Review of The Day Human Prince

The Day Human Prince (The Day Human Trilogy #1)

Author: B. Kristin McMichael

Publisher: Lexia Press

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9780989121897

Summary (from book jacket)

Devin Alexander grew up as the only day human in a world surrounded by night humans who drank blood, sometimes his blood. He spent his life training toward one goal: the protection of one of those blood  drinkers, Arianna Grace. But what is he supposed to do when the blue-eyed girl of the legends doesn’t need him anymore? What does his life mean then? How is a guy supposed to move on when the girl he has yearned for over a decade has chosen someone else?

Before he can even start to figure out his new life without Arianna, Devin has to deal with another problem. He needs to take care of some unfinished business with a night human he has known for less than a month, but with whom he is magically bound.

Vanessa McKinny has promised that she knows a way to undo the spell she placed on Devin to save his life. Devin would do anything to break the bond to be free of her, even if it means traveling to the sidhe village, a place inhabited by a race of night humans that has not had a day human visitor in more than a hundred years. If he doesn’t want to get stuck, he must work with Nessa to find a way to break the bond. Only then can Devin have time to get back to finding his new goal in life, unless he discovers that his path lies with the sidhe. 

Review

Devin is a Day Human and Nessa is a Night human, and after Nessa creates a bond with Devin that saves his life, the two set off to find the person who will be able to break their bond. 

To be quite frank, the I think the characters are flat. Anything interesting about them, such as Devin’s unrequited love, is glossed over. It would have been better to leave it out completely than to have it be so vague. It also relies on common tropes: Devin’s the weak Day Human who is surprisingly strong and well informed for his kind and Nessa is the blood-sucking strong Night Human killer who is, for some reason, not killing Devin? I was a bit confused on that part. 

Given the summary of the book, I expected there would be some fun fantasy and world building elements. To say I was disappointed in this respect is a major understatement. While there are abundant opportunities to explore the fantastical and world building aspects, the first quarter of the story takes place during a car ride, and not a particularly interesting car ride either. There’s just a bit of talking and its not all that interesting conversation. Anything interesting about Night Humans and Day Humans is largely ignored and descriptions as to what they are were largely ignored, which also left me very confused. 

The writing is mediocre at best. The sentences rely on repetitive structures of consistent lengths that lead to monotony within the writing style. Almost all of the sentences start with a character name, ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’ or the like, which is equally plain. Rather than showing what is going on, the author relies heavily on info dump. While this is to be expected to some degree in fantasy novels, this is to such a great extent if made me zone off frequently, forcing me to reread significant portions to understand what I missed. Ironically, even though the story relied on info dump, I was incredibly confused the entire time. There are brief explanations given as to who the Night Humans, Day Humans, and sidhe are, but it is very vague, and though I read a lot of fantasy, I still can’t place whether they’re supposed to be vampires or faeries or something else. After reading this, I learned that though this is the first book in a series, it is a spinoff of another series. While I understand that some of the missing information I was confused over could have been answered in the other series, even a decent—not necessarily good—quality spinoff series should be able to be read and understood independently of the original series. 

I always try to say at least one positive thing about a book I review, so here goes: the cover was marginally enticing and I only found one typo.

Overall, the monotony of the writing also left me feeling a bored indifference towards the characters and the story as a whole. With the lack of well-developed characters, gag-worthy writing style, and general confusion, this book is one to be avoided—it is not worth the time or money. Although this is not generally the type of story that I like, I know that some people do and I would still recommend against reading this book.  Even an interesting plot cannot compensate for a truly amateur writing style.  

Cover: 3/5

Writing Style: 1/5

Characters/character development: 1/5

Plot: 1/5

Overall: 1.3/5

Review of Stolen Songbird

Stolen Songbird (Malediction Trilogy #1)

Author: Danielle L. Jensen

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 978-1-908844-96-5

Summary (from book jacket)

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the mountain. When Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she realizes that the trolls are relying on her to break the curse.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind: escape. But the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time . . . 

