I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.
Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.
Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her. It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

 The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Book One of The Young Elites Trilogy

YA/Fantasy

2 out of 5 stars

The Young Elites was a book sold to me on one concept alone - the novel follows a villainous young woman coming into power. In an era where antiheroes are remarkably popular, Marie Lu serves us an unforgiving antiheroine. This is not your typical hero’s journey. This is a girl’s descent into a darkness that she may not be able to pull herself out of. Unfortunately, Lu starts the novel off at what may be an inopportune time. While the story is quick to start, a series of negative consequences are inflicted on the rest of The Young Elites. Jumping straight into the action means that we learn very little of our main character and the setting she’s living in. In terms of Adelina’s characterization, The Young Elites turns to sporadic but frequent flashbacks that begin to feel a lot like filler.

The world-building never seems to get on its feet at any point throughout the book, and the setting, inspired by Renaissance Italy, is only revealed to the reader in shallow terms. Even as the plot of the novel follows Adelina coming into her power, the magic system isn’t even properly explained. While the concepts that brought me to pick this up were there, they didn’t seem to expand into anything more than what was offered in the synopsis. The execution of this novel completely fell flat, which surprised me as Marie Lu already has an immensely popular trilogy under her belt. I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

I feel obliged to mention that I’m grateful that Marie Lu has given us a main character that pulls away from our expectations of female characters. Female villains are not granted the same leniency in fiction as male villains in a time where dark fantasy is flourishing with villainous men at the forefront. I can definitely appreciate Lu pushing the limits put on female characters, regardless of whether or not she executed it well. The epilogue also shows that Lu hopes to push on even more boundaries and diversify her fiction, though she seems hesitant to do so. As much as I can appreciate authors trying to diversify their work, it doesn’t make up for a lackluster story.

While I found this to be disappointing, I do think a lot of readers will really enjoy The Young Elites. YA readers who aren’t as acclimated in the fantasy genre who are looking for a darker story about a young girl who isn’t a typical innocent protagonist will likely love The Young Elites. The fast-paced writing makes it a quick and easy read and would be perfect for YA readers looking to get into fantasy without too much commitment.

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

Prequel Novellas 1-5 of the Throne of Glass series
YA/High Fantasy

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Novellas have become the new thing in YA fiction in the past few years.With the torturous waiting period readers are forced to endure between new books in a series, short stories featuring our favorite characters are generally appreciated. The Assassin's Blade, as a collection, sets itself apart from other such novellas. With five novellas in all, originally released individually in e-book form, The Assassin's Blade has an overarching story that takes up as many pages as any other book in the series. Combined, the novellas of The Assassin's Blade make up a novel on its own, while still being able to (mostly) stand on their own as novellas.

While this is a prequel to the Throne of Glass series, it was published after the second book in the series, Crown of Midnight, and it's best to read the series in order of publication. There's certainly nothing wrong with reading this before the other books in the series, but I think some of the events in The Assassin's Blade will make more sense once readers have come to some discoveries about Celaena's character in Crown of Midnight. For readers of the series who weren't the biggest fan of Throne of Glass, I wouldn't recommend picking up The Assassin's Blade. The ending of The Assassin's Blade can be guessed by anyone who has read Throne of Glass, and there isn't much added to the series as this isn't meant to be a compulsory read one needs to pick up to continue on with the series. The novellas are mostly fun adventure stories.

The Assassin's Blade shows the progress Maas has made as a writer. One of the main problems with Throne of Glass is Celaena's characterization. We get told a lot about how Celaena is such an awesome, badass assassin but we don't really see that shown in her actions. The Assassin's Blade almost seems like its entire purpose is fleshing out her character, while telling an action-packed story in the process. For fans of the Throne of Glass series, this is a great read to save for when you're waiting for the next installment in the series to be published... but it's not at all necessary to read. Overall this was an exciting installment and I'll be interested to see if some of the characters from these novellas show up in later books in the series!

In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.
On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

First book in The Remnant Chronicles

YA/High Fantasy/Romance

  3 out of 5 stars

The title of The Kiss of Deception felt as much a description of the book's contents as it was a description of my experience reading it. The beginning hints at an interesting world with an intriguing mythology and mystery that is, inevitably, ignored for the sake of putting romance at the forefront. What little we are given of the culture of this world was enough to keep me wanting more, but it didn't pay off in the end. Whatever remnants of the mystery we're given is dedicated to adding flare to the love triangle. How to make a love triangle not seem like every other YA love triangle? Make the two men involved have ambiguous identities and keep readers guessing about who's who! While some readers have found this 'mystery' to be a riveting aspect of the story, I was more annoyed than impressed. Spending more than half a book not knowing which character is which for the sake of an attempt at suspense was not my cup of tea.

