The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst

Posted on by lynndellwatson

25036395

The Queen Of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst is an ebook I checked out on Overdrive through Delta High School’s access. The story opens with a mythical quality and the setting of the village in the trees is described beautifully. The first chapter is in Daleina’s Point of view and alternates with Champion Ven. A few chapters are in Queen Fara’s point of view. The Queen is a complex and complicated character. She’s continuously having replacements trained to become Queen. There’s an academy where training takes place to turn girls into heirs for the Queen. She’s tired of hearing about being replaced and she seems to have an underlying cunning and possible ruthlessness. Daleina travels and trains with Ven and the healer Hamon and they take great care of her and help her when she loses her eyesight. The three companions visit the village that Daleina was born in and where her family still resides. She’s saddened by how much time has changed her home. As a challenge, Queen Fara wants Daleina to reclaim a lost village and the village happens to be her hometown. She’s supposed to claim the village from the spirits, then rebuild it and make it safe. Her companions think the Queen is cruel to ask this of Daleina. As often as she works well with her companions and other candidates and proves to others that she’s capable, Daleina never gets over her self-doubt and insecurities. Ven and Hamon have always been confident in Daleina though. The world is interesting and unique because the people completely rely on spirits for everything from warmth, growing vegetation, cooking and all things that come from air, earth, water, trees and fire. The spirits have a natural tendency and desire to destroy all that is human- people and their creations. The story picked up the pace towards the ending and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, The Reluctant Queen. 4 stars for this new vision of a fantasy world.

Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel

Posted on by lynndellwatson

33509076

Thanks to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel. Angie has lived with her father since she was twelve. That’s when her mother died of an overdose and the abhorrent environment she was raising Angie in became headline news. Angie and her father live next to a house that was the site of a murder. This house seems to be haunted and has evil within its walls. Reece moves into the house with his mother and siblings and Angie can’t quite figure him out. They develop a relationship and learn the secrets each other is keeping. I like that Angie has other aspects of her life that make her happy and that everything doesn’t revolve around the guy next door. The mysteries of Angie’s past and the mysteries surrounding Reece kept the story interesting. I also enjoyed the friendship between Angie, Deno and Lacey. 4 stars for a suspense filled story!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary review consideration.

Summoner by S. D. Grimm

Posted on by lynndellwatson

9781640633322

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review Summoner by S.D. Grimm. Divining rods, a cemetery and a dare open the story. Allie’s new next door neighbor, Cody, is nice and is dealing with the aftereffects of an accident. Cody’s reluctant to discuss the accident and Allie eventually finds out why. For some reason, Allie is hearing a voice, blacks out and acts strange while she’s hearing the voice that no one else hears. It’s embarrassing her and she doesn’t want to tell anyone about the voice. Cody and Allie bond a friendship and more, become best friends and help each other with the struggles they’re both dealing with. The two of them fight together to end the existence of an evil that wants to conquer them. 4 stars for this romantic supernatural read.

Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson

Posted on by lynndellwatson

29283751

Dark breaks the dawn by Sara B. Larson is a fairytale retelling of Swan Lake. It’s Princess Evelayn’s 18th birthday and she’s gotten her full powers like she’s supposed to. They are more amazing than she expected. She is happy when her mother, Queen Ilaria, makes it home on the night of her birthday. Only too soon, her mother leaves for battle once again. When the queen is struck down in battle, the kingdom is devastated. Evelayn vows to do whatever it takes to restore peace to her people. The complex world building and character descriptions are amazing and beautiful. I love the colors of skin, hair and eyes and the endless combinations of those attributes on the people of the kingdoms. I was rooting for Evelayn and Tanvir throughout the whole book. An adventure fantasy and a fairytale retelling all in one. 5 stars!

The Scarlet Tanager by Emigh Cannaday

Posted on by lynndellwatson

27243140-_sr1200630_

The Scarlet Tanager by Emigh Cannaday is the third book in the Annika Brisby series and it begins where The Silver Thread leaves off, with Annika’s kidnapping. I was so angry at Talvi when I thought he was flirting with his work partner and very relieved in the next chapter when his purpose was brought to light. I absolutely love Finn and how he takes great care with Annika and Talvi seems extremely selfish compared to Finn. When Annika loses her memory, she seems completely content with Finn. I think he treats her like a queen. The narrator performs the characters’ voices perfectly and endeared the characters to me. 5 stars for an elaborate fantasy in a complicated world!

