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.

On her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, raised in exile, sets out on a perilous journey back to the castle of her birth to ascend her rightful throne. Plain and serious, a girl who loves books and learning, Kelsea bears little resemblance to her mother, the vain and frivolous Queen Elyssa. But though she may be inexperienced and sheltered, Kelsea is not defenseless: Around her neck hangs the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense magical power; and accompanying her is the Queen’s Guard, a cadre of brave knights led by the enigmatic and dedicated Lazarus. Kelsea will need them all to survive a cabal of enemies who will use every weapon—from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic—to prevent her from wearing the crown.
Despite her royal blood, Kelsea feels like nothing so much as an insecure girl, a child called upon to lead a people and a kingdom about which she knows almost nothing. But what she discovers in the capital will change everything, confronting her with horrors she never imagined. An act of singular daring will throw Kelsea’s kingdom into tumult, unleashing the vengeance of the tyrannical ruler of neighboring Mortmesne: the Red Queen, a sorceress possessed of the darkest magic. Now Kelsea will begin to discover whom among the servants, aristocracy, and her own guard she can trust.
But the quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun—a wondrous journey of self-discovery and a trial by fire that will make her a legend…if she can survive.

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Book One of The Queen of the Tearling Trilogy

High Fantasy/Dystopia

2 out of 5 Stars 

The rumored setting of The Queen of the Tearling was intriguing, though perhaps it should have been more of a red flag. Here we have a novel with a typical fantasy setting that takes inspiration from the Middle Ages... and yet it takes place in the future, presumably on Earth. For whatever reason, the British and the Americans made "the Crossing," and sailed to a new "continent" to reestablish society. Our setting is this new society, several generations later, though no advancements seem to have been made. Much knowledge was lost in the journey, and the Tear kingdom has been stalled on any sort of progress. A priest, at one point, comes across a book with a purple cover and remarks upon the color of the dye - apparently, in the many years they've existed on this continent, they've been unable to rediscover how to dye things purple. This gives you an idea of just how hopeless this setting is. Everyone seems to have knowledge of all that was lost in the Crossing, and yet no one seems inclined to try to regain that which was lost no matter how much they long for it.

Within this haphazardly constructed setting, we follow Kelsea Raleigh. Kelsea has been raised in isolation with two assigned guardians. Her mother was once Queen of the Tearling, and decided to send Kelsea away to grow up in safety until she was of age to inherit the throne. At the start of the novel, Kelsea is reclaimed from her secret home by the Queen's Guard and brought back to a kingdom she has never known and is fully expected to immediately become its ruler. Her mother died shortly after sending Kelsea away, and Kelsea's uncle has had the honorable position of Regent in the Queen’s absence. Greedy to keep his power, and gain the true power of a King, her Uncle hopes to kill her before she can ever come into her crown. Her journey to Queendom is filled with assassination attempts, and it seems that the Regent may not be the only one who wants her dead.

Kelsea, as a main character, is interesting. Too often in fiction a female character must be attractive, and female protagonists are quite often driven by romantic plot lines. Kelsea fits neither of those criteria. As a matter of fact, readers are repeatedly reminded that Kelsea is indeed "ugly" and overweight. She is constantly told by men that she isn't physically attractive enough for them. While I respect Johansen for allowing her protagonist to have her story without needing to be beautiful and loved by men, the story isn't all that interesting. Kelsea is a very introspective character, and both her characterization and the plot rely almost entirely on her reacting to injustice. The novel is filled with Kelsea's realization that things in her kingdom are absolutely awful, and her attempts to shoddily patch things up. If I'd been more drawn to her character, perhaps this would have been enough to sustain me. That unfortunately wasn’t the case.

Inevitably, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the characters, the setting was too aggravating to allow me full immersion into the world and the plot wasn't all that riveting. I would definitely say that this was a disappointment. I'd also like to add that this is a strange book to market - it has been labeled as YA by many readers and yet most consider it to be something "other". The coming-of-age elements of the story definitely give it a YA feel, but the content doesn't shy away from sex and violence. Regardless, I don't think everyone will feel as harshly about this as I did. This would probably fit best with readers who aren't as critical of world-building as I am and are looking for a unique female protagonist in a world where we seem to have "beautiful" and "romantically involved" on our checklist of things we must be. 

I received an eARC of The Queen of the Tearling in exchange for an honest review.

A prince with a quest. A commoner with mysterious powers. And dragons that demand to be freed—at any cost. 
Prince Corin has been chosen to free the dragons from their bondage to the Empire, but dragons aren’t big on directions. They have given him some of their power, but none of their knowledge. No one, not the dragons nor their riders, is even sure what keeps the dragons in the Empire’s control. Tam, sensible daughter of a well-respected doctor, had no idea before she arrived in the capital that she is a Seer, gifted with visions. When the two run into each other (quite literally) in the library, sparks fly and Corin impulsively asks Tam to dinner. But it’s not all happily ever after. Never mind that the prince isn’t allowed to marry a commoner: war is coming to Caithen. Torn between Corin’s quest to free the dragons and his duty to his country, the lovers must both figure out how to master their powers in order to save Caithen. With a little help from a village of secret wizards and a rogue dragonrider, they just might pull it off.

Moth and Spark by Anne Leonard

Standalone

Adult/Fantasy/Romance

 2 out of 5 stars

Moth and Spark was unfortunately a case of a book not living up to the expectations set by the synopsis. While the synopsis prioritizes a fantastical conflict between a prince and the dragons he is sworn to free, the book itself prioritizes romance. The beginning of the novel is promising, but as soon as the two lovers discover each other the plot and the intriguing (albeit familiar) world become non-existent. Leonard starts the book with the building of the story's foundation - one with mystery and magic, but this quickly fizzled out into a story incapable of holding my attention.

Unable to decide what kind of story it wants to be, Moth and Spark ultimately does poorly on all fronts. There is a mystery too easily solved. A romance that accelerated too quickly and persisted throughout the story to provide some attempt at a "forbidden lovers" conflict that wasn't really a conflict, considering there wasn't much forbidden about the relationship. The dragons and the magic took a backseat for most of the novel, and when they did get incorporated into the story, they felt too familiar and unoriginal. Had all of these aspects been fleshed out and better woven together, Moth and Spark could have been a more enjoyable read.

I can only recommend this on the grounds that you go into Moth and Spark aware that the book is mostly a romance, and a simplistic one at that. If you're here for the dragons and political intrigue, I'd say this isn't your best bet. It took me months of struggling with this book to finally finish it, which doesn't seem uncommon based on the reception from other reviewers.

There are several scenes with sexual content, so younger readers should be aware of that.

I won an ARC copy of Moth and Spark in a Goodreads giveaway.

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.