Marie Lu – Legend

paperback
publisher: Penguin Books
published 2011
pages 295

Book on Amazon

Blurb:

Los Angeles, California, Republic of America
He is Day, the boy who walks in the light.
She is June, the girl who seeks her brother’s killer.
On the run and undercover, they meet by chance. Irresistibly drawn together, neither knows the other’s past. But Day murdered June’s brother and she has sworn to avenge his death.

In (Very) Short:

+ first part of a trilogy, young adult dystopian novel
+ fast paced and plot driven
+ story is narrated in alternating points of view
+ teasing of bigger conspiracies within the world creation

My Opinion:

Legend by Marie Lu is the first part in yet another trilogy. After some heavy-duty theory reading, I needed something light and fast and predictable. Although it was (for me) light and fast, it was not as predictable as I thought it would be – apart from the love thing.

In a world were the plague is a constant threat and only the rich and wealthy are protected by vaccines, two very different characters collide. Both have grown up in different social circles, each brought up to different ideological believes. When June tries to find the person that killed her brother, she meets Day – the master criminal the whole country is after. While June tries to expedite information from Day, both discover that a lot more is going on behind closed doors of the government research facilities. (I don’t want to go into more detail when it comes to the plot since it could potentially spoil your reading.)

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and very action driven. The two points of view from which the story is told – Day and June – add tension and also allow deeper character development in this plot driven novel.
The writing is fluent and Legend is set in an interesting world with a lot of secrets. Although the love relationship was predictable, the world creation is great and the secrets, that are teased, are so incredibly fascinating that I really have to continue this series. I like my little and my big conspiracies. I can’t wait to find out what the government is really doing and what is up next for the duo.

Bottom Line:

A fast paced book that is fun and entertaining, very plot driven, yet does not lack character development.

Rating:

Alison Goodman – Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye

paperback
publisher: David Flicking Books
published 2008
pages: 430

Book on Amazon

Blurb:

Two swords, angled for slicing, came whirring towards my chest. My block was simple: a step back of the back leg, a shift of weight, my right sword joining the left in front of me, cutting side slanted down. His blades hit mine. The impact resonated through my arm bones.
Does young Eon have the power to become a Dragoneye? Now the years of grueling training, under a ruthlessly ambitious master, will be put to the test: it’s time for the terrifying Rat Dragon to choose his next apprentice.

In (Very) Short:

+ a great young adult fantasy adventure

+ exiting, entertaining, thrilling

+ great world creation, wonderful characters

+ the struggle within the character do not overshadow the bigger battle fought between good and evil

My Opinion:

I had this book on my shelf for some time now, and I can’t quite believe that it took me so long to read it. I was a great book – entertaining, adventurous, and touching upon topics that I have not come across in fantasy yet.

Eon is really Eona, who pretends to be a boy in order to be chosen as Dragoneye. Girls are not allowed to have dragon magic. After a long time of pretending and living as a boy, after hours and hours of training, the time has come for the Rat Dragon to pick his new Dragoneye apprentice. Though the Rat Dragon does not choose Eon, the Mirror Dragon, which has been lost for over 500 years, returns and claims Eon. This miraculous return initiates a power struggle. Can Eon keep up appearance while being the center of everyone’s attention.

This story was an adventure story without the love triangle or any other true-love related theme. It focused on Eona’s identity crises and her journey of coming to terms with the truth. I enjoyed that Eona was not suddenly powerful and cunning, but that she was lost and slowly learning and understanding. This gave us time to learn and understand the world alongside her.

The world creation was wonderful, the characters well-developed, the writing vivid, fluent and yet again fluffy. I was carried through the story. I particularly liked that Eona’s gender crisis (having lived as Eon for so long, she has suppressed Eona, who struggles to break free) or issue was not limited to the main character. It is also present in other characters such as Lady Della. She is biologically a man who lives as a woman.

It is the first time for me that I came cross the transgender and transsexual topic as being part of a fantasy narrative. I would have preferred that the issue was more accepted and normal within this fantasy world. But I loved that Lady Della is respected in her own country and (partially) at court, and that she has accepted who she is.

Bottom Line:

A great story, wonderful world creation, and new and interesting topics. An exiting fantasy adventure.