But the more time she spends with the trolls, the more she understands their plight. There is a rebellion brewing. And she just might be the one the trolls were looking for . . . 

Review

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading Stolen Songbird, but this far exceeded any of my expectation. Magic. Check. Underground kingdom. Check. Evil king. Check. All the markings of the types of fantasy books that I enjoy. 

Cécile de Troyes has a talent for singing, but just as she is about to leave her father’s farm to become a singer in the city, she is kidnapped and taken underground to live in Trollus. The Trolls Cécile has heard of have imperfections that make them ugly, but what she soon learns is that some have hideous imperfections while others are unbelievably beautiful. But all of them have the ability to be cruel. The Trolls, trapped underground by a witch’s curse, believe Cécile will be the one to finally break the curse and set them free. Married to the prince — an arrogant Troll who detests humans and resents Cécile — upon arrival, Cécile must learn to survive in the dangerous underground world full of political intrigue.

That is when things really start to get interesting. Although the Prince Tristan is exceedingly arrogant and rude from first appearance, his bad boy charm and snark had me in love with him from moment one. Perhaps part of the reason is his manner of speaking that strongly reminds me of Oscar Wilde’s Earnest. 

Tristan and Cécile hate each other. Tristan does his best to goad and insult Cécile, but despite all that, he is drawn to her singing and when they are alone together out of sight from the other Trolls, Cécile begins to think Tristan is not as bad as he seems. As she comes to know him better, she learns Tristan, his cousin Marc, and others are all involved in a plot to depose the cruel Troll king and free the half-human half-trolls in the kingdom who are, by the King’s law, slaves and disposable.

Cécile now has a purpose in the kingdom: to help Tristan free the half bloods. But beyond all the political intrigue she finds herself in the middle of, her first goal remains to escape Trollus. One of the funnest parts of the story for me was watching Tristan and Cécile fall in love, because boy did they resist their feelings. And, even as they grew closer, they remained in denial of how they felt. Thank goodness for a good YA fantasy story where there is not instalove. Best of all, in a story with a Beauty and the Beast feel to it where Cécile is a captured bride, I love how even after they are ‘in love’ Cécile is still given her chance to escape, and she does. This makes Cécile’s and Tristan’s selfless love all the more believable. 

Although the magical beings are called Trolls, one of the parts that confused me most about the story — at least in the beginning — was the way they were described as eerily beautiful, bound by the promises they make, unable to lie, and weakened by iron, which kept making me want to call them something else. (Hint: the word beings with an 'F'.) There are enough hints in the story to let the reader know that while they are magical beings, they are not actually Trolls, and I hope this dynamic is further explored in Hidden Huntress, book two in the Malediction Trilogy. 

For all the storyline is enticing, the writing is even more so. Vivid and imaginative, the words themselves are so beautifully woven together they could leave a reader spellbound. A very well written, well executed story that leaves me wanting more. 

Cover: 5/5

Writing style: 5/5

Characters/character development: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Review of Shades of Doon

Shades of Doon (Doon #3)

Authors: Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

Publisher: Blink

Format: HC

ISBN:978-0-310-74235-7

Summary (from book jacket)

After cheating death, Veronica Welling is determined to savor every moment in her idyllic kingdom with both her true love and best friend by her side at last. At the same time, Mackenna Reid is enthusiastically building her new life and a theater with her prince. But just as their dreams of happiness are within reach, the world Vee and Kenna have chosen is ripped away, leaving them to face their most horrific challenge yet—their old lives.

Thrust out of Doon, the best friends are confronted with tormentors from their past and no way to return to their adopted land. When the MacCrae brothers rush to their rescue, the girls’ situation turns from nightmare to modern-day fairy tale. But their happiness could be short lived: unbeknownst to them, someone in their closest circle is aiding the witch of Doon in her bid to destroy the kingdom once and for all.

Review

After Mackenna has finally accepted life in Doon and Veronica is settling in as Queen, both girls are forcefully ripped away from Doon and sent back to their old lives, leaving them desperate to get back to save Doon from the witch, Addie, who is now in Doon’s borders. 