The best that The Kiss of Deception had to offer was the writing style. I found myself wanting to highlight certain passages as I think this is a fairly "quotable" and beautifully written story. The writing wasn't perfect - I found it to be lacking in description of the world - but it was my favorite aspect of the story. While the language of this was up to par for me, I wish the contents were equal in value. 

I think The Kiss of Deception is a decent foundation for the rest of the series, but it didn't leave me wanting to continue. After reading through 400+ pages and getting denied anything besides an uncompelling romance and being left with a ridiculous cliffhanger that offers no resolution, I felt like The Kiss of Deception dedicated too much of my time to a meandering story that wasn't worth it in the end. For readers who enjoy romance with a weak fantasy backdrop, this is the book for you. For any reader wanting more than just a fantasy backdrop, I'd say avoid The Kiss of Deception. At least until more books come out in the series, which could improve upon the foundation this provided... but only time will tell.

Edinburgh, 1844. Beautiful Aileana Kameron only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. In fact, she's spent the year since her mother died developing her ability to sense the presence of Sithichean, a faery race bent on slaughtering humans. She has a secret mission: to destroy the faery who murdered her mother. But when she learns she's a Falconer, the last in a line of female warriors and the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity, her quest for revenge gets a whole lot more complicated. The first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy, this electrifying thriller blends romance and action with steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read.

The Falconer by Elizabeth May

First book in the Falconer Series
YA/Paranormal/Historical Fiction/Steampunk

2.5 out of 5 stars
If books were puzzles, The Falconer would be a puzzle made up of pieces borrowed from other puzzles that somehow manage to fit together. While this book isn't necessarily part of genres that I'm an avid reader of - I much prefer high fantasy to the paranormal, and I can't say I read a lot of steampunk - this still managed to feel like something I'd already read before. This is a rather subjective complaint, so I will say that if you haven't read stories like this in the past, you may still enjoy it. There are certainly many readers who have. May allows us to see faeries in a negative light - as deadly creatures, rather than sweet little critters or politicking human-like beings. This does offer a bit of originality that some readers will appreciate.

Aileana, the main character of The Falconer, was a rough character to follow. The Falconer is written in first person POV, and we see everything through Aileana's eyes. Her character is defined by her rage, a trait sparked by the murder of her mother. Before the death of her mother, she describes herself as a pretty average Victorian woman. Her rage permeates the narrative at an annoying rate. We're bombarded with her constant need to murder. Aileana could be attending a breakfast and suddenly, while sipping her tea, become overcome with a need to slaughter faeries. It gets old quickly. The only other trait she really reveals to the reader is her inventiveness - she is very technologically savvy and invents lots of gadgets that she typically uses to aid her vengeful slaughter of the faeries. Unfortunately, her skill seems out of place and unbelievable. Within the context of the world she is living in, it's very unlikely that she would have the supplies to practice her hobby as she does. The creation of any kind of tech, whether it be a new gun or a new locomotive, is portrayed as easy and not at all time-consuming. Planning on going on a murder spree in the afternoon? No problem. Aileana can create a whole new arsenal of weapons the morning of. There were several aspects of this story that were too demanding on the reader to suspend their disbelief, and Aileana's characterization was one of them.

The other characters were archetypal but for the most part entertaining. We have a pixie that lives in Aileana's closet and provides some lighter, funnier dialogue to keep the story from getting too dark. There's a faerie love interest that manages to fit the bill of brooding, beautiful supernatural lover that we see so often in paranormal romance type books... but he's not insufferable. And while the premise of the book sounds mature, The Falconer is actually pretty tame. This could actually fit a younger audience, which leads me to reiterate that this book will be best for those new to this kind of story.

My final thoughts are in regards to the plot of The Falconer. May seemed to struggle with raising the stakes. I felt a distinct sense of apathy when reading this, and didn't generally feel like there was any reason to care about where things were going. Problems that Aileana kept worrying over didn't seem like they were actual problems. There wasn't the feeling that something bad might genuinely happen. The ending of The Falconer is also poorly done - leaving us with a ridiculous cliffhanger. It's as if the author got up mid-paragraph during the climax of the novel to go for a bathroom break and never came back. There is absolutely no resolution, and just as the action starts up, the book ends. While a good cliffhanger can leave readers antsy for the next installment in the series, this just left me unsatisfied and annoyed.

