogance and twisted nature was glorious. Such a great villain.
As for the plot, it flows perfectly. Not to slow or too fast. You get surprised and led through it at a wonderful pace. And there were lots of parts of the plot where I actually said “I didn’t see that happening!” I found myself wanting to know more of the world, eager to see what was different. Almost like I was Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory just entering that room where everything was edible. I wanted to taste everything.
Rating:
-Everyone, everyone, everyone.
-Those who love re-tellings.
-Those who love it when they can find a book they get lost in.
Not Recommended to:
-Those who don’t like fairytale unrealistic fantastical nature. If you are a realist, you probably won’t be able to appreciate the magic in this book.
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