After being let down by the second book, Shades of Doon was much better. Veronica’s mother has never been the best mother to her—described as being cold and distant with a horrible choice in boyfriends—and her dad is MIA. Back in her old life, Veronica confronts her mother again, and though they do not fully resolve their differences, the meeting allows Veronica to finally put her fears about the future behind her and really consider her life with Jamie. 

Mackenna, who once only wanted to be back in her old life, now wants to get back to Doon and Duncan. Now gone is the whinny and needy Mackenna from the second book, making her much more interesting as a character. Veronica also plays a much more central role, and as I find her more interesting, this definitely helped move the book along.

The character development for both Veronica and Mackenna is one of the strongest aspects of the books, as they grow and develop both in their friendship towards each other, their family, and their romantic relations. Though, speaking of romantic relations, everything is surprisingly clean despite the lovey-dovey atmosphere. 

My biggest problem with the book: it’s disgustingly romantic and sappy, but I can see why teenage girls might really enjoy it. Way too gushy and romancey for my tastes, but as the girls and their princes begin to discover Addie’s threat—and more importantly who she has been posing as while in Doon—romance takes the back burner and the more fun magic stuff takes over. (And as a side note, there were no surprises when it came to who was Addie in disguise.) 

And what a cliffhanger there was at the end. I finished the book wanting more. I’ll definitely have to read the fourth and final book in this series. 

Cover: 4/5

Writing style: 4/5

Characters/character development: 4/5

Plot: 5/5

Overall: 4.3/5

Review of Sleeping Giants

Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1)

Author: Sylvain Neuvel

Publisher: Random House Del Ray

Format: ARC

Expected Publication Date: 4/26/16

ISBN: 978-1-101-88669-4

Summary

17 years ago: A girl in South Dakota falls through the earth, then wakes up dozens of feet below ground on the palm of what seems to be a giant metal hand. Today: She is a top-level physicist leading a team of people to understand exactly what that hand is, where it came from, and what it portends for humanity. A swift and spellbinding tale told almost exclusively through transcriptions of interviews conducted by a mysterious and unnamed character, this is a unique debut that describes a hunt for truth, power, and giant body parts.

Review

Wow! What a ride! I was a bit worried that I would hate the book right when I started because of its unusual format: the story is told through “files” which are interviews, mission reports, logs, and the like. I was worried I would not be able to connect with the characters or understand the story, but I was completely wrong. 

Right from the first chapter I was enchanted. Rather than making the story harder to understand, the interview format allowed me to connect with the characters faster than in a typical book. It allowed the character’s strong personalities to come to the surface right away: Dr. Rose Franklin the brilliant but likable physicist, Kara Resnik the prickly and fiercely independent pilot, and Vincent Couture the young linguist with a special purpose. Even the interviewer developed a personality over the course of the story, and one that I found kept me guessing as to his real motivations. One of the best parts of the book, for me, was discovering the complexity of the characters, and I would say that every single one of the characters was very well developed by the end, even the more minor ones. 

The story picks up when Rose Franklin fell into a hold as a child and was caught by a giant metal hand. Years later, the interviewer assembles a team and with US military funding, has his team locate and assemble the parts of the metal giant. I don’t want to go any more into the plot than that, because most of the story relies on discovering the plot, but needless to say I was drawn in instantly and was unable to put the book down once I started. The frequent disputes over morality and the political drama made this book even more thrilling and enticing. 

The format of the book worked really well for introducing the science and characters, but it was definitely a weakness for the action heavy scenes. The interviews work really well when the characters had time to sit down and discuss, but when there was a so called “interview” in the middle of an action scene, it was disjoint and confusing. However, there was only a little action and it was at the end, so I did not find myself having to go back and reread much. 

And the epilogue! I won’t give anything away, but I eagerly await the sequel now!

