Incarceron by Catherine Fisher: Review

Author: Catherine Fisher

Pages: 442

Release Date: May 3rd, 2007

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells and corridors, but metal forests, dilapidated cities, and wilderness. It has been sealed for centuries, and only one man has ever escaped. Finn has always been a prisoner here. Although he has no memory of his childhood, he is sure he came from Outside. His link to the Outside, his chance to break free, is Claudia, the warden's daughter, herself determined to escape an arranged marriage. They are up against impossible odds, but one thing looms above all: Incarceron itself is alive . . .

This took me a while to get started on due to school and other interruptions, but once I started reading it without any distractions, I could not put it down.

Incarceron tells the story of Finn, a boy believed to be a Starseer, or a prophet of sorta that can find a way out of the Prison. Which happens to be alive. It also tells the story of the Warden of Incarceron's daughter, Claudia, who lives Outside in her own personal prison. The story weaves together, building a world that can never change, but characters that live a lifetime within the pages.

What I loved the most about this book was Fisher's ability to create such a world that controls the people within it as a real person- like a real tyrannt- and another world where the rulers have learned to become the human embodiment of the prison. 

This world jumps between the Prison (Incarceron) and the Outside (The Realm), and draws Claudia and Finn together through a mysterious key that can unlock all the secrets of both their worlds (literally and figuratively), and set them free.

Incarceron is a novel that I would recommend to everyone! It's a story that can turn any skeptic of YA fiction into a believer! I can't wait to get started on Sapphique! 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars :)

Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield: Review

Author: Amy Butler Greenfield

Pages: 324 pages

Release Date: May 7th, 2013

Status: book 1 of the Chantress series

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Lucy, shipwrecked on an island at 7, is forbidden to sing by guardian Norrie. On All Hallows Eve 1667, at 15, she sings, and is swept into darkness. She wakes to hear powerful men hunt Chantresses who sing magic into the world. At the Invisible College she finds sanctuary, plots to overthrow the evil Lord Protector, and distrustful scientist-apprentice Nat. Only a Chantress can overcome the Protector, and Lucy is the last in England.

I put this book on hold back in September and got it early October from the library. It sat on my shelf for a little while (I really hate homework), but when I read this book, I literally finished it in a few hours!

Chantress is about 15 year old Lucy Marlowe, a girl who has been stranded on an island for years with her guardian Norrie. She ended up on the island after a shipwrek, her mother is dead and she is forbidden to sing.

On All Hallow's Eve (FYI, that's what they called Halloween back in the ye olden days), Lucy hears music. Unable to find answers from Norrie, she searches her house and discovers a letter that her mother wrote to her long ago. It tells her her mother 'sang' her away, and that she will find her way home if she takes off the stone she gave her.


I'm pretty sure you guys can guess what happens next: Lucy takes off the stone and ends up back in England. What I didn't expect was for her to end up in the library of the evil Lord Protector himself (did I mention he was also in the room?).


Lucy finds refuge with the Invisible College, a group of men who plot to destroy the Lord Protector and his evil Shadowgrims (birds that were enchanted to take your memory away and burn you into ashes). However, even with the Invisible College on her side, the mysterious Nat is hostile towards him. And when her godmother comes back to train her, things get more complicated as she is an Elizabethan (not even sure it this book is set in that era, but you know...) feminist.


I really liked this book! When I first read the synopsis, I already knew I was going to enjoy it! Unlike most historical fantasy books, Chantress really charms you within the first couple pages! It's mysterious, it's dark, it's edgy, and of course, it's addictive!


I didn't reallly get much romance in this book which I would normally be upset about, but Amy is able to make the relationship between Nat and Lucy alive and real, and not overly dramatic and focused on like in some books. It was a good romance, and it fit well with the story- it was important, but not the point. It was there, but it didn't take away from Lucy's character and the overall story.


This book was very plot-based and focused on Lucy discovering her Chantress abilities and defeating the Lord Protector and his Shadowgrims. Lucy has character development in the story as well, but other than her, everything was just background noise to me. Nat comes a long way from the beginning as well, but from the second last chapter and the last chapter there is a three month time jump, so we don't really see much of his development in that time frame.


