The Story Continues: The Empress, A Reaper at the Gates, and Two Dark Reigns

All three of these penultimate series additions are just divine. I can't wait to read the final book.

Beware of unavoidable spoilers ahead!

The Empress by S.J. Kincaid

Series: The Diabolic (featured here)

Publisher/ Year: Simon & Schuster - October 2017

Genres: Young Adult Science Fiction

Source: My Local Library

Goodreads | Amazon

I was surprised by how much I loved The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid. I'm all in for this new subgenre of sentient AI, so I probably shouldn't have been that surprised. The Diabolic has a really interesting world, great political intrigue, and Nemesis is a pretty excellent narrator.

Nemesis is a Diabolic. She was fabricated to protect Sidonia, and in the first book she impersonates Sidonia in the emperor's court. While there she gets involved with the heir and his plot to ascend to the throne and bring back the outlawed sciences.

In The Empress, Tyrus is now emperor. He and Nemesis are idealistic and optimistic and overly confident that they will be able to turn the empire around. Boy were they wrong.

I was very impressed by The Empress. I really loved The Diabolic and didn't necessarily think that it needed a sequel, so I was a little wary going in because what else was there to do? Well, I was wrong. There was a lot left to do. Tyrus's seat on the throne is shaky. Neither the nobles nor the vicars are inclined to support him because he has defied their religious mandates.

I like how The Empress expands upon the Helleonic religion. I really love a good fantasy religion, and I find this one to be very well done. I can completely buy that an empire in space that rejects science would worship a Living Cosmos. At the same time, that faith is controlling enough to really play into politics. I thought the sacred city was so clever, as was how badly the rejection of science has backfired.

This book has so many reversals. You think that things can't get any worse, and then they do. And then you think that things are getting better just to learn that they aren't! This book has plenty of suspense and action. I also really loved the reference to Hamlet (a book I thought about a lot while reading The Diabolic). Also, I am a big fan of Tyrus and Nemesis as a couple. But, you guys, the end of this book is such a stab to the heart. I wish I could read the final book in the series right now. It's going to be hard to wait a whole year.

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

Series: An Ember in the Ashes (featured here and here)

Publisher/ Year: Razorbill - June 2018

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy

Source: My Local Library

Goodreads | Amazon

 

Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes series is currently one of my favorite YA fantasies. A Reaper at the Gates is the third in this four-book series set in a violent Roman/ Middle-Eastern-inspired world.

Laia is from the Scholar class. Her people have been systematically oppressed by the ruling Martials for generations. Laia first became involved with the other two main characters in this series when she volunteered to spy on the Commandant of Blackcliff Military Academy. Since her days as a spy, she has escaped with Elias, freed her brother from prison, and become a reluctant leader of the rebellion.

Elias is the son of the Commandant whom we first met when he was competing to become the next emperor. Elias was never ruthless enough to be emperor, and during the competition he fell in love with Laia, and they escaped together. Elias is now the new Soul Catcher, and he once again finds his duty and his humanity in conflict.

Helene was Elias's best friend at Blackcliff. She finished the competition in second place becoming the next Blood Shrike. Helene is now the only one who stands between the Commandant and her desire to usurp the throne.

Let's just say that it was worth the wait for A Reaper at the Gates. This book was so intense, so emotional, and quite a nail-biter. Sabaa Tahir is not afraid to be brutal to her characters. I really enjoyed the creepy atmosphere of this book. Elias, who is now charged with ushering the dead to their resting place, has such a ghoulish job, and it kind of gives me chills to think about all the things that go wrong with the ghosts.

I can't wait to see how Sabaa Tahir wraps up the series in the next book. I'm sure that it will be epic.

Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake

Series: Three Dark Crowns (featured here and here)

Publisher/ Year: HarperTeen - September 2018

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy

Source: My Local Library

Goodreads | Amazon

Kendare Blake's Three Dark Crowns series may win the award for "Most Killer Cliffhangers." I've finished every one of the books in the series so desperate to read the next.

On the island of Fennbirn a set of triplet girls is born to every queen. These children will each possess a powerful magic. When the series begins, Arisinoe is a naturalist who can speak to plants and animals, Katharine is a poisoner who can ingest powerful poisons, and Mirabella is a elementalist who can control wind and flame. Last sister alive becomes queen. Except two of the sisters refuse to play the game, and at the end of the second book Mirabella and Arisinoe escaped to the mainland leaving Katharine queen by default. 

In Two Dark Reigns the past and present collide. On the mainland, Mirabella and Arisinoe are haunted by The Blue Queen, who famously created the mist that protects the island. Back on Fennbirn, the mist has turned toxic, leaving many dead. Katharine attempts to keep her terrified citizens calm while she struggles to keep the dead queens who possess her under control. 

Two Dark Reigns might be my favorite in the series so far. I love how Kendare Blake weaves the mythical Fennbirn of the past with the Fennbirn of the present. I found the story of the Blue Queen to be absolutely fascinating. I love all the dark and creepy elements of this series, and they really shine in this book: the haunting, the mist, Katharine. It's all so deliciously eerie. 

The Story Continues: Legendary, The Heart Forger, & The Delphi Resistance

Do you go through phases in your reading where you just want to read a bunch of sequels? I am definitely in a sequels mood right now. I just finished the books in this post. I'm the middle of two more sequels, and I've got four more on hold at the library. I hope this sequels mood lasts! Whether you are in a sequels mood or not, I can tell you that these sequels are perfection.

Beware of unavoidable spoilers ahead!

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

Series: Caraval (featured here)

Publisher / Year: Flatiron Books - May 2018

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy

Source: My local library

Goodreads | Amazon

Remember last year when Caraval was one of the most buzzed about YA debuts? Well the sequel is out. (How fast these book series grow.) And I loved it even more than the first. 
  