Cover: 4/5

Writing style: 4/5

Characters/character development: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Overall: 4.6/5

Review of Destined for Doon

Destined for Doon

Authors: Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

Publisher: BlinkYA

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 978-0-310-74240-1

Other: Sequel to Doon

Summary

When Mackenna Reid left the land of Doon to follow her dream of a Broadway career, she thought she was making the right decision. But nearly a year later, Kenna still can’t shake visions of the prince she left standing on the edge of the Brig o’ Doon—a man who now must surely hate her. When Duncan shows up unexpectedly in her dressing room, begging her to return to Doon, she agrees to go, but only for the sake of her best friend, Veronica. She’s determined not to fall for Duncan again—or to let Duncan fall for her.

Back in Doon, Veronica is in over her head. Not all the citizens of Doon are eager to accept her as their new queen, and, worse, a mysterious evil has crossed the border, threatening the kingdom from every direction. Veronica longs to team up with Jamie for support, but lately she’s begun to suspect that he sees her as nothing more than a powerless figurehead—and an incompetent one at that. As Veronica and Mackenna reunite to save Doon from the growing darkness, they discover that the threat is even greater—and more dangerous—than they imagined, and a happily ever after might be out of reach. 

Review

Ever wanted to just accidentally wind up in a Medieval fantasy world? Best friends Veronica and Mackenna are vacationing in Scotland when they cross into a magical land called Doon, a land that is only open to the world once every hundred years. Destined for Doon picks up a year after Doon left off. Veronica is learning her new role as queen of Doon with Jamie at her side and Mackenna left her own love, Duncan, to return to the modern day world and pursue her career in Broadway. Doon soon faces a new threat, the litmus, from now on referred to as zombie moss, which is threatening to destroy Doon. Duncan brings Mackenna back to Doon because she is the one who is supposed to save everyone from the zombie moss. Veronica and Mackenna work to figure out how to get rid of the threat, and once they do, Mackenna is convinced she will leave Doon right afterwords even though she is upset at realizing how her actions have caused Duncan heartbreak. 

The story is told primarily from Mackenna’s point of view, interspersed with chapters from Veronica’s point of view. What I really liked about this format is that it really helps show how the two girls have very different personalities — Mackenna is afraid to love, makes snappy comments, and references musicals constantly; Veronica is a believer in love and fairy tales and just wants to do what is best for her new people — they are still best friends and nearly inseparable. 

Although Doon is about to be destroyed by zombie fungus, Mackenna spends a lot of time obsessing over Duncan. At times, that relationship could be very confusing with the whole they are on bad terms but now their friends but now their not talking and now almost kiss and now total strangers. The relationship gave me a bit of whiplash. Also, I get that Mackenna broke Duncan’s heart, and hers in the process, but I find if weird how much time she spend obsessing over Duncan when there is zombie moss. One relationship I wished had been explored further in the book was between Jamie and Duncan, who are two brothers. There is a lot of relationship development between Veronica and her love interest, Jamie, and Mackenna and Duncan, but little to no time is given to familial relationships. I like a good romance, but there was a lot of potential to really develop the relationship between the two brothers. 

Quick, fun read, but not much substance. The plot is pretty unexciting, though there is an unexpected cliffhanger at the end that left me in anticipation of reading the next book. After reading the first book, I expected much better from this one. 

Rating: 

Cover: 4/5

Writing style: 4/5

Plot: 3/5

Characters/Character development: 3/5

Overall Score: 3.4/5

Review of The Jewel

The Jewel

Author: Amy Ewing

Publisher: HarperTeen

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 978-0-06-223578-7

Summary

The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty. The Jewel means royalty. But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Not just any kind of servitude. Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty—because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.

Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel’s glittering facade: the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive. But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and a handsome gentleman hired as a companion to the Duchess’s petulant niece. Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for.

Review

This is such a hard review for me to write. I’ve had this on my reading list for quite some time, because with such a gorgeous cover, how could I not love it? I started out loving the book, and then it turned into a train wreck. 