And again, while my review was critical, I think many readers will really enjoy this. The foundation The Falconer lays down for its sequels is interesting, and perhaps the following books will succeed where this one failed.

Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy (Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant) has captured the hearts and thoughts of millions of readers. In Divergent Thinking, YA authors explore even more of Tris and Tobias’ world, including    • What Divergent’s factions have in common with one of psychology’s most prominent personality models • The biology of fear: where it comes from and how Tris and the other Dauntless are able to overcome it • Full-page maps locating all five faction headquarters and other series landmarks in today’s Chicago, based on clues from the books • Plus a whole lot more, from why we love identity shorthand like factions to Tris’ trouble with honesty to the importance of choice, family, and being brave.With a dozen smart, surprising, mind-expanding essays on all three books in the trilogy, Divergent Thinking provides a companion fit for even the most Erudite Divergent fan.

Divergent Thinking: YA Authors on Veronica Roth's Divergent Trilogy

Standalone Anthology/Companion to the Divergent Trilogy

Non-fiction

4 out of 5 stars

Warning: Divergent Thinking has spoilers for all three novels in the Divergent trilogy.

The Divergent Trilogy, for me, started strong and became progressively weaker. The world-building and the revelations of the final book that revealed how Chicago became what it was were both partially implausible and boring. YA Dystopian novels are great for two reasons - firstly, there tends to be a lot of action and a fast pace. The Divergent trilogy held up this end of the bargain for most of its run. Secondly, the world-building and/or themes allow for a more thought-provoking experience. The trilogy didn't deliver this for me. Divergent Thinking filled in most of what I felt the trilogy lacked, providing insights that allowed a deeper, more speculative look into the series and the Divergent world. For someone left so disillusioned and dissatisfied at the end of the trilogy, this was a perfect book to pick up.

Divergent Thinking contains a dozen essays written by an equal amount of YA authors. Each takes on a topic; from the pros and cons of the faction system to why Dauntless, as a military body, failed in its goals. As with most anthologies, some of the essays are stronger than others. My favorite of the collection was "Fear & The Dauntless Girl" by Blythe Woodston, which pleasantly surprised me. The essay looked at the biology of fear (in an interesting way! I promise it's not like reading a biology textbook) and what factors in Divergent's Chicago groomed its people for violence and rebellion. I found this to be the most insightful of the anthology, while still remaining readable and entertaining.

The main critique I have of Divergent Thinking is that some of the essays became a little repetitive. It didn't seem like there was any correspondence between the contributors, since so many of them wrote about ridiculously similar topics. The factions in particular seem to be a very popular topic, but it got old fast. The factions in Divergent were never anything I found incredibly thought provoking, and I had already made a lot of the connections the authors made in their essays... so these were slightly tedious to get through. The first two essays in the collection are both making comparisons between the factions and personality types. If the essays hadn't been put together, maybe it would have been a little less obvious and a little more bearable.

I think Divergent Thinking has something to offer every Divergent fan, even those of us who were left feeling unsatisfied with the trilogy's conclusion.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

(Summary may contain spoilers if you haven't read the earlier books in the trilogy) The Selection changed America Singer's life in ways she never could have imagined. Since she entered the competition to become the next princess of Illéa, America has struggled with her feelings for her first love, Aspen--and her growing attraction to Prince Maxon. Now she's made her choice . . . and she's prepared to fight for the future she wants.

The One by Kiera Cass

Third Book in The Selection Trilogy

YA/Romance/'Dystopia'

 1.5 out of 5 stars
he Selection Trilogy was never my favorite. They work well as quick, light-hearted (and weirdly addictive) reads, but don't offer much more than that. This is one of those trilogies that should have been a standalone. There isn't enough story to warrant three separate books! If you're reading this review, however, you've probably already invested in this series. I definitely recommend you read this if you've read the first two books, The Selection and The Elite, even if I didn't enjoy this final installment. It's worth at least knowing the conclusion, even if it is ridiculously predictable.

