Book Review: Clariel

By Cheshire

So I know it’s been quite a while since our last review but we’ve been so busy, the both of us, and I’ve just binge-read a ton of books so get ready for a Book Bonanza! Seriously. There’s going to be so many reviews on the way. And I have an ARC review coming up, and I’m currently working on two more of them, so… Yup. Here goes.

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Clariel is not adjusting well to her new life in the city of Belisaere, the capital of the Old Kingdom. She misses roaming freely within the forests of Estwael, and she feels trapped within the stone city walls. And in Belisaere she is forced to follow the plans, plots and demands of everyone, from her parents to her maid, to the sinister Guildmaster Kilp. Clariel can see her freedom slipping away. It seems too that the city itself is descending into chaos, as the ancient rules binding Abhorsen, King and Clayr appear to be disintegrating.

With the discovery of a dangerous Free Magic creature loose in the city, Clariel is given the chance both to prove her worth and make her escape. But events spin rapidly out of control. Clariel finds herself more trapped than ever, until help comes from an unlikely source. But the help comes at a terrible cost. Clariel must question the motivations and secret hearts of everyone around her – and it is herself she must question most of all.

My Rating: 3 AND A HALF STARS

Book Review: The Winner’s Curse

 

By Cheshire

So you might already have guessed that, it being fall, posts are going to be coming less frequently. At least until next summer. But, before you get too sad, we should be able to keep up a weekly-ish schedule for reviews and other posts. So. There’s that. But for now, we have enough book review to divert your attention. Here goes.

Summary: As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.
One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him- with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

My Rating: FOUR STARS

Book Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty

By Cheshire

So you may be thinking to yourself, “Jeez, what’s with all of Cheshire’s consecutive reviews lately?” I’m sure Blue is thinking as much. Well, I am delighted to be able to tell you all that I have a whole shelf of library books waiting for me, and a bunch of ARCs to review on Netgalley. I’m simultaneously elated and daunted. We’ll see how this goes. And you can be expecting a “Because Tumblr” post pretty soon. So here goes.

Summary: Gemma Doyle isn’t like other girls. Girls with impeccable manners, who speak when spoken to, who remember their station, and who will lie back and think of England when it’s required of them.

No, sixteen-year-old Gemma is an island unto herself, sent to the Spence Academy in London after tragedy strikes her family in India. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma finds a chilly reception. But she’s not completely alone… she’s been followed by a mysterious young man, who warns her to close her mind against the visions.

For it’s at Spence that Gemma’s power to attract the supernatural unfolds; there she becomes entangled with the school’s most powerful girls and discovers her mother’s connection to a shadowy group called the Order. It’s there that her destiny waits… if only she can believe it.

My Rating: TWO STARS

Book Review: Tithe

By Cheshire

Quick note: I was actually reading the copy of this book with the other cover, the weird one with the green girl with black eyes. I like the above cover better. Just a little sidenote for technicalities. Here goes.

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

My Rating: THREE STARS

Book Review: A Confusion of Princes

By Cheshire

Hey everyone, I’m back to review yet another Garth Nix book, A Confusion of Princes. I hope you’re not too tired of me yet. 🙂 Here goes.

Summary: You’d think being a Prince in a vast intergalactic empire would be about about as good as it gets. Particularly when Princes are faster, smarter, and stronger than normal humans. Not to mention being mostly immortal.

But it isn’t as great as it sounds. Princes need to be hard to kill- as Khemri learns the minute he becomes one- for they are always in danger. Their greatest threat? Other Princes. Every Prince wants to become Emperor, and the surest way to do so is to kill, dishonor, or sideline any potential competitor. There are rules, but as Khemri discovers, rules can be bent and even broken.

There are also mysteries. Khemri is drawn into the hidden workings of the Empire and is dispatched on a secret mission. In the ruins of space battle he meets a young woman, called Raine, who challenges his view of the Empire, of Princes, and of himself.

But Khemri is a Prince, and even if he wanted to leave the Empire behind, there are forces there that have very definite plans for his future…

My Rating: TWO STARS