Other characters like Penebrygg and Sir Barnaby were nicely written, but the book didn't focus on them. And Scargrave (aka Lord Protector) was the villian, but he wasn't really in the book much- t really did focus on Lucy's training. Through the Shadowgrims, Amy was able to keep the fear of both them and Scargrave alive, and I really like that.


What I loved the most about the book is the interaction between the characters. Lucy's godmother was not my favourite, but whenever she said something to the guys of the Invisible College, I couldn't help but cheer a little- she's a feminist in the 1600's, so how can you not? One of my parts of the book was when Penebrygg was explaning the Invisble College to Lucy:

"For all intents and purposes, Sir Barnaby joked, we were members of the Invisible College. " He added, "I think he took pleasure in the abbreviation, too."

I did not quite follow him.

"IC," Penebrygg said, pointing to his eyes. "I see."

"Sir Barnaby loves puns," Nat said drily.

-Chantress, page 90

 

I don't know why, but that part made me laugh. It was one of my favourite parts (other than Nat training Lucy). This book was REALLY good, I seriously CAN NOT wait for the sequel, Chantress Alchemy!

 

 

I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars! Happy Monday guys!

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting: Review

The Pledge

Author: Kimberly Derting

Pages: 323 pages 

Release Date: November 15, 2011

Status: 1st book in the Pledge trilogy

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

I will be honest with you, I never really expected to read this book. Ever. I saw it on a Goodreads newsletter before it's release date and always wanted to read it, but eventually, I forgot about it. 

However, while I was at the library dropping off some books, I just happened to find the Pledge and, well, fall in love with it!

I seriously can't believe it took me two years to read the book when it took me four hours to read it!

The story starts off 81 years in the past where a young Princess Sabara walks into her mother's room- where she is about to die. The dying Queen reminds her daughter that she was born of importance and with power, and that she must say 'the words'. The little princess takes her mother's hand and as she takes her last breathe, says the magic words...then, she becomes her mother. She has taken her Essence, and is now the Queen.

The book then jumps 81 years later where 17 year old Charlie, a girl living in Ludania, a Queendom that divides its social classes by language. Understanding a language outside of one's station results in death. The problem? Our narrator knows all three class type languages: Termani (for the rich), Parshon (for the Vendor/working class), and Englaise (the language of the Serving class and the universal tongue).

After nearly getting sentenced to death when she accidentally slips and looks up from her station when a Termani girl speaks at her parent's restaurant, Charlie joins her best friend Brook to go out for a night. They end up going to a club where she meets his mysterious boy named Max, who speaks a mysterious tongue she magically understands.

Unbeknownst to her, the language is a special one, known by an elite few. She tries her best to stay away from Max and his special tongue- if anyone finds out she can understand him, she'll be dead. Charlie can't keep away though, and she ends up searching for him. While looking for Max, she ends up meeting a man named Xander, who's equally dangerous and charming as Max. 

Back at home, Charlie has to deal with her party best friend, and the tension in her family because of her magic ability to understand languages.

But with a war looming closer to her city's walls, and threatening to force her family apart, Charlie will have to trust someone, but the question is who?

This book is really good! It has a nice plot, and despite my own (little) confusing summary of the story, it actually does a good job explaining the terms and the ins-and-outs of Ludania's backwards society.

In Charlie's world, all the different nations are ruled by 'Queens' which I find interesting, since most times, it's an evil male tyrant who's in power and it's a lost son being hunted and searched. In this book, females are the valuable ones amongst the Royals, and the Queens rule the Queendom with an iron fist. 

I really enjoyed that it was all about the girls and my the guys in this book. I mean, yeah, you still get the handsome guy saves the beautiful girl element in the story, but it ends up with the girl saving the day at the end. Like, how many stories do we have Queens and Princesses at war with each other, with the guys a little bit lower on the food chain? 