Rating:

Alyson Noel – Fated

paperback
publisher: MacMillan
published 2012
pages: 448

Book on Amazon

Blurb:
Strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her,glowing people appear from nowhere. Worried that Daire’s having a breakdown, her mother sends her to stay with the grandmother she’s never met, who lives on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico. There Daire crosses oaths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes.
Her grandmother recognizes Daire’s episodes for what they are – a call to her true destiny as Soul Seeker, a persn who can navigate between the living and the dead. Guided by her grandmother, Daire must be quick to learn how to harness her powers, because Dace’s brother is an evil shape-shifter, out to steal them.
Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and discover whether Dace is the guy she’s meant to be with … or if he’s allied with the enemy she’s destined to destroy.

In (Very) Short:

+ young adult fantasy novel
+ Daire’s a soul seeker, who has to fight evil and save the world as we know it
+ I enjoyed the Native American spiritual aspects
– the story itself was slow at times
– typical YA: I’ve never met you before but I am in love after 5 seconds

My Opinion:

I am not necessarily sure why I picked this book up, but I did. It sounded good and I took it home from the library. The story itself was that of a typical young adult fantasy novel:

• girl has supernatural powers and weird dreams
• girl has to discover her true destiny
• girl has weird sex dreams of boy
• girl meets boy and is in love
• girl has to save the world from being annihilated by evil (in form of boys twin brother)

The spiritual aspect was actually quite fascinating and intriguing. I enjoyed the fantasy world that was introduced although it lacked a little explanation, but I am sure that will come later. There are several worlds – the Upperworld, the Lowerworld and the Middleworld. The Middleworld is the one that we inhabit, but we are unable to truly see. Soul Seekers and Shamans, however, can. I like the idea of the spirit animal and as usual I liked the side kicks more than the main protagonists.
But since I have read quite a few Y/A fantasy books, I get a little annoyed with the whole „I never met you, but I am so in love with you“ vibe. Apart from that and the fact, that the narrative had some quite slow moments + a temporarily really annoying teenage protagonist, it was a solid read.

Bottom Line:

Good book for someone, who is not familiar with spiritual journeys and symbolism.

Rating:

Febuary Book Haul

Michael Grant – Hunger

It’s been three months since all adults disappeared. Gone.

Food ran out weeks ago and starvation is imminent. Meanwhile, the normal teens have grown resentful of the kids with powers. And when an unthinkable tragedy occurs, chaos descends upon the town. There is no longer right and wrong. Each kid is out for himself even the good ones turn murderous. But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling them, guiding them, manipulating them. The Darkness has awakened and it is hungry.

I have read the first book in the first half of the last year and I enjoyed it. It was interesting to see, what would happen if all adults suddenly disappear and how the youth would cope with the loss and their increasing supernatural powers. There have been many unanswered questions after GONE, but since this is a series, I doubt many will be answered any time soon. I am interested to see how it continues and how the author keeps up the arc of suspense.

Cassandra Clare – City of Lost Souls

The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace freed. But when the Shadowhunters arrive, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing, but so is the boy she hates: her brother Sebastian, who is determined to bring the Shadowhunters to their knees. The Clave cannot locate either boy, but Jace can’t stay away from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror of Lilith’s magic – Jace and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become a servant to evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but it is impossible to harm one boy without destroying the other.

Only a few people believe Jace can still be saved. Together, Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle make hard choices that get them no closer to severing the tie between Jace and Sebastian. They turn at last to the merciless, weapon-making Iron Sisters. If the Iron Sisters can’t help, their only chance is to challenge Heaven and Hell – a risk that could claim their lives.

And they must do it without Clary. For Clary is playing a dangerous game utterly alone. The price for losing is not just her life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love.

The fifth book in the Moral Instruments series was in a bargain bin and I couldn’t leave it there all on its own. I have read the first book, but I am still missing book 2 and 3. I think, I will start to marathon some series and for that I need to collect first. But I am interested to see how the series develops and if Clare can keep up the suspense over so many sequels.