The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones

Posted on by lynndellwatson

510puf4rel-_ac_us218_

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones. Dee has received an academic scholarship to attend the boarding school she now lives at. The scholarship funds have been cut and Dee dreads going home to her dysfunctional family. Dee sees a demon. Only humans that want something can see demons. The demons seem to be an epidemic in the community and Dee needs money for boarding school. She makes a twenty-four month deal with the Agathodaemon. The demon gives Dee what she wants and keeps her heart for the entire time of their covenant and Dee has to do his bidding for the same amount of time. After making the deal, Dee holds a portal open for James and Cal and she has no idea what is going on. She’s sent to help close another void with James, Cal and Cora and she realizes that they don’t understand the voids either. The story gradually explains the background of each member of the group and how they made their deal with the demon. Together they made an interesting team. I enjoyed the characters but they weren’t as complex as I would have liked. The story concept changes and it becomes more science fiction than supernatural. The ending is the best part of the story, touching and heartfelt. 4 stars for a unique book.

Rowan Wood Legends by Olivia Wildenstein

Posted on by lynndellwatson

rowan2bwood2blegends2bebook2bglam

Rowan Wood Legends by Olivia Wildenstein, the sequel to Rose Petal Graves, opens with Cat mourning Holly. Holly has passed away and Cat wonders if there was foul play. She discovers what happened to Holly and the reasoning behind her death. Cat seems to be going through a maze while blindfolded when it comes to figuring out who her friends are and who she can truly trust. Kajika, Ace and others are not what they immediately seem to be. The struggles with her identity and where she belongs continue to taunt Cat and she’s still keeping these questions and part of her life from her father. The romantic relationship she finally concedes too is cute and I want to read more! 4 stars for a fantasy with unanswered questions in a supernatural world.

 *Rowan Wood Legends can be read as a standalone but does continue the story from Rose Petal Graves. Rose Petal Graves will be available to anyone who wants to read it first!*

Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau

Posted on by lynndellwatson

32051572

Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau is an intense fantasy adventure. Carys and Andreus are royal twin siblings hiding a secret from the kingdom. When the power outage overwhelms Garden City, chaos follows. Andreus helps fix the outage problem right before their brother Micah and their father, the king, are brought home from the warfront by the King’s guards. Both Micah and the king have been killed and the only witnesses to their deaths are soon killed also. The secret the twins are hiding is the sickness Andreus suffers from; it causes him weakness and is supposedly the curse that the seer prophesied after the birth of the twins. The Elders have set up a tournament for Andreus and Carys to compete against each other for the throne, since both the king and his heir are dead. The winner will be the new ruler of their kingdom. They compete unwillingly and try to make the tournament go in favor of Andreus. The danger builds and the suspicion grows stronger as Andreus and Carys struggle to learn who they can trust. It saddened me how quickly Andreus believed that his worth was above everyone else’s. I love the ingenious, clever way the story is told with the alternating points of view of Carys and Andreus and how they overlap at times. This way of telling the story makes the reader’s emotions take a roller coaster ride. I would love to see a map in the sequel and I give this book 5 stars for the adventure and intrigue!

Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody

Posted on by lynndellwatson

30237061

I received a paperback copy of Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody through a Goodreads giveaway and I also received an ARC from Harlequin Teen and NetGalley. Everything is a bit confusing with the descriptions of the illusions as the story begins. Sorina creates illusions, she’s the daughter of a freakshow master and she has no eyes. Her family members are actually all illusions created by Sorina. The illusions act as real people do and they are leading their own lives. Someone starts killing the illusions and investigations begin. People are accused and finally the killer is found. The writing conventions are done well, but I just had a difficult time with and understanding the concept and world building of the story. 3 stars.

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Posted on by lynndellwatson

51i-h33m4kl-_sx329_bo1204203200_

Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the opportunity to read and review Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller! The princess is on a mission to rob the pirate ship, Night Farer. Princess Alosa has been sent by her father, the Pirate King, to steal a piece of the map that shows the way to the Isla de Canta., the island where sirens have placed their treasures throughout history. Alosa proves herself to be a very deceptive spy and a skilled fighter who can take care of herself. Riden, the brother of the Night Farer captain, knows Alosa is hiding secrets and wants to know what they are. Riden also seems to be more observant than anyone else she has ever met and Alosa isn’t sure how he can sense and see the changes in her as she uses her powers. Alosa is tough, has a clever intelligence and wit and I enjoyed her sarcastic comments throughout the story. Her focus and confidence help her through many tough struggles. Alosa’s secrets are revealed while her father’s story is told also. The story will continue in the sequel, Daughter of the Siren Queen, scheduled for release February 2018. 5 stars for an entertaining adventure fantasy!