Was it about Romeo or the future Blackbeard? | Blackhearts

Blackhearts (Blackhearts #1) by Nicole Castroman

Published: February 9th 2016 by Simon Pulse

Genre: young adult, historical, retelling

Goodreads summary: Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything.

Edward "Teach" Drummond, son of one of Bristol's richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There's just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following her parents' deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she's stuck in England? 

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.

REVIEW

I was intrigued by Blackhearts because it is a historical fiction novel, but also because it was an origin story for the pirate Blackbeard. I shared my favourite things in books list last week and I was talking about ships. Be warned: all the excitement on ships will take place during the second book (at least I hope), so this one IS NOT a pirate story, it focused on the romance between the main characters.

I really enjoyed the two main characters. Even if their social backgrounds should have kept them apart, they wanted the same thing: to be free. If Teach was bound by an engagement, Anne was trapped because she was a maid and didn’t have money to leave. Anne was sharp-tongued and strong; it was a delight to have her as a lead. She had to face so much racism, but also sexual assault in the beginning, and still she was moved by her desire to get away, for her better life. Teach came from a favoured background, but because he was just coming back from a year at sea, he had already been through his character development, which was interesting, because we had parallels between who he used to be and who he now was.

My feelings on the romance are quite mixed. When Anne and Teach were introduced to each other, I was so disgusted by his comportment and wasn’t happy it would end in a romance. Of course, I totally understand that in the 17^th century, maids were pursued, but still. After that, I still found that the author made some progress and I liked the slow-burn between our two characters. My other problem with this romance was that: ‘they were made for each other, would always find each other’ and it had been weeks. I was like: “wow, slow down guys” and also, I don’t like this “made for each other” trope anymore, so there’s that. It's too cheesy for me, sorry.

The plot wasn’t the main focus on the novel at all, it was mostly the romance. This first book was about the characters trying to get away so it was a little slow in my opinion, even if the beginning gripped me and I didn’t want to let go of the book. The author still managed to keep me interested during the novel, which I applaud. Moreover, at some point, there was a twist I wasn’t expecting at all, which always makes me happy. To be honest, I think that all the fun will be in the second book and it will focus more on the plot. Blackhearts was more of an introduction to this world and I think it would have been a shame if there had never been a second book.

I liked the world-building, even if there wasn’t tons of it. I don’t really remember reading which year it was set in, and at some point they were talking about the end of the Nine War so I figured it out, because I’m a history student. But it’s also very possible I skim read. *hides* I liked the parallels the author made with Blackbeard, for example his ship is “Queen Anne’s Revenge” and his love interest was Anne, so I loved that! Moreover, the last sentence of the book made me have feels, because it’s happening, you guys. The fact that the author explained how she came up with her ideas was also very interesting, because it made sense… But less romance would have been great, thanks!

Overall, this book is more of an historical romance than anything and even if I had been warned of that, I don’t think the romance was enough to carry the whole book, especially when I had issues about it. Nevertheless, I loved Anne and Teach’s characters and I can’t wait to see where their journey will take them. I will definitely read the second book, but I think this one was more of an introduction.

Have you read Blackhearts? What did you think of it? Do you love pirate books (yaaaas!)?

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?

5 reasons why I didn't like Tell the Wind and Fire

Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan

Published: April 5th 2016 by Clarion Books

Genre: young adult, dystopia, fantasy, retelling

Goodreads summary: In a city divided between opulent luxury in the Light and fierce privations in the Dark, a determined young woman survives by guarding her secrets. 

Lucie Manette was born in the Dark half of the city, but careful manipulations won her a home in the Light, celebrity status, and a rich, loving boyfriend. Now she just wants to keep her head down, but her boyfriend has a dark secret of his own—one involving an apparent stranger who is destitute and despised.

Lucie alone knows of the deadly connection the young men share, and even as the knowledge leads her to make a grave mistake, she can trust no one with the truth.

Blood and secrets alike spill out when revolution erupts. With both halves of the city burning, and mercy nowhere to be found, can Lucie save either boy—or herself?

Celebrated author Sarah Rees Brennan tells a magical tale of romance and revolution, love and loss.

REVIEW

After seeing a lot of negative and DNF reviews of Tell the Wind and Fire, I had lowered my expectations but well… There was a reason so many people didn’t like it, and I’m totally joining them. I’m sad that I disliked it so much, because it was inspired by Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, a classic I love. Moreover, I’m disappointed because for once the main character had the same name as mine, but I didn’t really connect to her. This one really didn’t work for me and I gave it my lowest rating ever, sadly. In this post, I’m talking about why I didn’t like it.

1 – This book was cliché. It was just another dystopia where a girl -special snowflake of course- ignited and became the symbol of the rebellion, when she acted to get her father out of the “bad world” and didn’t want any part of it. Moreover, this world was literally black-and-white, with a Dark City and a Light City, which was way too simplistic. Everywhere, we saw it’s about nuances of grey and there we have the clear separation. Of course, it’s talked about later on, but still.