Peter Pan

My last book this month was a children’s pop up book with sound effects. And I am in love. It is the story of Peter Pan and it is so beautiful and wonderful. I am all for children’s books, but I have never really looked at books for smaller children. Since so many of my friends are currently having children and desperately trying to regain control over their sleeping habits, I had a look around. And I came across this. And I had to have it.

Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades// Deary/Brown – Horrible Histories: Groovy Greeks

paperback
publisher: Puffin
published: this book has been specially written and published for World Book Day 2009
pages: 151

In (Very) Short:

+ short story of Percy Jackson

+ two books in one

+ you turn the book it turns into Horrible Histories: Groovy Greeks

+ funny, entertaining, thrilling, great

+ I just love Percy Jackson

My Opinion:

This little novella, short story, or whatever you want to call it, is lovely and wonderful. I am not sure I am very objective when it comes to Percy Jackson. I love the series. So, for me everything Percy related is always good. And it is.

Here you have two books in one: first Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades and when you turn it over you get Horrible Histories: Groovy Greeks.

The Percy Jackson story is exiting, funny, and wonderful. Percy, Thalia, and Nico are all brought together to the Underworld to help find – you guessed it – the Sword of Hades. The three friends have to battle demons, fight a titan, and stay alive to save the world.

The story is narrated from Percy’s perspective (as are all the novels) and I had to laugh out loud so many times, that people sure though I was more than a little crazy. It was a fun and exiting read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The second book – the Horrible Histories – was a short history of Ancient Greece. The illustrations throughout this part are funny and loosen up the rather stuffy appearing history bits. The writing alone is wonderfully entertaining as well and again lots of laughs from me and more than one eye brow was raised my way, when I was reading on the train.

Bottom Line:

A wonderful and fantastic read.

Rating:

Uschi Flacke – Das Mädchen mit den Seidenraupen

For a short English review of this book – please see further below. This book is originally written in German and not available in English at this point.

Taschenbuch
Verlag: Carlsen
veröffentlicht: 2012
Seiten: 287

Book on Amazon

Klappentext:

Übelkeit stieg in ihr hoch. Überall auf ihrem nackten Oberkörper wuselten und krochen Raupen, unter ihren Achselhöhlen, die Wirbelsäule hoch bis zu den Nackenhaaren. Es wimmelte, kroch und zappelte.

Adrienne muss Kokons von Seidenraupen aus einer streng bewachten Zucht stehlen, andernfalls wird sie ihre Schwester Suzanne nicht wiedersehen. Die Aufgabe scheint nicht nur unlösbar, Adrienne empfindet auch tiefen Ekel vor den abscheulichen Tieren. Doch ihre Erpresser schrecken auch vor Mord nicht zurück, denn die Gier nach kostbaren Seidenstoffen ist groß. Schon bald ist das Mädchen in die Machtspiele der Seidenraupenzüchter und Adligen verstrickt ohne länger zu wissen, wem es noch trauen kann. Und als der Tag der Übergabe naht, steht Adrienne noch immer mit leeren Händen da…

In Kürze:

+ guter, recht spannender historischer Jugendroman

+ schöner Schreibstil und unglaublich detaillierte und lebhafte Beschreibung

+ interessante Fakten der Seidenproduktion fließend mit Geschichte verwoben

– die Eifersucht der Protagonistin war stellenweise recht nervend

Meinung:

Dies ist mein erster historischer Jugendroman und ich muss sagen, die Geschichte hat mir gut gefallen. Das schlichte mit Scherenschnitt und Blumen gestaltete Cover hatte meine Aufmerksamkeit auf das Buch gelenkt und ich habe mich auf die Reise nach Lyon des 16. Jahrhunderts begeben.

Adrienne verliert ihre Eltern bei einem Feuer und lebt fortan mit ihrer Schwester in einem Waisenhaus in dem alle fürchterlich behandelt und ausgenutzt werden. Um zu überleben, flieht Adrienne mit ihrer kleinen Schwester, die auch prompt als Geisel genommen wird. Adrienne soll wertvolle Seidenraupen stehlen sonst wird ihre Schwester sterben. Mit Hilfe der Skandaleusen (eine Gruppe obdachloser Kinder) setzt sie alles daran an die wertvollen Tiere zu gelangen. Doch ihr läuft die Zeit davon.

