I'm having my first book hangover, send help | A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas

Published: May 3rd 2016 by Bloomsbury Children's Books

Genre: new adult, fantasy, retelling

Goodreads summary: Feyre is immortal.

After rescuing her lover Tamlin from a wicked Faerie Queen, she returns to the Spring Court possessing the powers of the High Fae. But Feyre cannot forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people - nor the bargain she made with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court.

As Feyre is drawn ever deeper into Rhysand's dark web of politics and passion, war is looming and an evil far greater than any queen threatens to destroy everything Feyre has fought for. She must confront her past, embrace her gifts and decide her fate.

She must surrender her heart to heal a world torn in two.

REVIEW

This is just Sarah J. Maas' best book yet. Now, I just want to reread the four Throne of Glass books. A Court of Mist and Fury is huge and here is the thing: I read it in less than 24 hours. From the moment I opened it, I almost couldn’t do anything else, but read. I stayed up until 2 a.m. -because I needed a steamy scene first- and had to reason with myself, because I needed sleep, but if I had been on holidays, I wouldn’t have slept all night.

A Court of Mist and Fury picked up three months after the ending of the first book and we saw Feyre dealing with PTSD and depression, which was pretty realistic. The book was a little slow in the beginning, I admit it, but it was to show all her character development since Under the Mountain. Because she grew up a lot, her views on the Spring Court and Tamlin were quite different, and actually, I could understand her. She felt like the world was moving too fast around her and that she hadn’t adjusted to it yet. During the whole novel, Feyre also trained because of her new powers and because she needed to make a difference, and I admired her so much.

This second book expanded the world so much. In A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre didn’t see much of the world because of the threat and controlling issues of someone *coughs*. Seeing other parts of this world truly showed how Sarah J. Maas excelled at world-building and implied that the issues were so much bigger. The retelling aspect were pretty loose in this one, but I loved the aspect of acceptance, no matter what the other did. When the first book was more romance-driven, the plot took the main stage in this one. I could definitely say that the stakes were so much higher and it showed in all the politics. Some plot twists had me screaming out loud, until finally, I sobbed because of the ending. The third book will totally be intense.

Sarah J. Maas also introduced us to some new and interesting characters. When I wrote my review for the first book, I was saying that Rhysand was the most interesting character, and we finally got his backstory (aka mostly chapter 54 <3), which made everything click into place. Like I said, I found he made questionable decisions in ACOTAR, but it was finally explained… And I think I would have done the same thing that he did. Also, he’s just so sexy, caring and powerful. Just like that, he joined my book boyfriends gang (I need to revise my list btw). We also meet his friends and I loved them so much. They had these family dynamics I love and they were quite sassy and funny. The author took the time to explain each of their backstory, so they felt really fleshed out. Among them, there were some strong and independent women, Maas truly knows how to write this type of characters. I would have liked to see more of Lucien, but we didn’t see Tamlin for 90% of the book so it made sense. But still, I needed Lucien’s sass (also we have a similar name, so there’s that!).

For the romance, my feels are ALL OVER THE PLACE. If you don’t know Sarah J. Maas’ twists on the romance, there will spoilers for that in the next sentences (so skip the next two paragraphs!). But truly, many readers had no doubt on what would happen. At the end of the first book, I was more rooting for Rhysand than Tamlin, but I needed explanations first and they made sense. It also made me respect Rhys even more, because of all he had to endure. Moreover, for her romances, Maas writes characters that already have experiences (thanks God, no innocent maiden here!) and don’t find true love the first time around, and it made sense, because that’s not how it happens in real life. I wouldn’t say there is a love triangle, it’s just that Feyre’s growth made her aware of problematic comportments Tamlin had. She also despised herself at some point, because she was falling for someone else. I truly don’t think Tamlin’s character was destroyed for the romance, I think that Feyre just opened her eyes. Also, I had totally seen the big revelation coming after the first book, but my shipper heart was so happy!