Caraval is a little difficult to describe. The closest I can come to a explanation is that it is a carnival or circus-type setting that features a high-stakes game. Caraval only takes place at night; it involves magic and mystery, and players must solve a series of clues. I love the magic of Caraval. The dreamlike setting makes the players and the readers alike question what is real and what is not.

Legendary begins where the events of Caraval left off. Scarlett and Donatella are now free of their father's clutches, and they travel with Caraval to the capital city where Legend, whose identity is still a mystery, is putting on a special edition of Caraval in honor of Empress Elantine's birthday. 

Tella is forced to play the game so that she can uncover the information she owes a mysterious benefactor. Tella, of course, has her own secret goals, as does Legend. This puts Legend, the benefactor, and Tella at odds with one another. And Tella is further hampered because she doesn't know who Legend is.

Ooh. I loved this sequel so much. Tella is such a fun character, and I loved reading her story. Scarlett is great as well, but I think of the two sisters it's Tella who has won me over. I love how lively and determined she is. Also, the mystery in this book was tops. Caraval felt high stakes, but Stephanie Garber has upped those stakes even more in this addition to the series. The capital city setting is full of creepy shops, beautiful palaces, and mystical temples. Stephanie Garber also adds to the mythology of her world. The Fates are intriguing and pretty frightening. 

I'm so glad the series isn't over yet. I'm putting Finale on my highly anticipated list for certain. 

The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco

Series: The Bone Witch (featured here)

Publisher / Year: Sourcebooks Fire - March 2018

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy

Source: My local library

Goodreads | Amazon

Last year I read and reviewed the first book, The Bone Witch, in Rin Chupeco's new fantasy series. Tea, can raise beings from the dead. The first book is about Tea's emerging powers, her training with a more experienced necromancer, and her friendships and rivalries. The book is set up as a story within a story, so the reader gets glimpses of a more powerful Tea recounting her tale, which definitely piqued my interest. 

I really liked The Bone Witch. The Heart Forger, however, just about killed me with its brilliance. The second book in the series picks up where the first one left off. We are still following two timelines, but now things really start to move along in the later timeline as characters from the earlier timeline reemerge. I loved seeing this puzzle start to come together. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters in this second book. I am a big fan of Kalen. I also really like Khalad and Likh

The imagery in this series is absolutely stunning. It has a bit of an Asian-inspiration, but it's also so clearly it's own world. The writing is gorgeous, and I think what really sells me is the atmosphere. I just love a book that's thick with atmosphere. A lot of the creepiness (you know it has to be in there; Tea raises the dead and can control monsters) is created through atmosphere alone.

The Bone Witch is a very intricate fantasy series, and I really wished that the first book was fresher in my mind when I started to read the second in the series. It's so carefully crafted, and I wanted so badly to have all the details of the earlier book at my fingertips so that I could really appreciate that. I also definitely do not fully understand how this world works. I'm not sure that I'm supposed to know, and, even if I am, I don't care because I'm so sold on the writing and the plot and the characters.

This is a series that will made you work. It takes a bit of an effort to remember all the place names and character names. And I felt like I had to work a little harder because I listened to the audiobook. It took me a while to get a handle on the jumps back and forth in time and to get all the names of the secondary characters straight again. (There are quite a few names that sound similar Kalen and Khalad and Kance, for instance.) But the series is so good and the narration so beautiful that I don't mind the extra effort. 

About halfway through the book things start to get really exciting and interesting in both timelines, and the ending is intense. I wish I could read the final book in the series, Shadowglass, right now. 

The Delphi Resistance by Rysa Walker

Series: The Delphi Trilogy (featured here)

Publisher / Year: Skyscape - October 2017

Genres: Young Adult Science Fiction

Source: Review copy from NetGalley

Goodreads | Amazon

I'm a huge fan of Rysa Walker's Chronos Files Trilogy. Last year I read the first book in her new series, The Delphi Trilogy. Every October I like to read some spooky tales, and this story about a girl who picks up and shares her mind-space with ghosts would definitely fit the bill. This series strikes me as a bit darker than Ms. Walker's Chronos Files, and that is saying something because Saul was pretty awful.

In the first book in the series Anna teams up with two brothers and a sister with similar paranormal powers and the three of them get us knee-deep into a government conspiracy. In the second book Anna, Aaron, Deo, and Taylor are on the road looking for other gifted children. No one knows that Anna is carrying Aaron and Taylor's brother, Daniel, who is in a coma, in her head because Daniel doesn't want his siblings to know that he might be dead. Sharing her headspace with Daniel and Jayden makes for some interesting side effects. Anna can also use their gifts, and Jayden's clairvoyance plays a major role in the story.

Ms. Walker's stories are so action-packed. I can't believe how much ground we covered in this story. And I don't just mean that the characters drove a lot. The clairvoyance was a really cool plot device. The characters in this trilogy are definitely growing on me. I especially came to like Anna's hitchhikers.

When I saw that Kate Rudd narrated the audio version of this series, I made up my mind to audiobook this sequel. She's one of my favorite narrators. (You might know her voice from a little audiobook called The Fault in Our Stars, and she did such a fantastic job with The Chronos Files.)

Ms. Walker leaves us with another painful cliffhanger. I'll definitely be back for the next book, The Delphi Revolution. 

The Story Continues: Now I Rise, The Crown's Fate, and One Dark Throne

These three sequels are all divine. The Crown's Fate ends the series, but I am very eager to read the follow-ups for the other books.

Have you read any of the books in these series? What did you think of the sequels?

You can find our feature of the first book in these series here and here and here.

Beware of unavoidable spoilers ahead!