Der Grundgedanke des Buches ist interessant und spannend. Hier treffen Krimi, Jugendroman und Geschichte aufeinander und sind gut miteinander verwoben. Ich habe viel über Seidenweberei erfahren, was schön in die Handlung eingebaut wurde, ohne diese zu dominieren. Die Autorin beschreibt Lyon und das 16. Jahrhundert sehr lebendig, so dass ich öfter das Gefühl hatte, ich könnte die Stadt riechen.

Auch wenn das Buch gegen Mitte ein wenig durchhängt, wird die Handlung sehr schnell wieder spannend und die Geschichte findet ihr doch überraschendes Ende. Ein paar Probleme hatte ich mit der Protagonistin wenn es um die „Liebe“ ging. Sie ging mir mit ihrer ganzen Unsicherheit und besonders ihrer Eifersucht sehr auf den Kranz – und das alles nachdem sie und Lucas sich 2 Tage kannten. Etwas schwer auszuhalten manchmal. Aber ansonsten ein schöner Einstieg in dieses Subgenre.

Fazit:

Ein guter, recht spannender und wunderbar lebhaft beschriebener und geschriebener historischer Jugendroman.

In English:

This young adult historical novel is set in 16th century Lyon and follows the protagonist’s (Adrienne) story, who is forced to steal silk worms in order to save her kidnapped sister. She designs a plan with help her friends (a group of homeless orphans), but she is running out of time.

Here mystery meets love and historical fiction and the author describes the time so vividly that I felt I was smelling it. The protagonist was a little annoying, however, when love was concerned. Her unnecessary and inexplicable jealousy was a little to much at times. But all together a good book.

Rating:

Jennifer E. Smith – Die Statistische Wahrscheinlichkeit von Liebe auf den Ersten Blick/The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Hardcover
Verlag: Carlsen
veröffentlicht: 2012
Seiten: 202

Book on Amazon (Deutsch/English)

Klappentext/Blurb:

Hadley könnte sich wirklich etwas Schöneres vorstellen, als auf er Hochzeit ihres Vaters als Brautjungfer anzutreten. Dass sie allerdings ihren Flug passt und erst einmal auf de überfüllten New Yorker Flughafen festsitzt, hat sie dann doch nicht gewollt. Und genauso wenig hatte sie vor, sich ausgerechnet hier unsterblich zu verlieben: in den Jungen mit den verwuschelten Haaren und dem Puderzucker auf dem Hemd, der wie sie nach London muss. Hadley bleibt genau eine Fluglänge Zeit, um sein Herz zu gewinnen…

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan’s life. Having missed her flight, she’s stuck at JFK airport and late to her father’s second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley’s never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport’s cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he’s British, and he’s sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Meinung/My Opinion:

Das Buch habe ich mir wegen des Titels geschnappt. Es klang ein bisschen nach Herz und Gefühl und so nen Kram halt 🙂

Die Geschichte hat mir gefallen. Es treffen sich zwei Junge Leute auf einem Flughafen und verbringen eine Transatlantikflug miteinander. Hadley ist auf dem Weg zur Hochzeit ihres Vaters mit dem sie nur sperrlich Kontakt hat und den sie lange nicht mehr gesehen hat. Oliver, ihr Sitznachbar ist ebenfalls auf dem Weg zu seiner Familie nach London. Hadley fühlt sich sehr schnell zu ihrer sympathischen Begleitung hingezogen. Doch reicht eine Fluglänge aus sich kennenzulernen und sich wirklich zu verlieben.

In ihren knapp 200 Seiten schafft die Autorin eine interessante Geschichte zu erzählen und dabei auch eher ungewöhnliche Themen wie Tod und Trauer anzusprechen. Trotz des banal wirkenden Titels behandelt das Buch Probleme Jungendlicher wie Trennung oder Streit mit den Eltern ohne diese als banal abzustempeln. Dabei bleibt sie dem Stil Jugendlicher treu ohne dabei deren Erwachsenwerden aus den Augen zu verlieren.

Das Cover ist in seiner Gestaltung wirklich sehr schön und erlangt gerade aufgrund der gedeckten Farben das Auge des Betrachters. Der Schreibstil ist flüssig und besonders schön finde ich die Dickens Zitat, die sich durch das Buch ziehen.