The majority of the issues I had with this book are identical to those I had with the first two books. While these books are labeled as dystopia, the dystopian elements are superficial in their influence on the story. We're given a caste system and some people who don't like it and boom! Dystopian qualification obtained. The world-building was lacking in favor of the petty conflicts faced by America and her two love interests, which may be fine for some, but left me unsatisfied. The relationships between the characters were equally as shallow as the world-building, but were given much more attention in all of the books. 

While I found the first two books to be somewhat fun, The One didn't live up to that. After awhile, the conflict caused by characters refusing to communicate properly over the span of multiple books, the laziness shown towards the world-building and towards the plot points developed surrounding the 'rebels' (which is not at all resolved, at least not in a satisfying or plausible way), and the out-of-character behavior shown by some of the main characters for the sake of adding drama to the story... The One was more aggravating than enjoyable.

Again, I still recommend this to those invested in the series, as a lot of readers really enjoyed this last installment. I just wasn't one of them.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people. But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Standalone novel

YA/Retelling/Fantasy

 4 out of 5 stars
Cruel Beauty is one of the books that are incredibly hard to thoroughly review without being spoilery, so I'll have to leave some points alone for the purpose of not ruining the book for those who haven't read it.

Cruel Beauty takes place in the most unique world that I've read in YA fiction, and possibly in fiction in general. This is both a strength and a weakness for the story, and the way it will be received depends entirely upon the reader. A lot of readers go into this expecting a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and there is much more to it than that. The additional inspiration for the plot and the world-building is drawn from numerous sources and, as such, may be confusing or jarring for some readers. While the aspects of retelling are not confusing (where we reference Beauty and the Beast, Rumpelstiltskin, Bluebeard...) as you don't need to understand or recognize the source to know what's going on, the world-building is largely built on information that is not common knowledge and may be hard to digest for readers unfamiliar with the source material. 

The world and magic system is built upon two major things: Greek mythology and Hermeticism. The world itself seems to be an alternate version of a Greco-Roman world, and works as if hundreds of years ago, something happened that made it differ from what we would see today. This world is cut off from the rest of the Earth and isolated, and the gods of Greek mythology are part of the traditional belief system. While I'm not the most knowledgeable of Greek mythology, I did think Hodge did a decent job of explaining what everything meant while incorporating it into the story. I'm not sure I think the handling of Hermeticism was as good, however. I'm familiar with Hermeticism and the Hermetic principles as they stand in our reality, and Hodge uses Hermeticism as a magical system. There are a lot of principles just outright said but not explained to the reader, and while I understood what was going on, I think it might be more than some readers can handle. A lot of readers seem to not know that Hermeticism is something that actually exists, and those who are unfamiliar with it may be confused by it. I would say that readers will get the most out of Cruel Beauty if they have some understanding of Hermeticism or Greek mythology, otherwise the amount of world-building may seem daunting and confusing. 

The plot drifted enough from the original story that I didn't feel like everything was completely predictable, as I've found with some retellings. It wasn't entirely unpredictable however. There was what I think was an intended plot twist that I saw coming in the beginning, but as it was something that I was hoping would happen, I didn't mind the predictability. (It was a bit of a relief to see I was right, actually.) The best part of Cruel Beauty, for me, was the romance. The chemistry between Nyx and her love interest was to die for. I think some readers may be troubled by the romance in the beginning, for reasons I cannot explain because of spoilers, but all I will say is hang in there before giving up on it.

In the end, Cruel Beauty is dark, strange and beautiful. I would recommend it to those willing to spend a bit of time wading into a bizarre other world, and ready to read through lots of romancy bits.

Not every fairytale has a happy ending. This is the story of a princess who became a villain. As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of Hearts, Dinah’s days are an endless monotony of tea, tarts, and a stream of vicious humiliations at the hands of her father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, the future Knave of Hearts — and the love of her life.When an enchanting stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as everything she’s ever wanted threatens to crumble. As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls of Wonderland. It’s up to Dinah to unravel the mysteries that lurk both inside and under the Palace before she loses her own head to a clever and faceless foe.

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes

First book in a trilogy (?)

Young Adult/Retelling/Fantasy 

 2 out of 5 stars

Queen of Hearts is an Alice in Wonderland retelling that feels very distant from the original source material. Alice in Wonderland is a delightful and nonsensical read, while Queen of Hearts is incredibly dark. It's also strange to see the Queen of Hearts given back-story, because she was a ridiculous character in the original text. I love stories that flesh out villians (like Wicked did for the Wizard of Oz's villain, the Wicked Witch) but I think the Queen of Hearts is not the best villain to receive this kind of attention. Oakes did do a decent job of pulling it off though, despite my reluctance in believing that it could be done.