Now I Rise by Kiersten White 

Publisher / Year: Delacorte Press - June 2017

Genres: Young Adult Historical Fiction / Fantasy

Source: My local library

Goodreads | Amazon

  
The sequel to Kiersten White's And I Darken was one of my most anticipated books of last year. Now I Rise finds our characters split up. Lada Dracul is fighting her way to the Wallachian throne. Mehmed's conquest of Constantinople draws ever nearer, and the Sultan has sent Radu into the ill-fated city as a spy.

Definitely read this book if you are in the mood to feel raw and heartsick. Kiersten White has written some of the best and most emotional depictions of war and conquest that I've ever read. I'm still kind of reeling over the takeover of Constantinople. Radu, who is in the besieged city, is definitely the most compassionate of our three main characters. Because he is able to see the humanity and goodness in these supposed enemies, he is torn and broken and so is the reader who is privy to the tragedy of it all.

This series has so much going for it. First of all, I love the setting and time period. It's not a common one for historical fiction, and it is so fascinating, dynamic, and brutal. Secondly, the characters in this series are so well done. Every one of our three main characters is so complicated. There are betrayals upon betrayals in this book, and all of the characters do such terrible things. Finally, Ms. White handles subtleties and complications so well. The desire for power, the role of religion, the cost of love are all deftly crafted.

If you are a lover of Mehmed, beware, he is largely absent in this book although his presence is felt even in his absence. I did get a little tired of Radu's pining after Mehmed but that lessened the longer Radu was in Constantinople. Radu's storyline was definitely my favorite because of its emotional impact. Lada is edging ever closer to Vlad the Impaler's violent reputation.

Although marketed as YA, I don't see anything about this book that would set it squarely in that category. It's very mature in its themes and situations. 

The Crown's Fate by Evelyn Skye

Publisher / Year: Balzer + Bray - May 2017

Genres: Young Adult Historical Fantasy

Source: Review copy from Edelweiss

Goodreads | Amazon

I found The Crown's Game to be a surprising gem when I read it last year. I really enjoyed the mix of magic, competition and Old Russia. The book was full of elements I love--an alternate history, magic, a complicated relationship, and a fabulous setting.

The Crown's Fate begins on the heels of the final events of The Crown's Game. Vika is now the Imperial Enchanter. Pasha is trying to fill his father's very large shoes, and he's never been sure that he's cut-out to rule. And poor Nikolai is a shadow of his former self and trapped within his Steppe bench. 

Nikolai discovers a second chance at life but it's a dark one that slowly corrupts his soul. (Yikes, his mother is so creepy.) Now Vika and Nikolai are pitted against one another once again. The stakes are even higher than they were in the first book. 

I didn't like The Crown's Fate quite as much as I liked the first book. I still enjoyed it, but it just didn't hit that sweet spot quite like the first book did. I can see that this second book needed to go in the direction that it did, but I missed Nikolai. This new Nikolai was so dark and villainous and not at all himself (which was kind of the point). 

I did like the implications of the power of magic as it was revealed to the people. And, once again, Evelyn Skye came up with some pretty cool magical creations.

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

Publisher / Year: HarperTeen - September 2017

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy

Source: Review copy from Edelweiss

Goodreads | Amazon

I rocketed through the first book in Kendare Blake's dark fantasy series, Three Dark Crowns. (See, it even has dark in the titles) 

On the island of Fennbirn a set of triplet girls is born to every queen. These children each possess a powerful magic. Arisinoe is a naturalist who can speak to plants and animals, Katharine is a poisoner who can ingest powerful poisons, and Mirabella is an elementalist who can control wind and flame. The three sisters are on the eve of the competition that will determine who will become the next queen. And it's a fight to the death. 

In book two, the competition season is in full swing. Arisinoe is hiding a secret that could very well save her life. Mirabella is still too tenderhearted to be a killer. And Katharine. Well, she's not quite right. 

The end of Three Dark Crowns really left me wanting more, and One Dark Throne was high up there on my most-anticipated list. The second book is great too. This book has a full cast of characters. I like how the reader gets to know not only the queens but also the individuals who have shaped these three sisters over the years.

The series is interesting in terms of how it's told. Each sister gets equal billing, and the perspective moves from queen to queen. I think that this can, at times, make the pacing a little tricky, but I really like that the queens can all be considered main characters. The readers loyalties are good and split. It's quite a dilemma. 

Kendare Blake has conditioned us to expect some crazy twists and reveals at the end of each installment. So it's no surprise that once again, I find myself eager for the next book.
 


 All books reviewed by JoLee.

The Story Continues: A Crown of Wishes, Wayfarer, and The Ship Beyond Time

So many excellent sequels have come out this year, and the three we have for you today are all just divine. Have you read any of the books in these series? What did you think of the sequels?

You can find our feature of the first book in these series here and here.

A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

Publisher / Year: St. Martin's Griffin - March 2017

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy - Romance

Source: Review copy from the publisher via NetGalley

Goodreads | Amazon

The Star-Touched Queen was one of my favorite reads of 2016. The story was intricate, the setting rich, and prose beautiful.When I heard about the sequel, I was a little confused. Where was she going to take our characters now? But when I learned A Crown of Wishes was a companion novel that followed Gauri, that's when I got excited.

Gauri has enemies everywhere. The ruler of Bharata, her brother, wants her dead and so do the leaders of Ujijain, where she is imprisoned. When she is called for an audience with Vikram, the prince of Ujijain, however, things change. Together, Gauri and Vikram embark on an adventure to compete in the Tournament of Wishes and win the hearts of their people.

Once again, Roshani Chokshi captured me with the amazing places our characters encounter. The magical realms are rich, vast, and somewhat terrifying, as are the magical beings that inhabit them. I loved the way the stories of magic wove together and the unexpected twists they created in the end of the story.