Violet Lasting is a surrogate. She and other girls who are gifted with the ability to perform the Auguries and are trained in detention facilities until they are auctioned off to royalty to be surrogate mothers, as the royalty are unable to have their own children. In a similar design to Panem in the Hunger Games, the Lone City is also in concentric rings. At the heart of the city is the Jewel, the wealthiest sector, and it is where the royalty lives. Then there is the Bank full of merchants. The next ring is the Smoke containing the factories, the Farm with the farmland, and the Marsh, the poorest of the districts. Violet, originally from the Marsh, is torn away from her family and now the surrogate of the Duchess of the Lake, one of the founding royal families from the Jewel. Her life is no longer her own, and Violet desperately wants to survive in the pit of vipers hidden by luxury.

What initially drew me into the story was the writing style. It really reminds me of The Selection with decadent and vivid descriptions of gowns, hair, decorations, food, etc. The writing is straightforward and easy to read, and I did not have to spend much time wondering what was happening. 

Next, the mystery created at the beginning is wonderful. While we know the purpose of the surrogates and the surrogate auction is for the royalty to buy girls to have their children, the exact details of why girls who can use the Auguries is a mystery. And, when Lucien, the Cinna-replacement and man tasked with prepping Violet for the auction, says, “You’re a Smart girl. Maybe smart enough to survive this place,” I was hooked. What was so dangerous about the Jewel? 

Now enters the Duchess of the Lake, the woman who purchases Violet. When a surrogate is murdered, the Duchess tells Violet: 

“I’ve always found it . . . humbling, how one tiny drop of plant extract can completely destroy a human being. We are so fragile, aren’t we? One little sip of wine and then . . . nothing. Life is so easily snuffed out . . . Welcome to the Jewel.”

Oh. My. Goodness. Murder and Intrigue. I want more. And that is when the book goes downhill, rapidly. Violet promptly throws a temper tantrum, and in her fit of anger she destroys the lavish dresses provided to her by the Duchess? And in her next big act of retaliation, she uses the first Augury to turn a portrait of the Duchess green? I am *amazed* by her acts of rebellion. She laments her life as a surrogate — and rightfully so if she is a slave — but quite frankly, I fail to see why her life is all that bad. Her family in the Marsh was destitute, and as a surrogate, she is given every luxury. She has food and clothing and a suite of rooms all for herself. She was educated and given whatever she desired, except her freedom from being a surrogate. Where the surrogates are practically slaves, Violet does not experience any of the abuse and worse that such a situation might lead to, and would also make her hatred of her lifestyle more believable. There are hints that the other surrogates are in some ways abused, but it is easily glossed over by Violet’s description of the unlikeability of the other surrogates — she called one of them the Iced Cake! How demeaning. Violet’s small acts of rebellion can barely be considered as such, and for the most part, she goes along with it while whining about how horrible her life is. Pampered princess. It makes Violet uninteresting and dislikeable, not a good sign in a main character.

But all this would have been easily forgivable until we get to insta-love, when the book crashed and burned. Time to go vomit. Violet meets Ash, a boy from the Smoke and a companion (do read between the lines) for the Duchess’s niece. They have a brief conversation about music, and then bam! Violet pines over a guy she has only met one and will likely never see again. Violet is the perfect submissive surrogate the the Duchess, and she and Ash start sneaking around even though surrogates and companions are prohibited from interacting with anyone but the people who bought them, least of all each other. So following insta-love, Violet and Ash say forget the rules and if we are caught together we will be executed, let’s have a relationship. And let’s make it as cheesy and gag-worthy as possible, employing practically every cliche from Twilight. Yup. A Twilight comparison. Things just got bad. And then comes my most hated line. When a scene between Violet and Ash starts to heat up, he says, “If we don’t stop this now, I’m afraid . . . I’m afraid I’ll never want to stop.” It’s a step up from the rape sounding line of I won’t be able to stop, but its not much better. Violet is a surrogate who the Duchess wants to bear her daughter and they fool around as if their lives aren’t in enough danger already. 

