Title: Red Queen
Series: The Red Queen series
Number in series: 1
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Plot: Mare Barrow lives in a world of red and silver blood. Those with red blood are common people and are treated like slaves. Those with silver blood have special powers that give them authority to rule.
When The King and Queen discover that Mare has a special power, even though she is a red blood, they force her into pretending to be a silver blood. Can Mare find a way to bring equality to her country and keep her family safe?
My thoughts:
This book started out really slow. So slow I had almost decided to quit reading it.
I changed my mind, though, and kept on reading it.
By the middle of the book I was so intrigued by the story I had a hard time putting it down. I couldn't even guess how it was going to end, which is not something you can say about a lot of YA Sci-fi.
I don't want to give you any spoilers, but the ending was pretty terrible. It had a plot twist that personally ruined the story for me.
Because of the ending and the content mentioned below I'm giving it a lower rating than I would have liked to.
Content: Graphic and gory violence is found throughout the book, making this book rather morbid. H**l and d**n are used often. B****h and b****rd are used a few times each. Spiritualism is vaguely discussed.
Characters lie, cheat, and steal to get out of hard circumstances.
My rating: 2
Title: Seagrass Pier
Series: The Hope Beach series
Number in series: 3
Author: Colleen Coble
Plot: After Elin Summerall recieves a heart transplant from a murdered donor she begins to have disturbing nightmares. Elin is convinced that the nightmares are experiences her donor had.
Elin is not sure if she is safe so she moves to a secluded house on a small beach. When she starts to receive threats she convinces Marc Everton, a man from her past, to help her find her donor's murderer.
Can they find him before it's too late?
My thoughts:
This was another great installment in The Hope Beach series.
Colleen Coble is a master of keeping a reader's attention, and this book is no exception.I had a hard time figuring out the answer to the mystery until the very end.
There were so many characters, including some from the previous two books in this series. It was nice to see how Sara, Josh, Curtis, and Amy's lives were turning out since the last book.
There is some content: The violence can be scary and descriptive. Two characters got pregnant out of wedlock ( Five years before this book starts).
My rating: 3
Title: Atlantia
Author: Ally Condie
Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi
Plot: Rio and Bay are sisters who live in the world of Atlantia, an underwater city protected from the world above. When Bay lives for above, Rio is lost. She doesn't know how she can go on living her life.
When Rio's aunt, who is a siren, starts to tell Rio secrets Rio isn't so sure what she believes in. Can Rio help protect Atlantia, or is it a lost cause?
My thoughts:
This was a unique book. I've never read a book where the setting is an underwater city. That made this book fascinating, but at times hard to imagine.
I have read one other book by Ally Condie, Matched, which I had mixed feelings on it. That is same way I feel about this book.
I liked Bay and Rio's close sister relationship. They both loved each other so much that they were willing to make sacrifices in order to help each other.
Also the romances between characters were sweet and clean, which is something rare in Young Adult Fiction.
I did however have some problems with this book.
I found the story odd and a bit morbid. It did have a few happy moments, but most of them were short.
My main problem with this book is the frequent discussion of a paganistic religion.Worshiping idols, praying to dead people, and strange miracles are a themes found throughout this book.
My rating: 1.5
Title: The Homecoming
Author: Kate Hasbrouck
Genre: Christian Fantasy Fiction
Plot: Kerana is being sent to Earth to begin her duty as an Eldurian. Hers are a perfect people, without flaw and without sin, never experiencing the fall of man. Created by God to shepherd His people on Earth, they remain in the shadows, unnoticed. Kerana looks human, speaks like them, and has been taught to act like them. Above all her mission is to serve the humans.
Arriving on Earth, Kerana meets Eli at school. He is an ordinary human, with a father suffering from alcoholism, and a past that threatens to ruin his life. A star scholarship lacrosse player, Eli has to forget his true passion and live in a shell that doesn’t let anyone in. Until he meets Kerana. They find themselves intertwined in a connection that neither can quite explain. When this connection puts the two of them in danger, they find comfort and protection from each other. When Eli discovers that there is more to Kerana than just her stunning looks and grace, the Eldurians and their home planet of Eden may not remain a secret for very long.
* Description is from craftybooksheeps.blogspot.com*
My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book!
It was written from the perspectives of Kerana and Eli. I sometimes find that when a story is told from two different perspectives it can feel choppy or is hard to follow. That wasn't this case with this book.
I think it helped to show the differences and similarities between Eldurians and Humans.
It was also nice to see what Eli and Kerana thought about the events happening throughout the story.
I liked the way the author handled the spiritual aspects.
The relationship between Adonai ( God) and Eli was beautifully done and, I think, Biblically accurate.
I also thought that the relationship between Adonai and the Eldurians was wonderful. The Eldurians, especially Kerana's parents, were great examples of a strong and loyal faith.
All in all a great read! I recommend it to those who enjoy Christian Fantasy and Sci-Fi.
My rating: 3.5
*Disclaimer*
As a part of The Homecoming book tour I was given a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Title: Goddess Tithe- a novella
Series: Tales of GoldstoneWood
Author: Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Genre: Young Adult Christian Fantasy Ficiton
Plot: Munny is a young boy who works on a merchant ship. The ship is on it's way home when a stowaway is discovered on board.
Munny and the other sailors on board know that all stowaways are required to be thrown into the sea as an offering for Risafeth, an evil sea goddess.
The Captain of the ship doesn't throw the stowaway, Leonard the lightning tongue, overboard, and instead makes Leonard work on the ship.
When mysterious things begin to happen nearly ever one on board blames Leonard. Who is in the right- the crew or the Captain?
My thoughts:
This novella shows Leonard the lightning time, better know has Lionheart, on one of his many travels. I found this interesting because it gave more details into Lionheart's story that is only mentioned vaguely in Veiled Rose.
This novella really reminded me of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It has mysterious waters, an evil creature, and a bittersweet ending, not unlike those elements found in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
If you love the Tales of Goldstone Woods, especially Veiled Rose, You will enjoy this novella.
My rating: 3.5
Hi! I hope you all had a blessed Easter, celebrating Christ's resurrection.
Laura of Crafty Booksheeps is hosting a book tour for The Homecoming by Kate Hasbrouck. There will be interviews with and guest posts by Kate Hasbrouck as well as book reviews by fellow bloggers. I will be posting a review of The Homecoming April 15 on my blog, so be on the lookout for that.
To learn more about the book tour click on the banner above.
Title: The Hollow Kingdom
Series: The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy- book one
Author: Clare B. Dunkle
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Plot:
When Kate and Emily Winslow's father dies, they are sent to live with their great-aunts.
One night Kate and Emily meet mysterious strangers that scare them. After meeting them, they realize that they might the goblins from local folk lore. Can Kate protect herself and her sister from the monsters in the night?
My thoughts:
This book is a mix of fantasy and historical fiction. It kind of reminded me Entwined by Heather Dixon , only more gothic.
That's what, I think, made me intrigued about this book.
This book is short for a YA fantasy novel, but it's very well written.
It has a diverse set of characters, is very fast paced, and has a unique storyline.
The only thing I didn't like was the magic found in it. Spells, curses, and fortune telling are prominent themes.
My rating: 3