Here, it was a slow-burning romance that made sense, between characters who saw each other as equals. I loved seeing them bickering for so long and there was so much chemistry and sexual tension between them. I was on the edge of my seat because I wanted the steamy scenes to happen so badly and that’s 99% the reason I stayed up until 2 a.m. (I went into bed straight up after) and it was so good. Be warned that it’s more graphic than in the first book though, but I really didn’t mind, considering the characters. Nevertheless, saying “to fuck someone” isn’t sexy Rhys (you still were though, but this phrase is awful).

Overall, A Court of Mist and Fury was much better than the first book. I know that some readers didn’t like that one, mostly because it was so romance-driven, but have no fear, for this one isn’t like that. The plot was way more developed and the characters had a goal. Of course, there was still romance, but this tension will make anyone wanting for it to happen. Maas introduced some amazing characters and I can’t wait to see where their storylines will go. The ending made me cry so much and I just need the third one now, but at the same time, I don’t want to because it will be the end? I don’t know, just read this amazing fantasy novel. 

Other:

• My review for A Court of Thorns and Roses

Have you read A Court of Mist and Fury yet? Do you love this series? Which one of Sarah's books is your favourite?

Life isn't a fairy tale | The Shadow Queen & The Great Hunt

The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire #1) by C.J. Redwine

Published: February 16th 2016 by Balzer + Bray

Genre: young adult, fantasy, retelling

Goodreads summary: 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.

REVIEW

I was excited for this one and I was so right! It hooked me from the first page – with a prologue that led Lorelai and her brother to flee the castle – and it was a hard one to put down. I think that it was Russian-inspired, which I loved. It was set in an interesting world with dragons (so basically, yes! It’s so rare to have dragons), witches, faeries and so on. While I really liked learning about this world, I would have liked to know why there were dragons only in this kingdom or faeries only in that one. But that’s a minor issue that I had, since the rest was amazing. It was also a dark world, because Irina was sucking everything up.

I loved the characters. Lorelai wasn’t a damsel in distress, which you would expect from Snow White, she was powerful and tough. I had a hard time liking Kol in the beginning, but he went through a lot of character development and evil influence *cough*, I loved him at the end of the novel. He was the huntsman and the prince at the same time, so of course it was a nice twist. I can’t tell you if it had anything similar with the movie with Chris Hemsworth and Kristen Stewart, because I haven’t watched it. I shipped Lorelai and Kol so much and the ending! Oh, my heart <3. They went through so much together, poor babies. I liked that C.J. Redwine gave a realistic backstory to the Evil Queen, because I could understand why she was doing this. It didn’t mean I liked her but I noticed the effort. The secondary characters were all really enjoyable; they made me laugh a lot.

The plot was captivating and action-packed; I didn’t have a page to be bored. Also, Irina had a pet snake so I was very, very scared, and the story was also brutal, with no one was safe. But well, this world is in darkness and the peasants have nothing so yeah, it made sense. It was such a gripping story that when I got into it… I couldn’t stop until I finished. It was a good retelling where everyone was so much badass than in the original tale. But what would you expect with dragons? *grins like an idiot*

Overall, this one is now a favourite and I’m really excited for the second book. But I’m crying because there is nothing on Goodreads yet and I don’t want to wait another year for that awesomeness. Also, I think it could be a companion series, so the other kingdoms? Please? I just need it.

The Great Hunt (Eurona Duology #1) by Wendy Higgins

Published: March 8th 2016 by

Genre: young adult, fantasy, retelling

Goodreads summary: “Aerity…” Her father paused as if the words he was forming pained him. “I must ask you to sacrifice the promise of love for the sake of our kingdom.”

She could only stare back, frozen.

When a strange beast terrorizes the kingdom of Lochlanach, fear stirs revolt. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity knows her duty to the kingdom but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger…until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. There’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast—but the princess continues to surprise him, and the perilous secrets he’s buried begin to surface.

Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.

REVIEW

I think this is another case where I didn’t like the author’s debut but enjoyed her new series: it has been the case with Melissa Landers and Rae Carson already, so that’s basically proving that second chances can be necessary. The Great Hunt isn’t the best book out there, I actually found it pretty average, but I still liked it.