Gauri and Vikram were both well-crafted, interesting characters. I loved Vikram's sense of humor and was simply delighted to see who Gauri became after losing her sister in the first book. We were introduced to many new characters in this book. The Lord of Wealth and Treasure keeps you on your toes. Aasha was my favorite new character. She was a true fighter.

This book had many themes that really resonated with me, including stories, hopes, dreams, desires, and wishes. A Crown of Wishes is as lovely a read as its predecessor.

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

Publisher / Year: Disney-Hyperion - January 2017

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy - Time Travel

Source: Audible

Goodreads | Amazon

Wayfarer is the sequel to Alexandra Bracken's highly anticipated  Passenger of last year. I love time travel novels, so it was an easy sell for me.

In Passenger, Etta Spencer learns that she is a member of a time-traveling family and because of her genetics, capable of time travel. She and fellow time traveler Nicolas Carter are compelled to travel through time in order to find a stolen and powerful time-traveling artifact. 

I thought that Passenger was a lot of fun, but it definitely has a slow start. There is quite a bit of explanation and background that has to be established before Etta can even begin her time traveling adventures. After all, she didn't even know that time travelers exist. It also had a crazy anxiety-producing cliffhanger. 

Wayfarer begins not too long after the conclusion of Passenger, and the reader is thrown directly back into the world. I actually really loved Wayfarer. I liked it more than the first in the series. This second book is a bit more fast-paced because all the groundwork has already been laid. It does, however, see our two main characters split up for most of the book. I wondered if for certain readers who are very invested in Etta and Nicolas's romance the distance was too much. 

I love so many of the secondary characters that I didn't miss the interaction between Nicholas and Etta too much. Spending more time with Sophia was an absolute ball, and Julian Ironwood was an unexpected treat.

Another thing I liked about Wayfarer was the realization that Etta and Nicholas are up against a more insidious force than the Ironwood family. This upped the stakes in a much appreciated way. 

Much like the first book, Wayfarer takes our characters all over the world as they travel through time--from the Vatican catacomb of Old St. Peters, to a besieged Carthage, and a early 20th-century San Francisco. 

The Passenger series is not as mind-boggling as some other time travel series I've read. Personally, mind-boggling time-travel conundrums have never turned me off of a book, but, because this series is light on headache-inducing paradoxes, I'd recommend it even if you don't have a proclivity for time travel.

The Ship Beyond Time by Heidi Heilig

Publisher / Year: Greenwillow Books - February 2017

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy - Time Travel

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Edelweiss

Goodreads | Amazon

Last year we featured Passenger and Heidi Heilig's debut, The Girl from Everywhere in the same post. It seems only fitting to bring these two time travel tales together again.

I love the way time travel works in Ms. Heilig's series. To travel, the crew must obtain an original, hand-drawn map. Using that map to navigate allows the travelers to journey to the year the map was made. 

After their adventures and misfortunes in Hawaii in book one, Nix is ready to take the helm as a full-fledged Navigator. Until, that is, she learns that she is destine to lose the one she loves to the sea. Some strange run-ins during a stop in her father's native time in New York City, set Nix on a course that she hopes will change her fate.

In The Ship Beyond Time, the crew travels to a mythical island off the coast of Brittany. I absolutely love this element of Ms. Heilig's world--because time travel is done through maps, a Navigator can take his or her ship to a land of fantasy provided the original mapmaker believed that place existed.

I absolutely devoured The Ship Beyond Time, and, once again, I liked it better than the first book in the the series. I loved seeing how the myth and reality mingled and how the fairy tale story continually bubbled to the surface despite all attempts to thwart it. 

The Ship Beyond Time does have quite a bit of the mind-boggling time-travel paradoxes that I love, and it was so fun to see how the author brought history and mythology together. 
  

A Crown of Wishes reviewed by Paige.
Wayfarer and The Ship Beyond Time reviewed by JoLee.

The Story Continues: Blood for Blood and Silver Stars

Last year, during our first World War II Week, we did a Reading a Theme featuring five books that take the World War II era into the realm of speculative fiction. In the last few months sequels came out for two of our favorite books from that post. Here we share our thoughts on Blood for Blood, the sequel to Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin and Silver Stars, the sequel to Front Lines by Michael Grant.

Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

Publisher / Year: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - November 2016

Genres: Young Adult Historical Fantasy

Source: My local library

Goodreads | Amazon

 

Ryan Graudin's Wolf by Wolf series imagines what the world would be like if Hitler and the Axis Powers had won the war. I really enjoyed Wolf by Wolf. In fact, I liked it so much that I passed the book along to several of my friends and then selected it as my book club pick last June. (Good discussion, by the way. It turned out to be a excellent book club choice.) When I read Wolf by Wolf, I found myself absolutely fascinated by Adele. She's not really in the book, and yet, she is so very present. I wanted to know why Adele would have entered the Axis Tour, disguised as her twin brother, how she got away with it, and what exactly went down between her and Luka. So, I read the e-novella Iron to Iron as I not-so patiently waited for Blood For Blood. I never read e-novella (seriously, never), so the fact that I made an exception here says a lot about how much I liked the Wolf by Wolf (and how curious I was about Adele).

With Wolf by Wolf and Iron to Iron under my belt, I was all geared up for Blood For Blood. The second in the series opens just seconds after the final moments in Wolf by Wolf. Yael has successfully killed the faux-Hitler and in the process discovered that he is, in fact, a faux-Hitler. When Yael flees the scene, Luka follows her, and because of him the two get captured. Meanwhile, Felix has been dragged into the investigation and agrees to cooperate if the SS will spare his family.

So... my feelings about this sequel were kind of mixed. On the one hand, I was really impressed with how Ryan Graudin worked things so that she could keep the three main characters together. I also liked the reintroduction of a figure from Yael's past. For the most part, the way that the plot proceeded and the twists and turns, and the way that Project 85 had become central to the Reich's all really worked for me. I especially liked the climax where Luka puts all the pieces together.