What I didn't enjoy was the fact this book was WAAY too small! It has so many nice plot elements and characters that I wish we got to see developed more...but the pages. There were a little over 300 pages. 

I didn't really have much of a connection with the characters like I wanted to. I wanted them to make me feel sad, irritable, jealous, annoyed and happy! But I didn't really get that. I think the reason why is because this book had alternating chapters: there would be Charlie's first person POV, the Queen's third person POV, a bit of Max and a bit of Xander POV as well. We did stay with Charlie the majority of the book, but I didn't really see much of her emotions with the other characters.

I saw that it was evident that she loved her sister, Angelina, and was really concerned about her best friend, Brook, but I didn't really get that passion with her and Max. That was sort of a flop for me. It does get a little better in the end, but not by much.

What this book did was trap me with it's nicely paced plot and just...all the story building and the concept around the 'Essence' thing. I really didn't understand what the whole Essence thing was when I first read the beginning if the book, but as we got closer to the end, I got it and I was utterly amazed and creeped out at the same time. Like, does that mean the person that get's the Essence loses heir personality too? 

Ooh, and the PLOT TWISTS! OMG, Kimberly Derting seriously put some plot twists here!

When I learned that Angelina had the ability to heal was like 'What? Since when?!' That was a good plot twist. Another one was revealing who Max really was. I WAS SO NOT EXPECTING THAT ONE! Another one was Max and Xander's relationship, and how Xander was the favourite. I never thought that they'd be, you know...

Overall, this book was pretty satisfying. The overall concept and plot is really good, so 3 out of 5 stars to this book! I seriously can't wait to get The Essence!

Throw Back Thursday: the Modern Faerie Tale series by Holly Black

It's my first Throw Back Thursday!

Today we're going back to 2004 with the release of the first book in the Modern Faerie Tale series, Tithe by the amazingly talented, amazingly awesome Holly Black!


Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms - a struggle that could very well mean her death.

Favourite character: Kaye
Favourite line: "Kiss my ass, Rath Roiben Rye."
Overall Rating: 4.5 stars









Synopsis (from Goodreads):


When seventeen-year-old Valerie runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.

But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends.
And when one talks Val into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature with whom they are all involved, Val finds herself torn between her newfound affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.

Favourite character: Luis...Val...NO LUIS!....Val?...I can't decide :(
Favourite line: “You carried my heart in your hands tonight," he said. "But I have felt as if you carried it long before that.”
Overall rating: 3.5 stars



Synopsis (from Goodreads):

In the realm of Faerie, the time has come for Roiben's coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure of only one thing -- her love for Roiben. But when Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to Roiben, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest. Now Kaye can't see or speak to Roiben unless she can find the one thing she knows doesn't exist: a faerie who can tell a lie.

Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the truth -- that she is a changeling left in place of the human daughter stolen long ago. Her mother's shock and horror sends Kaye back to the world of Faerie to find her human counterpart and return her to Ironside. But once back in the faerie courts, Kaye finds herself a pawn in the games of Silarial, queen of the Seelie Court. Silarial wants Roiben's throne, and she will use Kaye, and any means necessary, to get it. In this game of wits and weapons, can a pixie outplay a queen?

Holly Black spins a seductive tale at once achingly real and chillingly enchanted, set in a dangerous world where pleasure mingles with pain and nothing is exactly as it appears.

Favourite character: Loved Kaye in this book, but I loved Luis and Corny the most.
Favourite line: "Maybe it's good we split up. I mean, as far as boyfriends go, he was always working. Running an evil court takes a lot of time."
Overall rating: 4 stars

Holly Black is literally the reason why I started reading more and why I started writing. Once I finished the Spiderwick Chronicles in the fourth grade, I started looking for more books that could ever live up to the series. When I learned that Holly herself had her own series apart from Spiderwick, young me had my first fangirl moment.

Being nine-ish/ten-ish at the time, I had a hard time getting used to the vocabulary and older writing style; I didn't know that I was reading Young Adult at the time.

However, if I didn't read Tithe, I probably wouldn't have gotten into  the YA paranormal/fantasy books that I so adore till this day!