My main issue with this book was that it was so slow. In the beginning, I wasn’t really into it for that reason; I liked it better after but… It was repetitive, there were only small parts about the hunt and other than that… It was really about the romance *sigh*. I’m not surprised, because Sweet Evil focused a lot on the romance, but still, I wished for something else. Moreover, I wished we knew more about the world-building: how did the world come to be? Why are some people Lashed and some others Unlashed? In the end, I would have liked to have answers to these questions, but I think we’ll learn more about the Lashed in the next book.

The plot was alright, but it wasn’t original at all. It’s also a plot you would expect from a fairy tale and the author still managed to make it unique but the fact that it dragged made me lack of interest at some point. I found the characters to be pretty average, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t relate to them. I liked the main characters though, but I just don't think the secondary characters were memorable. I found the romance to have a little instalove: basically, Aerity was drawn to Paxton because he was the only one who wouldn’t talk to her… *coughs* It was so cliché, but the author wrote the romance well, so it was quite bearable.

I didn’t know the tale, The Singing Bone, when I went into this one and I really enjoyed that, it made the book more unique because let’s face it… How many retelling of Snow White (see above) or Beauty and the Beast do we have? TONS. It was quite refreshing to discover a new tale. You can read the tale beforehand, since the story is more inspired by it. It doesn't spoil anything big in the story. I found an aspect of the ending to be unexpected, which made it worth it to endure all the slowness of the book before. Moreover, I was afraid that we wouldn’t see a lot of women in this book, because men are supposed to hunt, not women, but the more time passed, the more joined the hunt. They could have been seen as worthless in the beginning, but they proved that they could be just as good as any men. You rock, Aerity!

Overall, it was better than Sweet Evil, but it was really slow, which killed the story a little. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the writing and reading about this story. I liked the ending and I’m actually eager to read the next book in this duology, because it could be really good! It didn’t really end on a cliff-hanger, because it’s obvious where it’s going, but I’m excited for it.

Nota Bene: I love the cover! Also, the main character isn't ginger but strawberry blonde, the cover designers kinda messed it up and the author didn't have a say in it. :(

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? If not, do you plan on picking them up? Did you liked these authors' previous series?

A compelling Aladdin retelling | The Forbidden Wish

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

Published: February 23rd 2016 by Razorbill

Genre: young adult, retelling, fantasy

Goodreads summary: She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world... 

When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years -- a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes. 

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

REVIEW

Since the beginning of the year, I've been looking for an AMAZING book about jinnis. I've tried Exquisite Captive and Rebel of the Sands, but neither did the trick for me. But finally, I picked up The Forbidden Wish… And it totally worked. It was my first book by this author, I'll check her Goodreads page to see if I'm interested in her other works, because this one was amazing.

This book is an Aladdin retelling and I must say it's the first that I read. It was indeed reminiscent of it, but a lot of things changed, which made it even better. First off, the genie is a girl, which changed a lot. We still saw an evil Jafar, a kick-ass Jasmine and a weak king - they didn't have the same names, but it's who they were. I found this book to be more complex than I was expecting, because it was so much more than an Aladdin retelling. The writing was vivid and I really enjoyed it, I felt like it fitted the story so well.

I struggled a little to get into it, I'll admit that. I read the first chapter but totally wasn't in the mood, then read a book I knew I would love and then got back to it. After that, I got hooked and read it in a few sittings. I liked that the plot was pluri-dimensional, because it was about Aladdin's wishes and revenge, about Zahra and her freedom, but also the fate of the kingdom. Since we were in her head during the whole book, I loved Zahra's storyline even more, but I wished it would have been developed sooner. This book is mostly set in the palace and I admit that at some point, I wanted more things to happen there, because it was a little monotonous. But things picked up soon after, so I was satisfied. Within the palace there were dinners, dancing, spying and action scenes, I couldn't have asked for any better.

