Review Sunday: The Alfaeren Legacy by Marc Jacobs

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The Alfaeren Legacy #1

Released: 2016

Blurb:

"There are some places in Teynia none were meant to go, hiding secrets none were meant to find. But one morning, sisters Kali and Kilyn Middlethird stumbled upon such a place, and uncovered such a secret. They stood before an enchanted Gate left behind by the Álfaerëns long ago to imprison the Spirit, an evil capable of destroying all of Teynia. If only someone had told the Middlethirds about the Gate, they might not have opened it. Now, Teynia’s fate hinged on the Middlethirds, aided by Ice and the wizard Marac, surviving long enough to find the legendary Portal of Worlds, and the lost descendants of an ancient hero hidden somewhere within the Portal. To save their world, they would have to leave it. Their journey would lead them to Earth, where they would have to decipher age-old clues to find what they were looking for. But if Pennsylvania high school senior, Alexandra Castellano, failed to unravel a thousand year old mystery of her own, buried deep within her family name itself, Teynia would be lost to the Spirit, and Earth was next. And none of them would ever find out who they really were…"

R&R Review Sunday: Touched by Elisa S. Amore

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Touched Saga #1

Goodreads Blurb:

"Based on a Norwegian legend
A Sealed Fate
An Angel of Death
A Forbidden Love

What are you willing to sacrifice when the only person who can save you is the same one who has to kill you?

After vampires and werewolves, after wizards and fallen angels, a new breed of Angels is here to usher you into their dark world. An ancient, deadly, inescapable race.
No one can see them. They’re shadows of destiny. They’re knights of death. They’re the Subterraneans and they’re here to claim our lives.
Commanded by a mysterious congregation called the Màsala, the Angels of Death ensure that each man’s destiny takes its due course on Earth.
But what happens when love intervenes?
Can an Angel of Death deny his own nature and challenge destiny?
Can love rebel against fate?

When Gemma’s eyes first meet the dark, piercing gaze of Evan James, an ominous shadow creeps into her life, ultimately leading her to face her destiny. She doesn't realize Evan is one of Death's soldiers and that Death is summoning her.
Her time is up: Gemma must die . . . and Evan has been sent to kill her.
But what if she’s the only one who can truly see him?

Against every rule. Against fate itself. Against everything and everyone. A story of forbidden love and star-crossed destinies.

Dark. Romantic. Dangerous.

Touched combines devastating passion and unconfessable secrets, heartrending decisions and deep emotions, giving life to a love story as intense as the feelings that unite Evan and Gemma, as inescapable as the destiny that looms over them . . ."

Review Friday: Split Second by Kasie West

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Pivot Point #2

Goodreads Blurb:

"Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too... but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories... once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot... and a future that could change everything."

R&R Review Monday: The Novice's Journal by Lillian Nyato

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The Zoe Brown Trilogy #2

Goodreads Blurb:

"When the pentagram chain was presented into Zoe's world, it changed her overall perspective completely. She became a witch, which was the first of many journeys that she was forced to travel.
But now, the discovery of an old journal raises havoc. It triggers her to revisit her past, confront her darkest fears and deal with a difficult future.
Doomsberg is far from being safe and her family and friends are not spared from the heat.
As if that is not enough, matters of the heart betray her collected composure. She is torn between two suitors who affect her at different intervals. Both of whom are fighting to win her heart.
The Novices Journal is a journey that tests her patience, her courage, her willpower and her emotional stance.

In the process, tough choices must be made, ones that make her grow and others that make her suffer."

 

Review Thursday: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

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Stand-alone

Goodreads Blurb:

"Throughout her career, Margaret Atwood has played with different literary genres in her novels--historical fiction (Alias Grace), pulp fiction (The Blind Assassin), the comedy of manners (The Robber Bride)--but no foray into genre fiction has been as successful as her turn to speculative fiction in The Handmaid's Tale. Published in 1985, it echoes Orwell's 1984and Huxley's Brave New World, but a vibrant feminism drives Atwood's portrait of a futuristic dystopia. In the Republic of Gilead, we see a world devastated by toxic chemicals and nuclear fallout and dominated by a repressive Christian fundamentalism. The birthrate has plunged, and most women can no longer bear children. Offred is one of Gilead's Handmaids, who as official breeders are among the chosen few who can still become pregnant.

The Handmaid's Tale is an imaginatively audacious novel that is at once a page-turning psychological thriller, a moving love story, and a chilling warning about what might be waiting for us around the corner. What ultimately makes it stand out is Atwood's ability to balance a passionate political statement with finely wrought literary fiction. The Handmaid's Tale is a remarkable work by one of Canada's most inventive writers. --Jeffrey Canton"

Book Review Wednesday: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

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Goodreads Blurb:

"Will love conquer all?

Nora and Patch thought their troubles were behind them. Hank is gone and they should be able to put his ugly vendetta to rest. But in Hank's absence, Nora has become the unwitting head of the Nephilim and must finish what Hank began. Which ultimately means destroying the fallen angels - destroying Patch.

Nora will never let that happen, so she and Patch make a plan: lead everyone to believe they have broken up, and work the system from the inside. Nora will convince the Nephilim that they are making a mistake in fighting the fallen angels, and Patch will find out everything he can from the opposing side. They will end this war before it can even begin.

But the best-laid plans often go awry. Nora is put through the paces in her new role and finds herself drawn to an addictive power she never anticipated.