Aufgrund meiner eigenen oft recht emotionslosen und rationalen Art hatte ich manchmal ein paar Probleme mit Hadleys Verhalten. Ein wenig Spannung hat mir auch gefehlt. Es ist ein schöne Buch für Zwischendurch, aber trotzdem fehlte mir das gewisse Etwas.

I chose this book because of the title. It sounded like a little romance and I was in the mood for that.

I enjoyed the story. Two people meet on an airport and spend an entire flight across the Atlantic with each other. Hadley is on the way to her father wedding – a father with whom she has little to no contact and whom she hasn’t seen for a long time. Oliver is also on the way to London to see his family. Hadley feels drawn to the young man, but is one flight enough time to get to know each other and to fall in love.

In those 200 pages the author creates a interesting story arch and is able to touch upon uncommon topics such as death and grief. The book deals with teenage problems of separation and fights with parents without treating those as banal and unimportant. In all that Smith does not loose sight or track of the coming of age aspect.

The cover is beautiful and draws attention because of its subdued colors. The writing is fluent and I personally enjoyed the Dickens quotes that are distributed throughout the novel.

Maybe because of my rather rational and sometimes emotionless attitude I had some problems with Hadley behavior. I also missed some suspense. It is a lovely story but the something extra was missing for me.

Fazit/Bottom Line:

Ein gutes Buch, dass auch nicht davor zurück scheut, sich mit ernsteren Themen auseinanderzusetzen.

A good coming of age story that touches upon some teenage problems without ridiculing them.

Rating:

Pauline Francis – Rabenlady/ Raven Queen

Hardcover
Verlag: Kosmos
veröffentlicht: 2009
Seiten: 208

Book on Amazon (Deutsch/English)

Klappentext/Blurb:

Ein Rabe kam in Sichtweite. Er schwebte über uns. Plötzlich nahm ein schwarzer Schatten das ganze Licht weg. Es war ein Falke, der über den Sonnenaufgang flog. Er drehte um und stieß herab. Der Rabe hätte davonkommen können, da war ich mir sicher. Doch er versuchte es erst gar nicht. Er glitt anmutig durch die Luft, bis der Falke ihn mit seinen Klauen erwischte. Selbst da wehrte er sich nicht. Ich sah ihnen nach, bis sie durch noch lautlose Flecken vor der Sonne waren.

Rabenlady schildert die faszinierende und tragische Leben der Lady Jane Grey und erzählt von einer ebenso großen wie dramatische Liebe.

This is a powerful historical novel that brings to life an unforgettable story of love, hope and royal duty, from a hugely talented new author. The life of Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Day Queen, is all too often remembered as just a line in a history book, but this stunning debut novel reveals the full fascinating and tragic story – a tale of treachery, power struggles, and religious turmoil in the Tudor court. Intricately woven and passionately written, “The Raven Queen” is also a sensitive story of love against all odds that will enchant readers. (Amazon)

In Kürze/In (Very) Short:

+ historischer Jugendroman

+ das Leben und der Aufstieg der Lady Jane Grey

+ erzählt aus der Sicht von Jane und der ihres fiktiven Freundes

+ sensibel, einfühlsam erzählt

– die Erzählung kommt kaum in Schwung und das Ende wirkt gehetzt

+ young adult historical fiction

+ about the life and rise of Lady Jane Grey

+ narrated from Jane’s and a fictional friend’s perspective

+ a sensitive and caring love story

– the story fails to build momentum and the ending seems rushed

Meine Meinung/Opinion:

Als ich über diese Buch gestolpert bin, wusste ich nicht genau worauf ich mich einlasse. Ich hatte von der Autorin noch nichts gehört (ich bin auf dem Gebiet der historischen Romane allerdings auch nicht so bewandert), aber als ich mitbekam, dass es um England und Lady Jane Grey ging, war mein Interesse geweckt.