The world building was phenomenal. Even if the characters almost only stayed in the city, we learnt a lot about the outside world, but also about the history, thanks to Zahra who is over 4.000 years old. Learning about Roshana's time was really interesting and added a lot to the story. I loved learning about the jinnis, with different types of them, but also they're hierarchy. Their world also inflicted on Zahra's story, since she was on a mission to gain her freedom. Moreover, a law forbad jinnis to love a human, and it also included friendship, which was really interesting and didn't put all focus on the romance.

I loved every character, even if I struggled a little to keep up with all the names. Aladdin was different from the original story, he was flirting all the time, but I didn't mind it, I still liked him. It was interesting to learn about his backstory and how everyone expected him to lead a rebellion when he just wanted to live. Zahra was much  more serious, because she knew of the consequences of her actions. I was able to relate to her pretty easily since I was in her head and saw all her weaknesses and mistakes, it was really enjoyable since she was supposed to be so mighty. Caspida was also an amazing character, she was bounded to be queen but wanted to be different from other rulers, I really enjoyed reading about her. The Watchmaidens were so kick-ass, I loved them and the idea of them. Like asezfhzei. Most of the time, in YA fiction, the main character is a girl and we don't see a lot of other interesting girls around her but here… Female characters were all over the place and I loved that. It makes me rejoice every time, because it changes from the usual trope.

I was scared the romance would be all over the place, but it wasn't the case. I liked the way it built up since the beginning of the book. Since the first pages you could feel the chemistry between the characters (I loved when Aladdin called her Smoky, it was so funny) and it didn't felt pushed. Moreover, they had a lot at stakes, which also made them think about it -- especially Zahra. It also changed from the original story, where the thief fell in love with the princess.

Towards the end, this book reached such a climax, I was on the edge of my seat and wanted to know how it would end. It was gripping and I wasn't disappointed at all. I was scared the ending would be a little too open for me, but a last chapter wrapped things up nicely and it was an open ending, since it was a standalone, but there were hints there was room for more. Like someone is called Sinbad so ummm? Companion novel anyone? I wouldn't mind it, but this book was great as a standalone.

 Overall, you should definitely read this book, a compelling Aladdin retelling. It was set in an interesting world and featured amazing characters. The plot definitely kept me entertained, even if I had wished for a bit more when the characters first arrived at the palace. I found it to be pretty unique and I found my jinni book, so my heart is so happy!

Do you love Aladdin? Have you read this book/are you planning to? 

Do you know other retellings of Aladdin? 

Do you know great books with jinnis (I'm hunting them... In a good way ;))?

Rapunzel in a world made of darkness | Reign of Shadows

Reign of Shadows (Reign of Shadows #1) by Sophie Jordan

Published: February 9th 2016 by Harper Teen

Genre: Young Adult, High fantasy, Fairy Tales

Goodreads summary:  Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

With lush writing and a star–crossed romance, Reign of Shadowsis Sophie Jordan at her best.

REVIEW

I went into this with the lowest expectations and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Some people said this book didn't have a point, but I don't fully agree. The point of this book was to survive. To be safe. So of course, it wasn't possible considered what a brutal world it was set in, but that was the plot guys. I'm defending this book because it's so much better than Uninvited, the other book I read by this author. Nevertheless, I think it would have been better with a bigger goal, because I was skeptical to where the author was going with this.

Reign of Shadows is loosely based upon Rapunzel, I was happy about that, because the only retelling of that story that I read was Cress. Rapunzel isn't the most used fairy tales, when retellings are involved. The main character lives in a tower because she's the lost princess of Relhok and is in hiding because of the king found her, he would kill her on sight. There is other reasons for her to stay in the tower, it's actually a little twist to the original tale, it surprised me and made the book so much more interesting. This book didn't really followed the original tale, even though you could find some elements of it in a twisted way, it felt like Easter eggs I needed to retrieve. 

In the beginning, Luna's world is turned upside down when she saves two boys and a girl in the forest. First, she meets new people, when she only knew Sivio and Perla, who raised her. Obviously, she is compelled to the boy closer to her age, because she never met a boy and she's seventeen, it's to be expected. A little farther into the book, she has to run away from the life she always knew, with this mysterious and distant Fowler.