However, I felt that this book suffered from a growing pain that I see a lot in dystopia and fantasy series. Many of those books start out with a first book that is focused on a single character and a singular mission. Consider The Hunger Games. Book One is all about Katniss getting through those games. In this series, book one was centered on Yael and the Axis Tour. In many of these series, once that first mission is accomplished, the focus of the next book (or two) is overthrowing the whole empire. (Consider Mockingjay as an example.) And, it seems to me, that such a large jump is really hard to do. I could really feel the big jump in this sequel.

Silver Stars by Michael Grant

Publisher / Year: Katherine Tegen Books - January 2017

Genres: Young Adult Historical Fiction / Alternate History

Source: Review copy from publisher via Edelweiss

Goodreads | Amazon

In his Front Lines series, Michael Grant imagines what the war would have been like if women had been eligible for the draft and fought on the front. His series follows three girls serving in the armed forces. Rio is in the army. She is a tough and a very good soldier. Frangie is a medic. She is also African-America and serves in an all-Black unit. Rainy is in intelligence. She knows several languages and goes undercover behind enemy lines. She is also Jewish, which adds an extra layer of danger to her missions.

One thing I love about this series is how Grant confronts the attitudes and prejudices experienced by his soldier girls. The issues of gender, race, and religion are navigated in a way that feels so truthful and really makes the reader consider how all of this would have gone down if it really happened.

In book one the characters spent a lot of time gearing up for war, and now, in book two, they are all seasoned soldiers. Silver Stars is dedicated to war and all its brutality, heroism, fear, and boredom. Personally, I often get a little bogged down by books with battle scene after battle scene, and I did feel that a little in this book. There is a lot of fighting. Also, in some ways this book is hard to read because the characters are put through such traumatic situations. Rainy's story line, especially, was absolutely terrifying both because of the ineptitude of her superiors and the physical danger she was in.

We see a lot of growth in the characters in this book. Rio, especially, is something of a symbol of how war changes a person. It's not necessary for better or for worse, she's just changed, and some characters are less okay with that than others. Rio has also grown up a lot over the last few months. She was underage when she enlisted and didn't really have a sense of who she was. Now she's having to figure that out on the battlefield.
 
I really like all of the characters, but Frangie just might be my favorite of the three. I'd love to spend more time with her. The narration moves between the three main characters, but my favorite parts are when the characters' story lines intersect.


Blood for Blood and Silver Stars reviewed by JoLee.

The Story Continues: Trouble Makes a Comeback, Lock & Mori: Mind Games, & The Last of August

Last year one of my very favorite Reading on a Themes, was the one that I put together with a bunch of YA Sherlock Holmes retellings. I loved reading all of those books. We had Sherlock Holmes as girl. Watson as a girl. Sherlock Holmes in Australia. Sherlock Holmes at board school. Sherlock Holmes teaming up with Moriarty. That was a seriously fun post. Sequels for three of the five books in the original post were published in the last few months, and I couldn't resist bringing them together for an encore.

Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly

Publisher / Year: Kathy Dawson Books - November 2016

Genres: YA Mystery 

Source: I purchased this book with my own money

Goodreads | Amazon

I absolutely loved Stephanie Tromly's debut novel, Trouble is a Friend of Mine. When I heard it was getting a sequel that was basically my dream come true. Trouble Makes a Comeback begins four months after the conclusion of the first book in the series. Zoe has settled into a semblance of a normal high school life. She has new friends, an after-school job, and a boyfriend. She's convinced herself that she is content with this less-zany, Digby-less existence. And then Digby returns.

Digby's reappearance throws a wrench in Zoe's "I'm totally normal" plan. Where Digby is concerned, Zoe has very little self-control. Digby has new information on the case of his missing sister, and the usually shenanigans ensure--Digby shows up, convinces Zoe to go sleuthing with him, they get in some scrape, narrowly escape, and then repeat the process all over again. There's also the unresolved issue of book one's kiss. Talk about tension.

Reading Trouble Makes a Comeback was like hanging out with an old friend. I opened the book and then basically did not stop smiling until I finished it. I am a sucker for smart, snappy dialog, and Ms. Tromly really delivers. Every scene with Zoe and Digby in it is such a treat. I'd read about them doing laundry together. They are that entertaining. But in all seriousness, the plot of this book really moves along and delivers some unforeseen twists and turns. I love Zoe's narration and all the side characters in Zoe and Digby's little gang of misfits. The scenes between Zoe and Sloane were some of my favorite. I also, somewhat unexpectedly, really enjoyed having Cooper around. It's good to have a solid grown-up or two in a book like this.

I'm really excited for the sequel. I'm sure I'll be grinning through that one as well.

Lock & Mori: Mind Games by Heather W. Petty

Publisher / Year: Simon & Schuster - December 2016

Genres: YA Mystery / Retelling

Source: ARC from the publisher via NetGalley

Goodreads | Amazon

After nearly dying at her father's hands, Mori wants nothing more than for her father to rot in jail, but she knows that her James Moriarty is more than capable of hurting his family even from behind bars. Several of the police officers on the case are friends with Mori's father and would love nothing more than to poke several holes in Mori's story. Protestors are camped out in front of the Moriarty home, and Mori starts receiving threatening letters and weird photographs. No, Mori definitely does not feel safe.

There are a few bright spots. Sherlock Holmes continues to be a stolid friend (boyfriend?), even as Mori debates whether or not she should push him away for his own sake, and Mori's mother's friend, Alice, arrives in town complete with a forged custody file that will allow Mori's brothers to stay in their home.

I was not expecting to like this sequel so much. I absolutely flew through this book. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but it was a little dark for me (there was some heavy stuff in the first book), and I remember feeling like I wasn't quite jiving with the writing. I don't know if I was just in the right place this time around or if something changed behind the scenes, but I am now completely sold on this series.

