December Reading: A Listening Extravaganza

I haven't posted in a while, but I have a good reason...or two.  Not only was the last part of November soccer tournament season for my son but I have also been spending every passing free moment I had with earbuds in my ears listening to a book series I stumbled upon by complete accident.  In the last month I have listened to all seven of the main books (there are two bonus books) in the Emperor's Edge series.  Needless to say, Audible got some good business and my husband was less than thrilled with me going over my monthly book budget. 

It's hard to explain the setting of this series.  It does have a steampunk aspect to it but I personally think it is more fantasy.  The plot in a few sentences? Hmmm... Enforcer goes rogue and teams up with assassin in order to save a prince who is being plotted against; gathers up unusual yet lovable team of misfits to help and goes up again incredible evil to save the world they live in. Yup, that about sums up the whole series.  Is there action and adventure? Almost constantly.  There is never a dull moment where the pace slows down too much.  Romance?  Yup, but nothing happens for several books so it is a slow build but worth the wait.  Humor? There were many moments when I laughed out loud at the antics of the team.  

If I could give a series more than five stars, I would. I highly recommend it but also warn you that you may get sucked in rather quickly and not come up for air until the seventh book is finished. Click the links below to read the synopsis and the reviews on Amazon.

The Emperor's Edge on Amazon
The Emperor's Edge on Goodreads

Review: Enticing Violence

This is the second book in the Empyrean Chronicles and it was generously given to me in exchange for an honest review after my request to continue the series.  The first story, Enchanting Revenge, was quite engaging and I needed to find out what would happen to the characters next.

Synopsis from Amazon:
Lily and Alec are only pawns in a war much larger than they'd imagined. 
Lily still wants to complete her mission: Avenge her parents. But when Lynn- the leader of the Rebels in Muircadia- is captured, and Rita- daughter to the evil Lord Nettles- is sentenced to death, it's up to Lily, Alec, and the very select few Fae they trust, to try to save them all before it's too late.  When all you do is fight for your life, how do you find time to live? How do you love when hope is always slipping away? 

As I said in my review of the first book in the series, I often find it to be a turn off when a fantasy novel goes overboard. In many fantasy novels, I become bored with the extreme attention given to world building. I find however, that Theresa Jones makes the story the main focus and that's why I read a book.  Of course we learn about setting and history as the story moves forward but it isn't explained in pages and pages of intricate details.  Enticing Violence is a fast moving adventure with stops along the way to appreciate the scenery and learn more about this new realm that Lily is still adjusting to.

The story is hard to put down.  The pacing is fast as the characters desperately search for their friend. There is quite a bit of violence (hence the title) and fighting and some really creative characters, my favorite being the White Stag, who was not only written beautifully but could become invisible and travel to different places in seconds.  I loved how it spoke to Lily telepathically.  Lily and Alec are still the main focus and I also like how the author didn't follow the typical romance path of putting the couple together just to rip them apart over and over again.  While they certainly had a few bumps in the road, they stayed strong for the most part and weren't separated for long periods of time.  I liked the show of power they demonstrated together.

I'm not sure how many books are planned for the series but I will definitely keep reading them.  Lily is on a mission and will eventually take her rightful place on the throne.  I look forward to seeing how it all plays through and what final path each character chooses to take.

                                                                                                                                        

Review: Enchanted Revenge

Enchanted Revenge by Teresa M. Jones was kindly given to me in exchange for an honest review. 

Normally, while I enjoy YA fantasy, I'm not usually attracted to books that revolve around the Fae.  I often find they spend too much time on details about the setting and characters. I did however, like the teaser for this book when it was sent to me and it didn't seem overly intricate so I decided to give it a try. 