I really enjoyed the characters. Luna was a strong young woman and proved every time to Fowler that she was very capable and didn't need him. Sometimes, I even wondered how he had managed to survive for so long considering how much he came to need her. Fowler remained mysterious for the most part of the book, even though we got glimpses of his past. A few pages before the end, he revealed a lot more about himself and now... <b>I'm craving more backstory, okay?<b> Because we got both points of view, I'm really involved with these characters and I can't wait to read what happens next. I liked the romance between the characters, it was a "I'm pretending I don't want to get attached but it's not true" kind of thing, but Fowler actually had logical reasons, he wasn't just being a jerk. 

I will admit that I found this book to be a bit slow. It's only 304 pages long and Luna run away from the tower 35% in, it was definitely slow to start, but it allowed me to understand this world a little better. The pacing wasn't on point, because even though <b>I never got bored</b> (this book captured my attention all the way), there wasn't a lot happening and then the last pages were gripping and ended on a cliff-hanger. I think I got fascinated by the world all the way, like Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I was just reading as much as I could. Sophie Jordan managed to get me to be fully into the story. Even though it was slow, I didn't find the book was dragging, and it's a good thing considering the length, I would have been worried, ha-ha.

Some people said it focused a lot on the romance, it's not exactly. I'd like to remind (potential) readers that:

a) Fowler and Luna were alone most of the time so it's logical we're hearing about them and no one else, right? 

b) he was the first person Luna got a relation with, except for her foster parents, so it seemed logical? 

This book felt more like an <b>introduction</b> to this series, it totally felt like a first book, where everything was introduced.

The highlight of this book was the world. I found it fascinating, because it was totally in darkness, characters were desperate to survive and where ready to <b>anything</b> to have more rations and so on. We have hints of rape, sacrifices, what a time to rejoice, you guys. But I actually liked that it was brutal like that? At some point there was a guy walking around with a bag full of heads, OMG. 

What I first though of when the dwellers were introduced. *shivers*

Moreover, because Luna never got away from the forest around the tower, the reader is discovering the world at the same time as she does, it was enjoyable. However, I would have liked to know:

a) why the eclipse? 

b) how did the dwellers came to be? 

I think we'll have answers in the next book, but it confused me a little in this one.

Overall, I really enjoyed this world, but it was lacking a "big goal" in the beginning. The world and atmosphere were on point and frightening, but I loved reading about somewhere that was fully in the dark. This first book was more of a survival story and helped create the dynamics between the characters. The story wasn't particularly exciting, but we got revelations in the last few pages, as well as a cliff-hanger, so I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!

Do you know more Rapunzel retellings? Do you plan on reading this book? Do you love Disney's animated movie Tangled?

A high fantasy with violence but all about family | Princess of Thorns

Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay

Published: December 9th 2014 by Delacorte Press

Genre: YA high fantasy

Goodreads summary:Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?

REVIEW

This book IS NOT a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, it's a continuation of the story. We see Sleeping Beauty at the beginning… And she doesn't really have a happily ever after. It broke me. I might be traumatized because DISNEY YOU LIED TO US, IT IS NOT OKAY. No but seriously, the prologue was so sad and brutal, but it worked and threw me in this story right away.

WHAT I LIKED

1. It features a strong sibling relationship. Aurora and Jor's mom died when she was seven and he was four so of course they love each other more than anything else in the world because FAMILY. It was so beautiful, because for Aurora, no matter how dangerous, all she wanted was to save her brother. I totally respected her for that. You know what matters, girl.

2. We got two points of view, but both were necessary for the story, it wasn't just about being the points of view of the ship, you know? Aurora had her problems like saving her brother, her kingdom, and she's kind of cursed. She's also super badass and actually better than Niklaas. It almost never happens so I was pleased. Niklaas is also cursed and wants to marry Aurora to break it. I loved that aspect because it was a retelling about the princes turned into swans. It was pretty cooled because I thought I would have Sleeping Beauty but then I got another fairy tale. I totally approved.