I believe this is meant to be the first book in a trilogy, and unfortunately I felt that this is one of those series that should have been a standalone. Queen of Hearts is around 200 pages, so it's not very long in itself, and the novel stops just when it starts getting exciting. There wasn't enough story in this installment, in my opinion, to warrant a single novel. I also felt that the writing was excessive at times, with description in particular, so a lot of those 200 or so pages felt like they had a lot of 'filler' material.

Dinah, our main character, I unfortunately didn't like. I felt that there was this massive attempt by the author to make me like her, but it didn't work. The King, Dinah's father, is also purely evil which is always boring. The King had no depth and seemed to only exist to make Dinah miserable and force readers to pity her. It felt contrived, so it didn't make me feel very bad for Dinah at all because it felt unrealistic. Dinah herself is a rather mean character, and while she becomes idealistically nicer throughout the book, I wasn't a fan of her. She felt rather villainous to begin with, so the idea that she is some innocent princess who becomes a villainous queen feels false.

The other characters borrowed from the original Alice in Wonderland include the Mad Hatter, who is Dinah's insane younger brother. The Cheshire Cat, who's actually a man, a very powerful and menacing man, who is rumored to be able to shape-shift into a cat. The White Rabbit, who serves as Dinah's tutor and mentor. I was slightly uncomfortable with the way that all of the characters seem to be in the royal family or involved in the royal affairs, and I felt like the most interesting characters got the least amount of attention in the plot.

The world-building was probably my favorite aspect of Queen of Hearts. From the ever-changing constellations in the Wonderland night sky to the menacing and enigmatic Black Towers that begin to haunt Dinah's dreams. It definitely retains the ridiculousness of the world-building from Alice in Wonderland. Snow is pink. Why? Because it's Wonderland.

Ultimately this was an interesting concept that I felt could have been executed better.

I was provided an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

There are no heroes. Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills. Nobody fights the Epics... nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them. And David wants in. He wants Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning—and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.  He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

First book in The Reckoners trilogy

Young Adult/Post-Apocalyptic/Superheroes

 5 out of 5 stars
I also have a video review for Steelheart, if you'd like to watch instead of read this review.

Steelheart reads like a novelization of an action film. This makes it a quick and entertaining read. The main character, David, is that (possibly archetypal) character who obsesses over a group or organization and finds himself trying to weasel his way into it. This organization is The Reckoners, the group which lends its name to the title of the series and obviously plays a pivotal role in the story. David and the Reckoners are quite possibly the only people to stand up to the Epics in this post-apocalyptic world. At least, the only people still alive.

The first-person narration from David's POV makes this a hilarious book. This provides a bit of "comic relief" from the heavier aspects of the novel. David has a thing for metaphors, even though he's absolutely terrible at coming up with them (and he knows it). Here's an example;

"Even a ninety-year-old blind priest would stop and stare at this woman. If he weren't blind, that is. 'Dumb metaphor,' I thought. 'I'll have to work on that one.' I have trouble with metaphors."

The characters were all introduced in an easily digestible way, but Sanderson does flesh them out more throughout the story. When we're introduced to a new character, they typically had a bold personality offsetting them from the rest so as to resist confusion about who's who. Everyone has layers and backstory revealed throughout the novel, however, so we don't stick with the more cookie-cutter personalities that were introduced to us. And, of course, there is always room for surprises about who some of these characters really are.

I was left with no complaints when I finished Steelheart. Everything came together perfectly at the end, and sets us on a mysterious and fascinating path for the next installment in the trilogy. Would highly recommend this to anyone who's looking for an action-packed book! 

The Diviners by Libba Bray
Book 1 of the Diviners series
YA/Historical Fiction/Paranormal/Mystery
Summary:

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."   

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

 On Goodreads | On Amazon | On Book Depository
5 out of 5 Stars 

The Diviners was a unique reading experience. I've been reading quite a lot of painfully formulaic YA books lately, and this was the exact opposite. This was intricately plotted, original in its structure and filled with a cast of realistic and likable characters. Reading The Diviners was like watching one long film that kept me in its grip for days and days. When I finished, I was exhausted, relieved and sad that the experience had ended.