One thing I absolutely love about this series is how complicated Mori is. The reader can easily see how Mori could go down path that will lead to the amorality we associate with Sherlock Holmes's nemesis. In fact, Mori clearly identifies and struggles with this aspect of her personality as well. The result is that the relationship between Lock and Mori is so fraught. I just so badly want them to be happy, but I can see the tragedy coming.

The twists at the end of this book kind of killed me. I need the next book in the series.

The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro

Publisher / Year: Katherine Tegen Books - February 2017

Genres: YA Mystery / Retelling

Source: ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss

Goodreads | Amazon

Brittany Cavallaro's first novel, A Study in Charlotte, was one of my favorite debuts of the 2016. I just loved everything about that book. I loved the boarding school setting, and the literary writing, and the relationship between Charlotte and Jamie complicated as it is with all their family history. I was eagerly anticipating the sequel.

Book two is set during Jamie and Charlotte's Christmas break, and they are back in England spending time with family. Things get icy for the duo when they go to Charlotte's family estate in Sussex. Between weird conversations with Charlotte's parents, Charlotte's mother's poor health, and Charlotte's inaccessibility, Jamie is having a very uncomfortable stay. The only glimmer of light in this weird visit is Charlotte's uncle Leander who is a brilliant detective and Jamie's father's best friend and former roommate. And then Leander goes missing. Charlotte and Jamie jet straightaway to Berlin where Leander was working undercover rooting out a forgery ring. The Moriartys are, of course, the prime suspects.

As much as I hate to say it, this book was a bit of a disappointment for me. And that is so painful to say because I was looking forward to it so much! I think the book suffered from the expanded world. Watson and Holmes made so much sense at boarding school, but gallivanting around Europe? It just didn't feel as authentic. Then there is this worrisome ever-increasing darkness in Charlotte (oh, I suppose it was always there but Jamie used to be able to temper it). I'm afraid this series is turning into a tragedy! In that sense, it reminded me a lot of Mind Games, which I just reviewed above and I really like the tragedy in that series, but it's like a knife to the heart in this one.

There were some things that I really enjoyed about this book. I really liked the whole art forgery aspects (art historian, here) and settled on thinking of Hans Langenberg as a German Edward Hopper. The grand finale at the art auction was also very entertaining and funny. Also, I loved the chapters that Charlotte narrated so, so much. It was good to have a break from angsty Jamie. (Although, I mostly blame Charlotte's head games for poor Jamie's wallowing.) But be warned, the ending is pretty brutal.


All books reviewed by JoLee.

The Story Continues: Lois Lane Double Down and Girl in the Shadows

2016 was a good year for fans of Gwenda Bond's series with new additions to both the Lois Lane and the Cirque American series. And, since we are fans of both series, we decided to bring those new books together in a special addition to The Story Continues feature.

Lois Lane Double Down by Gwenda Bond

Publisher / Year: Switch Press - May 1, 2016

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Source: Review copy from the publisher via NetGalley

The sequel to Lois Lane: Fallout catches up with Lois right after her first big story. She thought the first story would be the hardest, but now she finds herself with something to prove. Why can't all stories be big stories? She agrees to do a human interest piece (grudgingly), but stumbles onto something with big potential in the process. This could be more than news-breaking; it could affect all of Metropolis.

The Lois Lane series is a superhero origin story, combined with a mystery and a tenacious main character. Double Down is a fun read because it in it we get to know many of the characters from the first book even better. We learn about Maddy's twin sister and spend more time with Smallville Guy. The mystery surrounding his identity really deepens in Double Down.

Things get more complicated for Lois in this second installment. The story she's researching affects her friend, Maddy, personally, making the pressure all the more unbearable. There's also a lot going on with SmallvilleGuy. Lois has unanswered questions about their relationship and his identity, and the chatroom is full of confusing buzz that could prove dangerous.

I think the mystery in Double Down is what really kept me reading. I love the feeling of unovering the truth with Lois as she investigates and prepares her story. The reader only knows what Lois knows and it's fun to make deductions along side her.

Lois Lane: Double Down is a fabulous second installment. Gwenda Bond has me eager for more about Lois and her friends in Metropolis.

Girl in the Shadows by Gwenda Bond

Publisher / Year: Skyscape - July 5, 2016

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Source: Review copy from the publisher via NetGalley

Girl in the Shadows is a companion novel to Girl on a Wire, the first book in Gwenda Bond's Cirque American series, and my appreciation of this book was definitely that much greater because I had read and enjoyed the first book. The two books have different main characters, but the setting is the same, and, more importantly, the central conflict in each revolves around the same small magical object. Beyond that it was so much fun for me to visit some old characters, even if they weren't taking center stage this time around. (Hello, Jules! Hello, Remy!) And, I also enjoyed getting to know some of the side characters from Girl on a Wire a little better in this second book. (Dita, darling, you are swell.)

Last year we did a post on Intellectual Recreation featuring books set in circuses and sideshows. In putting together that post, I found that the circus is a setting that really appeals to me, and, I quickly rediscovered that love within the first few pages of Girl in the Shadows. I think I like how circus folk have a life that is so outside the mainstream, and that is definitely the case with Moira. She grew up traveling with her famous magician father and working behind the scenes at his Las Vegas show.

Moira wishes to become a magician herself, and her father is adamantly against this. So, feeling like she has no other option, Moira auditions for the Cirque American. Right away strange things begin to happen, and herein is another reason I enjoy circus settings--they present the perfect opportunity to mingle stage magic with the real deal. Moira's magic, its origins, and her estranged mother play a large role in the mystery of Girl in the Shadows.