2 – The world-building was lacking and was delivered as info-dump. Okay, this totally seems like a paradox, but that’s what happened. At some point, the main character said she should explain the world, because it would make more sense and then she does that for a whole chapter. It’s definitely not how you should introduce the world. This info-dump wasn’t even disguised. Moreover, we never get to know how humans discover magic, it just happened. This world appeared magically, almost from nowhere, it’s an evolution of ours but how did we do it?

3 – It had a love triangle with the bad guy trope. At the beginning of the book, Lucie is doing everything to save her boyfriend, Ethan. At the same time, she basically meets his evil twin and a love triangle ensue. That’s… Unoriginal. I don’t understand how readers can fall over Carswyn: of course, he has a tragic backstory to explain all of his bad actions, but it’s not because he’s redeeming himself at the end of the story that I will feel anything for him. He treated Lucie like shit during almost the whole book, clearly enjoying passing for Ethan to kiss her and all. I’m sorry, but no. Moreover, I didn’t feel the chemistry between Ethan and Lucie. So yes, I didn’t fall for the romance at all.

4 – I didn’t care for the characters. From the beginning, they were putting up acts for everyone, to convince their audience they were innocent and kind. Mostly, they felt one-dimensional and unmemorable. Lucie was okay I guess, but she felt like a hundred heroines I’ve read before, a special snowflake that will change the whole world. I liked that she didn’t want the revolution and that she wanted to be safe though, because it felt more realistic: we don’t all want to be heroes. During the whole book, Ethan was threatened because he was accused of treason. But sadly, I didn’t really care about him, because I felt like the only thing I knew about him was that he was beautiful and Lucie loved him. That’s great, but I would like more. I’ve talked about Carswyn already: his pitiful backstory didn’t make me shed a single tear, because I saw how he acted and I didn’t like it.

5 – The ending was EXACTLY the same that in A Tale of Two Cities. While I thought the retelling aspect of this book was alright -even if it didn’t have to try copying famous quotes- I would have liked to be more detached from Dickens’ work, especially the ending. If you’ve read the book, it ended in the same way, except it was Brennan’s way of telling it and there were a few alterations because of the differences between the two worlds.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? Have you read other books by this author? I heard her other books were good, what did you think of them? Do you love A Tale of Two Cities?

Is Captain Hook the good guy? | Unhooked

Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell

Published: February 2nd 2016 by Simon Pulse

Genre: young adult, fantasy, retelling

Goodreads summary: For as long as she can remember, Gwendolyn Allister has never had a place to call home—all because her mother believes that monsters are hunting them. Now these delusions have brought them to London, far from the life Gwen had finally started to build for herself. The only saving grace is her best friend, Olivia, who’s coming with them for the summer.

But when Gwen and Olivia are kidnapped by shadowy creatures and taken to a world of flesh-eating sea hags and dangerous Fey, Gwen realizes her mom might have been sane all along.

The world Gwen finds herself in is called Neverland, yet it’s nothing like the stories. Here, good and evil lose their meaning and memories slip like water through her fingers. As Gwen struggles to remember where she came from and find a way home, she must choose between trusting the charming fairy-tale hero who says all the right things and the roguish young pirate who promises to keep her safe.

With time running out and her enemies closing in, Gwen is forced to face the truths she’s been hiding from all along. But will she be able to save Neverland without losing herself?

REVIEW

In my opinion, this book took a long time to start. The first chapter hadn’t compelled me into the story, so I put the book aside for a few days. Even when I picked it up again, it didn’t really grasp my attention and I only continued reading because I was in the train to go home. Most of this book was slow paced and when things started to be resolved, it made me care less, because I had been expecting for so long. Still, it was a good retelling and I really enjoyed the choice Lisa Maxwell made.

Here, Neverland was a dark place –which seems to be a trend when books are set there and it’s logical- and I really liked the way the author rebuilt it. Here, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan had been written and the characters knew about it, but the world was different. The author created a story where she explained how Peter Pan came to be in control of the island and how the legend about him and Captain Hook was created. But, I had a problem with Captain Hook: the author made him come from a certain era, but Peter Pan was actually written before, in 1911, so I didn’t really get it. Was there a Captain Hook before the one we saw? Despite this inconstancy, this world was rich and had a darker folklore that what we could expect from Barrie’s book, like he had sugar-coated it. I could actually feel like I was in Neverland! Of course, it involved faeries a lot, which I quite enjoyed, since it’s been awhile since I read about them. But well, nothing to do with Disney’s Tinkerbell. 

 The main character, Gwendolyn, was hard for me to care about. She seemed, at first, like this typical “on the run because of secrets she doesn’t know” character and I don’t really like this trope. Still, she was determined to save those she loved and she was brave, even though she had been thrown into this unknown world. Moreover, she evolved a lot during the book, because it was about embracing who she was.

Unhooked also focused a lot… On Captain Hook, obviously. Well, here he was called Rowan, but that’s the same thing. The beginning of each chapter was an extract from his story before he came to Neverland, which allowed me to learn about him a little more. I think his character was a different take from what we usually see, which surprised me. I think I liked his character best and he had an accent, so yes. The story about his arm was set before he even came to Neverland. It was also explained how he could stay there, when he came from another land and had been there for a while… I think he had an amazing backstory that the author revealed fully in the last third of the book, which must have been one of my favourite aspects of the story. 