As the battle lines are drawn, Nora and Patch must confront the differences that have always been between them and either choose to ignore them or let them destroy the love they have always fought for."

Book Review Saturday: City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare and A Week In Review

Just like last week, I'm focusing on my R&R books this month so there are no new books to report.  Here's a review though and A Week In Review is at the end!

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

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Blurb:

"The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her—his mother just found out that he’s a vampire, and now he’s homeless. When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

The stakes are higher than ever in the #1 New York Times bestselling fourth installment of the Mortal Instruments series."

Review:

I'm beginning to seriously wonder what is so amazing about this series.  So far, the only book in this series that I remotely liked was City of Glass.  Honestly, if you loved this series, care to clue me in??

So the ending.  I did like how everything came together at the end and there was a consequence for Clary bringing Jace back to life.  However, I feel like the whole Lilith thing could have been better executed.

Speaking of Jace and Clary, I feel like their problems in their relationship were just created so that they'd have something to worry about.  They seemed trivial and had me raising my eyebrows more than a couple times.

I also really didn't like how there was so much going on.  It felt like I never came up for air - in a bad way.  Like I'm drowning and you just want the book to stop already but it keeps on going.  So there's that.

There were a couple things I did like.  As I already mentioned, I liked most of the ending.  I also liked Simon in this book (not the part with Isabelle and Maia but the other part).  Otherwise, most of the characters were a bust for me in this book.

I really don't have much to say... I don't want to start ranting so I'll stop it here.

Final Verdict:

There isn't much going for this book and I'm almost losing hope on this entire series.  I will keep going though  I suppose.  I liked most of the ending but the characters the I know and love from City of Glass are gone and have been replaced by evil and 2D minions.  There was also a LOT going on.

2.5 stars

Quotes:

“You're just worried they'll hire a male instructor and he'll be hotter than you." 
Jace's eyebrows went up. "Hotter than me?" 
"It could happen," Clary said, "You know, theoretically."
"Theoretically the planet could suddenly crack in half, leaving me on one side and you on the other, forever and tragically parted, but I'm not worried about that either. Some things," Jace said, with his customary crooked smile, "are just too unlikely to dwell upon.” 

“You're the first Shadowhunter I've ever met." 
“That’s too bad,” said Jace, “since all the others you meet from now on will be a terrible letdown.” 

“You know, some people think Shadowhunters are just myths. Like mummies and genies." Kyle grinned at Jace. "Can you grant wishes?"
"That depends," he said. "Do you wish to be punched in the face?”

“No. That's Clary; shes's my best friend." Simon pocketed his phone. "And she has a boyfriend. Like, really, really, really has a boyfriend. The nuclear bomb of boyfriends. Trust me on this one.” 

“I suppose you've always been amazing at this stuff."- Clary
"I was born amazing." - Jace” 

“Hearts are breakable," Isabelle said. "And I think even when you heal, you're never what you were before".”

“Or maybe it's just that beautiful things are so easily broken by the world.” 

A Week In Review

Sunday: Review of Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Monday: R&R Review of Elfineness by Tatyana K. Varenko

Tuesday: Book Gif Tag

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday (2)
BONUS Wednesday: MY BOOKS CAME!!

Thursday: R&R Review of Reconciled People by Michael La Ronn

Friday: Review of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn


I just realized that when I was writing this post a couple days ago, I didn't include how I bought The Assassin's Blade, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas this week!  They just arrived on Wednesday so I'm so excited to finally get to read Heir of Fire!!

Book Review Thursday: Pandora's Box by Kayla Jo

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Goodreads Blurb:

"The final installment of the Healer Series comes to a spell-binding close as Willow journeys to find the Gemstone Dagger and save her sisters. Battles have broken out everywhere and threats have been made to unleash the army of the Deadlands to conquer all magical races on Earth. It’s a race to the finish as Willow comes face to face with the evil that has threatened her happily ever after with Declan. Confronting a bitter enemy, a Vampire Lord, and winding up through a deadly labyrinth in a sky castle forces Willow to make a deadly choice. When it comes to choosing between the one she loves or saving her sisters, which will she choose? Can she truly save the world and bring balance back to nature? Sacrifices will be made, friends will be lost, and a mind-blowing secret will be revealed that changes Willow’s life forever."

Review:

So first things first.  This author was wavering between YA and NA.  Some romantic scenes were as chaste as a nun in a church.  Then like 30 pages later, it was getting into some hot and heavy stuff with a lot of detail.  I wouldn't have a problem with that except these characters are all really young.  Like 16.  So when Willow and Declan are debating whether or not to have sex, it made me raise my eyebrows a teeeensy bit.  SPOILER - highlight to read - And then they go and get MARRIED.  What the heck??  I realize they're 'meant to be together' because they compliment eachother and what not but really??

So there's that.  I had another problem with that section of the story.  Willow and Declan go and do their thing and don't give a second though to Chase and Elirana!  No.  Just.  No.

Oh and another thing about the ending - it was so rushed!  The author gave so much time to other parts of the book, couldn't she have allotted an extra 5 pages to the end?

Okay, enough of that bad stuff.  There were some decent things.  The storyline was pretty good and the final battle scene was excellent.  You can also see a huge growth in Willow's character.  So there's that.

Final Verdict:

The ending was just infuriating for me - everything about it irked me.  I also think the author needs to find her voice and what she really wants to write (specifically the genre).  There was a decent plotline and the final battle was pretty good.  Willow grew a lot which is something she really needed.  In this book, the bads just don't outweigh the goods.

2.5 stars