Moira truly has a lot on her plate. There's the whole proving herself to her father thing (and who are we kidding, to herself as well), the issue of controlling her newly awakened power, and being on her own for the first time. As if things aren't complicated enough there's this knife-throwing love interest that the reader is not quite sure can be trusted for most of the book. Really, it's a pretty great time. Girl in the Shadows is all the sleight of hand and tricks of the film Now You See Me plus the magical underworld of White Cat. It's a book full of mystery, magic, and suspense.

Lois Lane: Double Down reviewed by Paige.

Girl in the Shadows reviewed by JoLee.

The Story Continues: Ghostly Echoes, Ten Thousand Skies Above You, & Jillian Spectre and the Dream Weaver

It's time for some more sequels! I absolutely love the Jackaby series by William Ritter and the third in the series Ghostly Echoes was my number one most-anticipated book of the summer. It did not disappoint! I also finally got a chance to read Ten Thousand Skies Above You. I've been meaning to read that book for almost a year. It is great, and silver lining to waiting so long to read it is that I won't have to wait terribly long for the third book to come out. In keeping with the purple cover theme, I read Jillian Spectre and the Dream Weaver, another sequel I've had on my TBR pile for quite some time. It feels good to make some headway with some of these series.

Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

Publisher / Year: Algonquin Books for Young Readers - August 23, 2016

Genres: Young Adult Historical Fantasy

Source: Review copy from the publisher

Goodreads | Amazon

William Ritter's Jackaby series is so much fun. I really enjoyed the first book, was completely blown away by the second book, and could not wait to get my hands on this latest installment. It was my most anticipated book of the summer.

In Ghostly Echoes we are back in New Fiddleham. Abigail Rook and Jenny Cavanaugh are on a mission to figure out what caused Jenny's death ten years ago, and if they have to go behind Jackaby's back to do it so be it. Strange things begin to happen in New Fiddleham, as they are wont to do and they echo the events of the past. Soon Jackaby and Abigail must solve Jenny's mystery or they'll meet her same fate.

It was so much fun to be back with these favorite characters. I really enjoyed all the scenes with Abigail and Jenny. Their experiments were kind of creepy, and yet the two obviously have a close bond. Ghostly Echoes definitely upped the danger and the stakes with a conspiracy that reached back a decade and up to the highest heights of New Fiddleham.

I loved finally solving the mystery of Jenny's murder and her fiancé's disappearance. I also really enjoyed the nods to Greek mythology. Book three answers many of the questions left dangling at the end of Beastly Bones. 

And I'm so thrilled that there's another book forthcoming so that I'll be able to return to New Fiddleham one more time.

Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

Publisher / Year: HarperTeen - November 2015

Genres: Young Adult Science Fiction

Source: Audiobook from my local library

Goodreads | Amazon

I definitely have a soft spot for parallel reality stories. (Posts here and here and one upcoming.) I like exploring alternate realities and thinking about the consequences of decisions both big and small. I loved the first book in Claudia Gray's Firebird series and was itching to read the next installment in the series, but it just kept not happening. (I post about how Book 2 was a highly anticipated release in 2015 and a book that I meant to read in 2015 but didn't get to.)

Well, here we are September 2016, and I finally read it. And I loved it. And the silver lining of waiting so long to read this book is that I won't have to wait terribly long for book three.

Ten Thousand Skies Above You begins some months after the conclusion of the first book in the series. This jump forward in time threw me off for a bit, mostly because it had been awhile since I read the first book, and when Marguerite mentioned things that had happened in the past I was like, "Wait, did that happen in the last book because I don't remember it." Usually the event in question had not happened.

Anyway, Wyatt Conley and his Triad corporation still wish to dominate the multiverse, and after failing to get Marguerite's help through bribes Conley resorts to force. He splinters Paul's soul and will only reveal the locations where he's hidden them if Marguerite does his dirty work.

I love how complex the multiverse becomes in this book. Traveling to the different dimensions and seeing what all the main characters are doing in each one is my favorite part of this story. The end of this book is great set-up for the next in the series. I really am so eager to get my hands on it come November. 

Jillian Spectre and the Dream Weaver by Nic Tatano

Publisher / Year: Harper Impulse - April 2015

Genres: Young Adult / New Adult Paranormal

Source: Review copy from NetGalley

Goodreads | Amazon

I really enjoyed the first book in the Jillian Spectre series. Jillian lives in the Mystic Quarter of Manhattan with her mother. The two of them can see the future. During one of her readings Jillian sees her client die and go to heaven. This moment propels Jillian toward discovering a second power, learning about her missing father, and halting an evil plot. 

After the harrowing event of the past year, the arrest and containment of Jillian's criminal father, Jillian and her friends are ready to put all that behind them and enjoy their first year of college. They are just getting settled when they learn that Jillian's father's mind has been visited by another mystic. Then Jillian's dreams are invaded. Jillian and her friends are going to be put to the test once again.

I think it's a lot of fun when an author brings supernatural powers into the real world, and Nic Tatano's paranormal world is a lot of fun. The powers that he's given his characters are interesting. Most of all, I love how the friends are stronger when they work together. The forces working against them know this too, and boy to do they work hard to tear the group apart.

While there are some really evil adults in this book, Jillian continues to benefit from some great adult role models. I definitely appreciate that. I was however, a little disappointed with how fixated the group seemed to be on good looks and outward appearances. At times they came across as a bit shallow and definitely used the word "slut" way too often for my taste.

The story itself is great. It's a quick read but it's filled with twists and surprises.


All books reviewed by JoLee.

Blog Tour: The Swan Riders by Erin Bow | Review + Giveaway

I'm excited to be today's stop on The Swan Riders Blog Tour. Last fall I read The Scorpion Rules, the first book in Erin Bow's post-apocalyptic series. I loved The Swan Riders even more than the first book. I'm kind of still reeling from its beauty even now. 

