Posted October 21, 2020 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
The Winter of the Witch by
Katherine Arden Series: Winternight #3 Publisher: Del Rey (2019)
eBook (384 pages)
Via: Library Rating: Also by this author: The Bear and the Nightingale,
The Girl in the Tower Also in this series: The Bear and the Nightingale,
The Girl in the Tower Reading Challenges: Read 2020 Synopsis
Following their adventures in The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower, Vasya and Morozko return in this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Winternight Trilogy, battling enemies mortal and magical to save both Russias, the seen and the unseen.
Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers—and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, stronger than ever and determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasya will uncover surprising truths about herself and her history as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all.
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Tagged as 5 star, Read 2020
Posted September 18, 2020 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
The Girl in the Tower by
Katherine Arden Series: Winternight #2 Publisher: Del Rey (2017)
eBook (363 pages)
Via: Library Rating: Also by this author: The Bear and the Nightingale,
The Winter of the Witch Also in this series: The Bear and the Nightingale,
The Winter of the Witch Reading Challenges: Read 2020 Synopsis
The magical adventure begun in The Bear and the Nightingale continues as brave Vasya, now a young woman, is forced to choose between marriage or life in a convent and instead flees her home—but soon finds herself called upon to help defend the city of Moscow when it comes under siege.
Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or allow her older sister to make her a match with a Moscovite prince. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the vast world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a boy and riding her horse into the woods. When a battle with some bandits who have been terrorizing the countryside earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow, she must carefully guard the secret of her gender to remain in his good graces—even as she realizes his kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop.
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Tagged as 5 star, Read 2020
Posted September 8, 2020 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
The Orphan's Wish by
Melanie Dickerson Series: Hagenheim #8 Publisher: Thomas Nelson (2018)
eBook (345 pages)
Via: Library Rating: Also by this author: The Silent Songbird Also in this series: The Silent Songbird Reading Challenges: Read 2020 Synopsis
Orphaned and alone, Aladdin travels from the streets of his Arab homeland to a strange, faraway place. Growing up in an orphanage, he meets young Lady Kirstyn, whose father who is the powerful Duke of Hagenheim. Despite the difference in their stations, Aladdin quickly becomes Kirstyn’s favorite companion, and their childhood friendship grows into a bond that time and opposition cannot break.
Even as a child, Aladdin works hard, learning all he can from his teachers. Through his integrity, intelligence, and sheer tenacity, he earns a position serving as the duke’s steward. But that isn't enough to erase the shame of being forced to steal as a small child—or the fact that he's an orphan with no status. If he ever wants to feel equal to his beautiful and generous friend Kirstyn, he must leave Hagenheim and seek his fortune.
Yet once Aladdin departs, Lady Kirstyn becomes a pawn in a terrible plot. Now, Aladdin and Kirstyn must rely on their bond to save her from unexpected danger. But will saving Kirstyn cost Aladdin his newfound status and everything he’s worked so hard to obtain?
An enchanting new version of the well-known tale, The Orphan's Wish tells a story of courage and loyalty, friendship and love, and reminds us what "family" really means.
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Tagged as 2 star, Read 2020
Posted September 1, 2016 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by
Beth Fantaskey Series: Jessica #1 Publisher: Harcourt (2009)
eBook (351 pages)
Via: Library Rating: Reading Challenges: 2016 Backlist Books,
2016 Royal Challenge,
Read 2016 Synopsis
The undead can really screw up your senior year ...
Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.
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Tagged as 4 star, Read 2016
Posted August 27, 2016 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
The Cage by
Megan Shepherd Series: The Cage #1 Publisher: Balzer + Bray (2015)
eBook (400 pages)
Via: Library Rating: Reading Challenges: Read 2016 Synopsis
When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.
Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren't from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.
As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so . . . what world lies beyond the walls of their cage?
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Tagged as 4 star, Read 2016