I didn’t think the secondary characters were this important… It was a lot about Olivia, but her apparitions felt repetitive, unfortunately. Among Rowan’s crew, I only remember one name, the others weren’t memorable. Peter Pan was more introduced as an antagonist, which I really enjoyed here, because he had a realistic reason to be so. I wasn’t surprised about it though, because it seems to be the trend of the last few years, for example in Once Upon A Time. As always, it’s a question of perspective in thinking who is the villain and who is the hero.

There was a romance between some characters, which I expected but didn’t find overly cute. I think it was also because of the circumstances the characters had found themselves in. It wasn’t a big part of the plot anyway; it was just “there”. 

Even if for the most part, I found this book to be slow paced, which decreased my interest into the story a lot, I was satisfied by the ending. Moreover, it didn’t feel like a happy end, it was on the bittersweet side, which felt more realistic. It was also a reflexion about human nature, because we choose what we remember… The author wanted to give her readers a message, and I think she succeeded in doing so. Unfortunately, I don’t know if this book will be a memorable read for me.

Have you read this one yet? Tell me your thoughts about it? Do you love books set in Neverland?

Meet new Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson | A Study in Charlotte

A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1) by Brittany Cavallaro

Published: March 1st by Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: yound adult, contemporary, mystery

Goodreads summary: The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.

From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.

A Study in Charlotte is the first in a trilogy.

REVIEW

I have to admit that the first chapter is completely different from the rest of the novel. I had started it, then dropped it, then started it again. In short, it took me a week to finally get through the first chapter, because I didn’t find it very exciting. The story actually starts in the second chapter, and it got much more interesting after that. Nevertheless, I found the chapters to be way too long. This novel is 336 pages long, with only 12 chapters, which made me feel bored sometimes. I like shorter chapters than that, but that’s just my opinion as a reader.

It was the first modern day Sherlock retelling I read and I quite liked it. The plot was interesting to follow but yet a little repetitive when they tried to find out who the suspect was. I liked that the murderer was imitating Sherlock Holmes’ stories for his murders; it made a lot of Easter eggs to find… But also info-dump because the author had to explain these stories. I still really like the Sherlock Holmes aspect of this story, but it could have been more subtle.

Moreover, I liked that it tackled down some serious topics, like rape and drug addiction: it wasn’t just about the crime, but also about the characters’ lives in a boarding school. If I couldn’t quite imagine the characters leaving in the middle of the night –seriously, this trope again- I liked that the author didn’t forget parts like homework, because it’s often forgotten.

The story was told in first person from the point of view of James Watson. It was quite a change for me, because I’m not used to a boy perspective in YA… Sometimes dual perspective with the girl, but almost never with just the boy (the only one I can think about right now it The Maze Runner… But that’s it). 

 I liked hearing the story from his point of view, but I wanted more than a rugby player with anger management issues who was very similar Dr. Watson. Typically, he wanted to be a writer and had a lot of success with girls. It’s not because your forefathers did something that you have to do it again and again. It was even worse with the Holmes. While I liked the premise of the book, with descendants from Sherlock Holmes, Watson but also Moriarty, I didn’t like that they just felt the same, but from a different century. Charlotte felt exactly like Sherlock, and how was I supposed to believe she started taking drugs at twelve? I felt like the only reason she had this addiction was because Sherlock had one. I still liked the characters, but they were too similar to the original ones for my tastes.

I really liked the dynamics between Charlotte and Jamie, they were brought together because they were framed for murder, and it was original. However, I didn’t like that after a few days, Jamie was already saying she was her best friend. I’m sorry, but I can’t believe that, no matter how peculiar the situation was. Doctor Watson didn’t start calling Sherlock Holmes is best friend the first few days he moved to his flat. Then, later on, Jamie said he wasn’t sure Charlotte considered him her friend. It was so irritating, considering what he had said… I still liked how their relationship progressed though.

I have to admit that if I had unravelled a small part of the mystery, I hadn’t guessed all of it, which pleased me immensely. I would have liked to do without the villain explaining his plan at the end –what Charlotte was doing was obvious- because it’s such a trope. Still, the ending contained some good plot twists and the author got rid of the Sherlock similarities to make her own twist. It was hard to figure out the whole plan of the culprit, which made sense and was unique. The last chapter was written by Charlotte, which made me laugh a lot, because she was trying to “correct” things Jamie said about her, since she wanted us to think it wasn’t true. It felt so much like a Sherlockian view. I think I’ll read the next one, out of curiosity, especially if they’re in England.

Overall, I found it pretty average, but it kept me entertained. I felt like the author really wanted to show us she was a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes. So yes, it had a lot of similarities to it, but I wished the characters had been more different. Nevertheless, she still managed to write a really good ending, where everything made sense and was more different from the original novels.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Do you know other Sherlock Holmes retellings I should read?

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 ;))?