Alan Rickman

3. But the thing is, Aurora was posing for her brother Jor. I know "a girl disguises as a boy and everyone believes it" is a total trope, but I really liked the was it was done here.

4. I really enjoyed the romance and for the most part it wasn't a priority, because Niklaas thought Aurora was a boy. And after that, they kept fighting each other. But they were perfect together and I was so happy about the ending. Aurora cursed also got in the way a lot, oh my! It was sooooo sad.

5. It was violent and didn't try to hide it. So yes, Jor was tortured and it was awful but sadly... It is how it happens when you're captured. I think that's why it got compared to Game of Thrones. 

6. The world was really interesting, with different kingdoms and a lot of different creatures (ogres, fairies…).

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER

1. It's a very typical plot so nothing really surprised me. But it was still really enjoyable to read.

2. It was really info-dumpy at the beginning, so I totally got lost. But at the same time, I didn't understand how this world came to be and I wanted more information about fairies, ogres and everything, because it had so much potential. For example, Aurora and Jor are briar-born. Okay, but what does that really mean? I'd have loved to know more.

 3. The point of view of the ogre queen confused me, because she used "we" to speak and sometimes, I didn't understand why it was important to have it there.

 Overall, it was a great book about the importance of family, it was one of my favourite aspects of the book. It was an enjoyable read but it wasn't thrilling, it missed a spark and that's why I can't rate it higher.

An entertaining Snow White retelling with a Sci-Fi twist | Stitching Snow

Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

Published: October 14th 2014 by Disney-Hyperion

Genre: YA Sci-Fi Fairy Tale Retelling

Goodreads summary: Princess Snow is missing.

Her home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back—but that’s assuming she wants to return at all.

Essie has grown used to being cold. Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero, and she fills her days with coding and repairs for the seven loyal drones that run the local mines.

When a mysterious young man named Dane crash-lands near her home, Essie agrees to help the pilot repair his ship. But soon she realizes that Dane’s arrival was far from accidental, and she’s pulled into the heart of a war she’s risked everything to avoid. With the galaxy’s future—and her own—in jeopardy, Essie must choose who to trust in a fiery fight for survival.

REVIEW

The question everyone is asking about this book is: Is it similar to the Lunar Chronicles? Honestly, it didn't feel like it, even though a lot of people said it. Sure, you can see little similarities here or there, because they're both Sci-Fi Fairy Tale Retelling. The story is based upon the classic trope : "missing princess comes back to reclaim her throne", but I really enjoyed the way it was done, because Essie didn't exactly come back willingly at first, she grows used to the idea of being Windsong's queen, that's all.

Essie was an amazing main character. The first scene of the book shows her fighting miners in a cage, she was pretty tough. She lives on Thanda, a cold planet where there are mostly miners. The area she lives in is only composed of men, but that doesn't stop her from refusing all of them and being an independent woman. She doesn't have a perfect life, but she manages with her seven drones - which were obviously the dwarves. Dimwit, the silly one, was my favourite, he was so funny. Back to Essie, she was an anti-trope character, from her real name (Snowflake) to the fact that she dyed her hair red (which is the typical heroine hair colour) to hide what her real hair looks like. She had a really interesting development during this book, because she started as a character who just wanted to hide, to a taken one, to a rebel, to a queen.

Essie's life starts to change when Dane crashes in a shuttle near her home. She helps him to fix it, even if I wondered why she really did, since she's the kind of character that doesn't trust a soul (and is right). From that starts a crazy spaceship's ride on three different planets. I enjoyed reading about all of them, but I could have done with a little more detailed, actually. Something I really enjoyed about this world was the Exiled arc of the story, because they more or less had the ability to go into other people's bodies. It was really interesting to read about, but I wished we had seen more of it and it would have been explained. Overall, I don't know why they were different from the others: are they aliens? Or was it just special abilities? I wish I knew.