I'm convinced that Libba Bray has a time machine and spends her nights in NYC during the Roaring Twenties. The world-building (part research, part invention) was stitched into every page with great care. The dialogue may come off as a little too much for some, as it's built on many old-fashioned expressions like "the cat's pajamas," and "chin music." Even though the novel is filled with these expressions that people of our age are unfamiliar with, Bray makes it easy to pick up on the meanings without being too obvious about it.

The execution of The Diviners was phenomenal. I'd say that the writing is honestly just really done well, and that's not really debatable. But what really surprised me with this was the effect these words had. While I have a (sometimes obnoxiously present) imagination, this book was much more visual than most I've read. It wasn't a fast read. There were at least a dozen times where I had to set a book down at the end of a scene or chapter because I was still caught in its grip. I wouldn't be able to move on because the images put into my head by Bray were so strong and fascinating, that they had to be dealt with and thoroughly cherished before moving on to the next.

I will warn you, however, that this visual experience comes with a price. While our central character, Evie, is rather superficial and likes to get drunk and party, there are very dark scenes in this book. This is a book about murder, and not murders of the merciful kind. You will witness brutal deaths. I was haunted by scenes and had trouble sleeping one night after reading. I don't scare easy, but this had me spooked. If you have a weak stomach and low tolerance for violent images, I'd say The Diviners may not be the book for you.

With the wide cast of main characters, there was bound to be romance in The Diviners. And there was. Luckily this wasn't done in an archetypal way. Typically in YA relationships are either unrealistically grown at a fast pace or strained by a love triangle. While I think these elements linger ever so slightly in the background of some of the romantic interactions in The Diviners, it's still done well and in a more original way.

While at times this book could have used condensing, that's really the only complaint I have - and for me it's very minor. The Diviners has weaseled its way onto my favorites shelf.

This is a review I wrote last year, when I first read The Diviners.

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
Book 1 of the Seven Realms series
YA/High Fantasy
Summary:

One day Han Alister catches three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet away from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won’t use it against him. The amulet once belonged to the Demon King, who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece so powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna has her own battle to fight. She’s just returned to court after three years of riding and hunting with her father’s family. Raisa aspires to be like Hanalea, the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems that her mother has other plans for her—plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.

On Goodreads | On Amazon | On Book Depository

5 out of 5 Stars 

I've also done a video review, if you'd like to watch & listen instead of read.

 This was a book that came highly recommended by numerous people who insisted that I would adore this series. They were right, at least, in as much as I can judge from only reading (and loving) the first installment of the quartet. Before even finishing the book, I was worried about what I would say in my review... because I couldn't think of anything to really complain about. Everything had a natural greatness, which is something that will end up being repeated in various ways throughout my review. Ultimately, I had no complaints - unless you count my need to continue on with the series... now.

The cast of characters in The Demon King was perfectly done for a fantasy novel. In some fantasy series we have an overwhelming amount of characters. This can cause confusion for a lot of readers, and is one of the reasons some book-lovers avoid the genre altogether. In YA fantasy, however, I have often experienced the opposite of this - the amount of characters is underwhelming. We end up focusing on the main character, maybe two dudes from a love triangle, and perhaps an evil king or something of that ilk. Neither of these problems relate at all to The Demon King. There was never a character whose name and purpose I'd forgotten, or who seemed extraneous in the overall plot. Several people were pivotal to the plot, even if in small ways, and they were allowed to be more than just flat, background characters. 

The world-building also felt presented in a similar way. There wasn't any information dumped on the reader that you weren't made to anticipate - clawing your way through the pages to figure out this missing piece of information on the world and how the characters & the plot fit in with it. Because of the multiple POVs, we also get to see locations and cultures through slightly different lenses. While the world wasn't anything ridiculously original, it was easy to sink into and intriguing to learn about. The intertwining of world history and the plot unfolding in The Demon King was endlessly interesting.

In terms of plot, this wasn't an entirely predictable novel. I didn't really know where the story would climax or have much of a solid guess of what was going to happen in the end, which is a plus for me. I struggle with the predictability of a lot of other books, and this one didn't give all of its secrets away too early. This is, of course, aided by the fact that this is the first book in a series, and some plot points will inevitably bleed into the sequels, but nonetheless it was a nice experience. Things felt wrapped up at the end, but there was also a sense of a new beginning - one in which readers will have to wait until the next installment to fully explore its path. 

As I said, I really enjoyed this novel. There are only so many ways to profess my love before I descend into bumbling-fangirl status.