Das Buch beginnt als Jane einen jungen Mann Ned vor dem Galgen rettet und mit auf die Burg ihrer Eltern bringt. Dabei stellt der Leser schnell fest, dass Ned ein überzeugter Katholik ist, während Jane sich dem neuen Glauben ihres Onkels Heinrich VIII verbunden fühlt. Das ist an sich schon eine spannungsgeladenen Mischung in einer Zeit der religiösen Unsicherheit. Zudem ist Ned auch noch ein einfacher Holzfäller, während Jane direkt mit dem Königshaus verwandt ist. Während also Jane erfolglos versucht sich den zukünftigen Plänen ihres Vaters zu entwinden, ist sie mit den aufsteigenden Gefühlen für Ned überfordert, der wiederum seinen Glauben verheimlicht um zu überleben. Doch wie lange wird das gut gehen?

Das Leben der Jane Grey ist an sich bekannt und die Autorin hält sich auch an die Geschichte, betrachtet den Verlauf aber aus der Sicht der jungen Jane. Pauline Francis stellt lebhaft dar, wie Jane zum Spielball der Macht wird, einer Macht die sie selbst nicht wollte und einer Rolle der sie sich nicht entziehen und der sie nicht entfliehen kann.

Das Buch ist sensibel und einfühlsam geschrieben und bringt durch die beiden Hauptdarsteller die unsichere Zeit der religiösen Ungewissheit näher. Die Geschichte wir abwechselnd von Jane und Ned erzählt und gewehrt dem Leser dadurch Einblick in beide religiösen Gefühlswelten. Es ist in sich ein ruhiges Buch und wer Aktion und Kämpfe sucht, wird sicher ein wenig enttäuscht sein. Leider kommt die Geschichte nicht richtig in Schwung und überspringt zum Ende hin viel um zu einem Abschluss zu gelangen. Jane Greys Regentschaft war nur kurz, trotzdem hätte man daraus mehr machen können. Es wirkte zum Ende hin etwas gehetzt.

When I came across this book I had not idea what I was getting into. I had not heard about the author (though I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to historical fiction), but when I read that this was about Lady Jane Grey, I wanted to read it.

The book begins when Jane save a young man from the gallows tree and takes him to the homestead of her family. We know that Ned is a catholic while Jane is raised in the new faith of her uncle Henry VIII. This in itself is loaded with explosive potential in a time of religious uncertainties. But Ned is also a poor commoner and Jane’s bloodline is royal. Jane tries to wrench from her father’s plans for her and is overwhelmed by her feelings for Ned, who keeps his faith a secret in order to survive. But when will he be discovered?

The life of Lady Jane Grey is known and Pauline Francis sticks to the historical facts, but offers the reader the perspective of Jane (or the version that Francis’ believes her to be). Francis creates a vivid picture of how Jane is a pawn in a game, confronted with power that she herself never wanted and forced into a role that she cannot escape.

The book was written beautifully and with a lot of care and familiarized us with a time of religious uncertainty through the main protagonists Ned and Jane. The story is narrated by Jane and Ned alternately and grants the reader access to both competing religious worlds. This is in itself a quiet book and if you are looking for action and fights, you will be disappointed. Sadly the story does not build momentum and seems to skip things in order to come to a conclusion. Though Lady Jane Grey’s reign was short, Francis could have expanded on that part. Towards the end the story was too rushed.

Fazit:

Ein ruhige, sensible und an sich stimmige Geschichte über Lady Jane Grey auf ihrem Weg zum englischen Thron.

A quiet and sensitive story of Lady Jane Grey and her way to the thrown of England.

Rating:

Sarah J. Maas – Crown of Midnight

paperback
publisher: Bloomsbury
published 2013
pages: 418

Book on Amazon

Blurb:

Crowned By Evil.

Bound By Duty.

Divided By Love.

Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the Kind of Ardalan’s deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies’ blood – but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, puts those she loves at risk.

Torn between her two protectors – a captain and a prince – and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart or the fate of the kingdom…

In (Very) Short:

+ 2nd installment in the Throne of Glass trilogy

+ entertaining and exiting, ever-increasing narrative pace

+ so many unforseen twists and turns that I am as unsure who to trust

+ fluent writing, beautiful cover, fantastic story world

My Opinion:

This books caught me right in the early stages of my reading slump. I have been reading on this for a long time, not because it was bad, but because I knew I needed to read this in as few sittings as possible. This is not a book where I could read a couple of pages at the doctor’s office and then put it away. So I needed time that I didn’t have and then there was my reading slump.