We are giving away 3 finished copies of The Swan Riders. Enter the giveaway below, follow the tour, and read why I loved this book so much. However, be aware that there are spoilers for the first book in my review. Believe me, they could not be avoided.

The Swan Riders by Erin Bow

Series: The Prisoners of Peace

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books 

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction 

Source: Review copy from the publisher

Out:  September 20th, 2016

Greta Stuart had always known her future: die young. She was her country's crown princess, and also its hostage, destined to be the first casualty in an inevitable war. But when the war came it broke all the rules, and Greta forged a different path.

She is no longer princess. No longer hostage. No longer human. Greta Stuart has become an AI.

If she can survive the transition, Greta will earn a place alongside Talis, the AI who rules the world. Talis is a big believer in peace through superior firepower. But some problems are too personal to obliterate from orbit, and for those there are the Swan Riders: a small band of humans who serve the AIs as part army, part cult.

Now two of the Swan Riders are escorting Talis and Greta across post-apocalyptic Saskatchewan. But Greta’s fate has stirred her nation into open rebellion, and the dry grassland may hide insurgents who want to rescue her – or see her killed. Including Elian, the boy she saved—the boy who wants to change the world, with a knife if necessary. Even the infinitely loyal Swan Riders may not be everything they seem.

Greta’s fate—and the fate of her world—are balanced on the edge of a knife in this smart, sly, electrifying adventure.

Goodreads | Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | The Book Depository 

Last year I fell in love with two sentient Artificial Intelligences. The first was Talis, the AI who rules the world in Erin Bow's post-apocalyptic Prisoners of Peaces series. Talis and the other AIs were my absolute favorite part of the first book in the series, The Scorpion Rules. Talis is enigmatic, scary, and weirdly fascinating. In many ways he is a complete contradiction. He's a robot but he has a bit of humanity. He's a machine but also nearly a god. He's all powerful but not invincible. He has his own set of (questionable) morals. (The other AI I fell for last year, by the way, was AIDAN from Illuminae.)

At the end of The Scorpion Rules Greta casts her lot with the AI which means additional challenges and danger for her, but it also meant that in the sequel I would be able to spend all my time with the AI. Sorry Greta, but I couldn't be happier.

The Swan Riders begins just after The Scorpion Rules left off. Greta is now an AI, and she must travel with Talis and two of his Swan Riders back to Talis's headquarters in the Red Mountains. It is a very dangerous journey, both because of Greta's precarious state as a new AI and because the events of The Scorpion Rules have inspired outright rebellion. 

I was completely floored by The Swan Riders. I liked it so much. Basically, The Swan Riders built upon all the things that I loved most about the first book in the series. (Namely the AI and all their complexities.) Although, let me issue a warning: If Greta's relationship with Xie was your favorite thing about The Scorpion Rules you should go in knowing there's not going to be much progress there. Personally, every once in a while I find it really refreshing to read a book where romance is not a major player, and, in The Swan Riders it's much more realistic to set that relationship on the back burner now that Greta is an AI. 

The Swan Riders, from which this book takes its name, are the young people who serve Talis. They are part army and part cult. I found them to be quite fascinating, and the Swan Riders we got to know well over the course of the novel burrowed their way into my heart.

I have always loved Erin Bow's writing style. She writes with a lovely smooth cadence that I find so soothing. This is not a fast-paced story, but a slower pace has never put me off a book, and believe me there are many surprises.

Finally, The Swan Riders is glorious complicated. The enigma of the AI is only intensified in this second installment. The line between human and machine becomes even fuzzier. All the relationships in this novel are extremely complex. There are so many levels of love and devotion and what exactly that means when one is dedicated to a godlike AI. Honestly, some of it was so heartbreaking. I was quietly wiping away tears at the end of this book.



a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Tour Schedule:

Week 1:

9/12: Fangs and Fur Fantasy Book Review - Review

9/13: The Cover Contessa - Guest Post

9/14: Live to Read - Review

9/15: Such A Novel Idea - Q&A

9/16: Intellectual Recreation - Review

Week 2:

9/19: Novel Ink - Q&A

9/20: The Story Sanctuary - Review

9/21: Book Stacks Amber - Playlist

9/22: Lisa Loves Literature - Review

9/23: A Backwards Story - Q&A

 

ABOUT ERIN BOW:
 

Hi! My name is Erin Bow -- physicist turned poet turned author of young adult novels that will make you cry on the bus. I'm a white girl, forty-something, feminist, geeky enough to do the Vulcan salute with both hands -- in public. I live in Canada. I love to cook, hate to clean, and yes, I do own a cat.

In the beginning, I was a city girl from farm country -- born in Des Moines and raised in Omaha -- where I was fond of tromping through wood lots and reading books by flashlight. In high school I captained the debate team, founded the math club, and didn't date much.

In university I studied particle physics and worked briefly at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva, Switerland. Physics was awesome, but graduate school kind of sucked, and, at some point, I remembered that I wanted to write books. 

Books: I have six of them -- three novels, two volumes of poetry, and a memoir (the poetry under my maiden name, Erin Noteboom). My poetry has won the CBC Canadian Literary Award and several other awards. My two novels, Plain Kate and Sorrow's Knot, also have a fistful of awards, including Canada's top award for children's literature: the TD. The third novel, The Scorpion Rules, still faces its award season. No one read the memoir.

Right now I'm looking forward to the publication of my fourth novel, a companion piece to The Scorpion Rules called The Swan Riders, which will be out September 20th from Simon & Schuster. I'm at work on an entirely different novel and a book of poetry about science. 

Did you notice I got to Canada in there somewhere? Yeah, that was true love. I'm married to a Canadian boy, James Bow, who also writes young adult novels. We have two small daughters, both of whom want to be scientists.   

Visit Erin Bow Online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Goodreads