Synopsis from Amazon:
When seventeen year old Lily finds her parents brutally murdered, leaving her broken and alone, she is determined to bring justice to the fairies responsible. Her quest leads her to infiltrate The Empyrean, the land of the Fae where terrifying creatures lurk in every shadow. But with a political rebellion mounting, bloody battles and foreign enemies stand in her way. Alec, a mysterious fairy keeping his own secrets, gradually becomes her guide and dear friend in the unfamiliar world, and restores her faith in love. Disturbing secrets about her parent’s true identity are revealed, causing her to be more involved with the devastating fairy war than she can afford. Her vengeful mission becomes compromised and her growing romance with Alec wavers. She must conquer her fear of the unknown, ignore her grief, and overcome her growing list of enemies if she is to succeed in avenging her parents’ death. Or ever make it out alive. 

I'm quite glad that I gave this book a chance.  I knew as soon as I read the first chapter that it would be the kind of book I would want to finish in only a couple of sittings. Hence, the iPad began to travel with me wherever I went for a couple of days so that I could read during any free moments I could spare.  The opening of the book is a bit brutal but this is part of what makes it hard to put down. It grabbed me right from the beginning. Lily, the main character, is portrayed well.  Her role as a girl whose parents were brutally murdered is believable.  I felt connected to her emotions as she moved between anguish, fury, hopelessness, and fear while she tried to cope with her drastically changing world.  Her companion and supporter, Alec, helps her to deal with what is happening to her as she searches for the Fae who killed her family.  They make a great team and his story is as tragic as hers.  They compliment each other nicely.  The setting was lovely and not overwhelming to the senses.  I enjoyed reading about the cities and villages and hearing the history of the world and the fears about what would befall it in the future if no one stood up to save it. I also liked that the romance between the two main characters isn't always at the forefront of the story and the characters are flawed and not cookie cutter perfect in appearance or actions. They are on a mission and have no qualms about what needs to be done to avenge their loved ones. There is some violence but I think this added a nice edge to the story. I'm really looking forward to the next book and also hoping that the characters get to stay together in the story since they have already experienced so much loss.  A girl can hope!


Click on the book cover above to purchase on Amazon.  
Click here to check out more about the author.  

                                                                                            

Review: Nightfall

So, I was browsing in the bookstore while waiting for my son and his friends to come out of the movie theater when Nightfall caught my eye.  I had never read anything by this author before but I loved the cover and the teaser sounded promising. Normally, I try not to buy hardcover books due to their cost, but I figured my son could read it too so it would be worth the money.

Synopsis from Amazon:
On Marin’s island, sunrise doesn’t come every twenty-four hours—it comes every fourteen years. Now the sun is just a sliver of light on the horizon. The weather is turning cold and the shadows are growing long. Because sunset triggers the tide to roll out hundreds of miles, the islanders are frantically preparing to sail south, where they will wait out the long Night. Marin and her twin brother, Kana, help their anxious parents ready the house for departure. Locks must be taken off doors. Furniture must be arranged. Tables must be set. The rituals are puzzling—bizarre, even—but none of the adults in town will discuss why it has to be done this way. Just as the ships are about to sail, a teenage boy goes missing—the twins’ friend Line. Marin and Kana are the only ones who know the truth about where Line’s gone, and the only way to rescue him is by doing it themselves. But Night is falling. Their island is changing.


What did I think? Well, I liked it.  It was different and the plot was fairly original although I did have some deja vu here and there of other popular stories/fairy tales. The characters were likable and as before they were even left behind, I began developing theories.  While my basic idea of what was going to happen when night fell was correct, the story ended up being a bit more fantastical than I originally thought.  There were some imaginative creatures and an added mystery/subplot involving one of the main characters in the story which was quite interesting.  All in all, the book was fun and unique with a decent amount of adventure and suspense.  My 12 year old son is now enjoying it as well, and while he usually has one book at home and one at school, he is enjoying this one enough to be traveling with it back and forth.  I would have liked to have seen a bit more of an ending but maybe there will be a sequel in the future that will answer my lingering questions and ideas about what happens to the characters next.