From there, the plot follows to its inevitable conclusion. Before Violet met Ash, Lucien offered Violet a way to escape her horribly pathetic life, and when she is finally given the chance to leave, she ruins it for Ash. The the guy she just met. I hate insta-love. No believable character whose life is in danger is going to risk escaping such a horrible life for a boy they just met. 

So, a recap. 1. Violet is a surrogate and she hates that she is a broodmare and she whines that she has the most horrible life ever living in luxury she wouldn’t have otherwise. 2. Insta-love. 3. Risks chance of escape for insta-love boy. My conclusion: Violet’s life is not actually all that horrible. 

Aside from the horrible ending, the naming conventions in the book were weird. Everyone from the Marsh is named after a color — Violet for her Violet eyes, Ochre, Raven, Hazel . . . People from the Smoke, like Ash, are named after factory related things. The Royalty in the Jewel are named after . . . wait for it . . . jewels. There is a Garnet, Opal, Pearl, Carnelian, and the list continues. And despite the predictability of naming patterns, it would not be quite so awkward if not for Annabelle and Lucien, two characters whose names do not fit into pattern. And as a sidenote, are there people from the Farm be named Plow and Tractor?

The female characters in this book are either vapid and/or dislikable surrogates and weak, or they are powerful and therefore evil or ugly or both. Violet is supposedly the only good character who does not have some major character failing, and she is just downright boring. 

Overall, this book had such promise. I think I am disappointed most that there were so many opportunities to really question the morality of surrogacy as portrayed in this fashion or to delve into the political failings and operations of the Lone City, but instead everything of substance that lays beneath the surface is largely ignored in favor of vapid descriptions of clothing and insta-love. Despite the enticing beginning, this quick and easy read completely missed its mark on the followthrough. It’s worth a read but don’t expect anything life changing. 

Cover: 5/5
Writing style: 5/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters/character development: 2/5

Overall score: 3.5/5

Review of the Slaves of Socorro

The Slaves of Socorro (Book 4 of the Brotherband Chronicles)

Author: John Flanagan

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Puffin Books

ISBN: 978-0-14-242726-2

Summary (from the book jacket) 

Hal and his fellow Herons have returned home to Skandia after defeating the pirate captain Zavac and reclaiming Skandia’s most prized artifact, the Andomal. With their honor restored, the Herons turn to a new mission: tracking down an old rival turned bitter enemy. Tursgud—leader of the Shark Brotherband and Hal’s constant opponent—has turned from a bullying youth into a pirate and slave trader. After Tursgud captures twelve Araluen villagers to sell as slaves, the Heron crew sails into action . . . with the help of one of Araluen’s finest Rangers. 

Review 

The Heron Brotherband is sent to find Tursgud, who they find has captured Araluens and taken them to the slave market at Socorro. Accompanied by Ranger Gilan from the Ranger’s Apprentice Series, the Herons set out to free the slaves. 

My overall impression of this book was very good. It contained a lot of that snappy, humorous dialogue I love in John Flanagan books. The characters are endearing, and Kloof’s role at the end (but I’m not giving away any spoilers here) took me by surprise. Gilan is a nice addition to the crew, though I feel he deserved a larger role than he was given, because for the most part he was there but not doing much. Tursgud, the villain, makes a brief appearance at the very beginning and end of the story, but other than that he is strangely absent, and in his place is the slave market overseer Mahmel.

Although I find the Brotherband Chronicles is not quite as good as the Ranger’s Apprentice series — parts of the books are bogged down by technical sailing terms that are slow and boring while I care more about the story — Slaves of Socorro is still a fascinating read. However, this book definitely needs to be read after the first three books in the series or it will not make much sense. What I really loved about Slaves of Socorro as opposed to the other books in the series is that while there are some interesting fighting scenes, much of the book was focused on strategy and planning over action, though for fans of bloody fighting scenes, there are still a few.  

Cover: 4/5
Writing style: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters/character development: 3/5

Overall Score: 4/5