The romance was enjoyable and wasn't instalove-y at all. Even if this book is a standalone, there really is development in the relationship between Essie and Dane. At first, she doesn't know what to do with his friendship, because she wasn't sure she could trust him. It was pretty obvious he liked her, but she wasn't used to that kind of thing, it was so adorable!

The fairy tale retelling was nicely done, with a queen who works with poisons, an unsure king who was actually the villain, a different kissing scene that what would be expected. Dane even has SEVEN freckles, I found it really funny!

The plot was simple but really enjoyable to read about, I wasn't bored a single moment. It's not perfect since I would have liked a little more motives for the "villains", I couldn't really understand them and they were one dimensional, I'm disappointed in that aspect. It was nice to have a last chapter that could be an epilogue, a "what happens next", even if it was set in the near future for the characters.

This book was an eventful and evenly paced read, I was really happy about it since it's a standalone. It was a very pleasing one and I'm looking forward to read Spinning Starlight, even though it's not set in the same universe.

Overall, this book was a quick read that definitely entertained me even if I wasn't blown away with what happened, since it was a classic plot. I really enjoyed the characters, the romance and the fairy tale retelling aspect of the story, but I could have done with a little more world building - even if I understand it was hard to do since it was only a standalone.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Have you picked up the companion, Spinning Starlight, yet?

Hello there, second book syndrome! | The Wicked Will Rise

Title: The Wicked will rise (Dorothy Must Die #2)
Author: Danielle Paige
Published: March 31st 2015 by HarperCollins

Goodreads summary: In this dark, high-octane sequel to the New York Times bestsellingDorothy Must Die, Amy Gumm must do everything in her power to kill Dorothy and free Oz.

To make Oz a free land again, Amy Gum was given a mission: remove the Tin Woodman’s heart, steal the Scarecrow’s brain, take the Lion’s courage, and then Dorothy must die...

But Dorothy still lives. Now the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked has vanished, and mysterious Princess Ozma might be Amy’s only ally. As Amy learns the truth about her mission, she realizes that she’s only just scratched the surface of Oz’s past—and that Kansas, the home she couldn't wait to leave behind, may also be in danger. In a place where the line between good and evil shifts with just a strong gust of wind, who can Amy trust—and who is really Wicked?

REVIEW

I talk a lot about Second Book Syndrome, because I’m always scared a second book will just be a transition. Here, it was totally the case and you can see it because of the number of pages. The hardcover of Dorothy Must Die is 452 pages long, but The Wicked Will Rise was 293 pages long. Well, that’s an issue.

WHAT MADE ME WANT TO BE HAPPY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RAINBOW

1)      The beginning was fast-paced, we got to see Amy fight the Lion and everyone was scared of her. I really enjoyed that scene which showed how much Amy grew since the first book. It was a really good scene that put me straight back into the story.

2)      We got to explore a lot more of this world, because the book is mainly about Amy’s journey, first to the Monkey’s Kingdom, then to the other side of the rainbow. Paige was successful in expanding her world, I think it’s my favourite aspect of the book.

3)      We got an explanation for the link about Oz and Kansas, it was interesting!

HOWEVER I DISLIKED MOST OF THE BOOK AND ALMOST WANTED THE SCARECROW TO END MY SUFFERINT (WELL, MAYBE NOT A GOOD IDEA)

1)      This book was BORING because I don’t feel like a lot happened.

2)      I loathe the romance SOOOOO MUCH.

3)      Nothing happened and that at the end I guess I was supposed to wake up and follow what was happening but I didn’t understand anything. It was like NOTHING NOTHING UM NOTHING INFO DUMP YOU WON’T UNDERSTAND A THING AND BE CONFUSED MUHAHAHA.

The real question is: will I read the next book? Honestly, I’m not sure. I’m afraid I won’t like it and I will probably forget everything about this series before it’s released. But, well, I’m not saying I won’t read it ever. I also might give another chance at Danielle Paige because apparently she’s coming with a new series that I might enjoy more. She has great ideas for world building, it could work this time.

Have you read this book? Did you enjoyed it more than me (I wish you did)? Are you planning to read the last one in the series?