After Christmas I had the time and the patience to sit down and read again and suddenly I was done in 2 days. This is the second book in the trilogy and continues with Celaena’s life as the kings assassin. She has so far faked the deaths of the people the king sends her out to kill. That arrangement works fine as she is send into distant parts of the kingdom to do her job. Now she has to work within the city walls. Can she keep up the pretense and who is gonna get hurt?

Just like the first book the cover and the back of the book are amazing and beautiful. The writing again is fluid and vivid and draws you deep into the story. The world building continues to amaze and fascinate me and only with a few but precise hints and glimpses here and there can the reader put the secret of Celaena’s origin together before the characters in the book do. The past history of the protagonist is not completely revealed and I hope it will be brought to a satisfactory conclusion in the final installment.

Though the start of the book was a little slow and lengthy for my taste and the lovey-dovey stuff a little too much, it was necessary for the later part of the story. The pace of the narration slowly increased and towards the end of the book I was breathless. The betrayal that Celaena felt was more evident because of the lengthy and love filled beginning.

Maas is able to create twists and turns that I did not see coming and that keep the series so interesting. Like Celaena I am not sure who to trust and at times I am not even sure whether to trust Celaena or not. Since the story is told from the point of view of Celaena, Chao,l and Dorian, the reader is able to perceive the situation within the kingdom as a whole. But there are still so many things unsaid and unexplained. I still need to know more about the Fae, the other kingdoms, Elena, what happened to Kaltain and Dorian’s cousin, and what happened to Sam and why.

Bottom Line:

A wonderfully exiting book with an ever-increasing narrative pace and a story world that I need to know more about.

Rating:

My Reading Month December

My November reading slump continued way into December and picked up again towards the end. During the Christmas days I finally found the leisure and peace to sit down and read a little more and I did read five books this month.

Alan Bradley – I am Half Sick of Shadows

My first book this month was the fourth Flavia de Luce mystery. I enjoyed this one as much as the previous books. It is funny, entertaining, I really like the dynamic between Falvia and Dogger, and the crime itself gives the book a nice whodunit touch. If you, however, intend to read the book as a crime story, you might be a little disappointed because it takes quite a while for the crime to take place and the investigation to start. But I read the books because of Flavia, so I wasn’t disappointed but enjoyed my crime free time with her as well as her investigation.

Petra Schier – Vier Pfoten unterm Weihnachtsbaum

I have read my first Christmas novel and I honestly did not know what to expect. I have watched my fair share of soppy Christmas movies, so I thought when in the right mood… The story itself (as most other Christmas story) was fairly predictable, but I wanted a happy end and all that. It was a good and light read that made a rainy day a little easier to endure.

William Shakespeare – Julius Caesar

Since I have so many classic authors on my shelfs because of my studies, I though I’ll try to pick up one of those every once in a while and the first one was Julius Caesar. I don’t feel like I am ready to write a good review about it yet because I will have to read a few more of his works (for comparison). I know I did not enjoy this as much as The Tempest, but Shakespeare has always been good so far.

Sarah J. Maas – Crown of Midnight

I finally finished this book after a long break. I knew that I needed to read Crown of Midnight in as few sittings as possible. This is not one of those books where I read a couple of pages and put it down again. In the first pages I was a little disappointed because it was quite soppy. The focus was on the relationship which was nice but a little too much. That’s another reason it lay for a while on my nightstand. I just wasn’t in the mood. However, the pace of the narration and the story itself increased soon and in hindsight this (for me) prolonged love thingy was necessary to understand the later actions. I was riveted throughout the rest of the book. Not as good as the first, but good.

Pauline Francis – Rabenlady

This was a young adult historic novel that I stumbled upon short before Christmas break and my mother (sneaky as always) secretly bought it for me. It’s about the young Lady Jane Grey (the Queen of England for nine days before Mary Tudor reclaimed the throne) and her life and way to the throne. While she was a historic figure, her potential love interest was imagined, but the story itself was beautiful, somewhat tranquil, and sad. Though the pace of the story was slow, it was an interesting take on a time in which England was midst religious uncertainty – a good read.