So thank you Holly Black! And if you haven't read these books yet, go out and buy them now! You'll fall in love and find yourself so emersed in the world!

Happy Thursday guys!

Hades by Alexandra Adornetto: Review

Hades

Pages: 424
Release Date: August 30th, 2011
Status: Book #2 in the Halo Trilogy

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Heaven Help Her.

Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep dark forces at bay. Falling in love was never part of her mission, but the bond between Beth and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier Woods, is undeniably strong. But even Xavier’s love, and the care of her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can’t keep Beth from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, the demon Jake Thorn bargains for Beth’s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly, her loved ones, as well.

The story that Alexandra Adornetto built in her New York Times - bestselling debut, Halo, comes alive in action-packed and unexpected ways, as angels battle demons, and the power of love is put to the test.

After reading Halo I was really eager to get this book and learn what happens after the crazy events at the end of book 1.

Hades takes place a few months after the events of Halo. No one remembers the events of the last book (excluding Beth, her family, and Xavier), and all of them think that everything is back to normal...until Beth and her friends do a séance and release Jake Thorn's evilness back to earth.

He disguises himself as one of Xavier's friends and tricks Beth into thinking that he is Xavier. The next thing Beth knows is that she is stuck in Hades, with no one to save her but herself.

I LOVED this book! It is my favourite so far! I love the character development in Beth and how she is able to come into her own and save herself. She isn't 100% completely there yet, but the strength she exhibited gives me high hopes for her development in the third book, Heaven (which I've currently put on hiatus due school and finishing Clockwork Angel!).

Another thing I loved in this book is the pace of the plot! The first book felt divided for me plot wise: the beginning about Xavier and Beth's relationship, and the ending about Jake Thorn reeking havoc in Venus Cove. The plot in this book is absolutely amazing; I couldn't put the book down and ended up finishing the book in 7 hours! 

My absolute, favourite thing about this book (and the series in general) are the characters! In this book, we see a lot more Molly and Gabriel interaction, we see a lot of Ivy's seraphim attitude, and we get to see how Xavier and Beth cope while being separated from each other (foreshadowing book 3! Duh, duh, duuuuh!).

But my overall favourite characters in this book were Hanna and Tucker, whom Beth met while in Hades. Hanna got on my nerves a bit, but after she told her side of the story, I started sympathizing with her and started understanding her view points; I later ended up pitying her. Tucker (or Tuck) is another character in Hades who didn't really go into detail with his back story, but he was just the sweetest big brother to Beth that I felt really upset that she couldn't take him with her in the end.

But the Molly and the Gabriel feels! AHHHHHH!

Okay, I know Beth and Xavier are like the main couple and are perfect for each other with their undying and self-sacrificing love, but C'MON! Molly and Gabriel are as interesting as Beth and Xavier!

No, the two don't hook up, but they did have a very deep conversation that touched me. I felt like Molly should've known what was going to happen when she decided to be so blunt with Gabriel, but I felt really bad for her too! I mean, her best friend is an angel and her boyfriend is human! It isn't fair D: But I still have hope for those too, since Gabe DID say he will watch over her! **crosses fingers**

What I find interesting about this book is that even though it's much darker than book one, there is still a very humorous side to it. For example, when Michael the Archangel suddenly appears when they're trying to open the portal into Hades:

"That's the problem," Ivy said. "Our combined power isn't enough. We need backup."

"Damn it." Xavier kicked the ground with the toe of his boot, sending pebbles flying. "What's the point in coming here?"

"Michael wouldn't have sent us on a wild goose chase," Ivy murmured. "There must be something he wants us to do."

"Or maybe he's a douche."

"Indeed," said a disembodied voice behind them.

They all spun around in time to see the archangel materialize before them, his towering form shadowing the tracks.

I was laughing so hard at this line, I was so happy that I was alone when I read this, otherwise I would've looked ridiculous!

I love this book, it's my favourite so far! I have to give it a 3 out of 5 stars! This is definitely a series you should read! 

Happy Wednesday guys!