~Waiting on Wednesday~ The Traitor Prince (Ravenspire #3)

                “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

The Traitor Prince (Ravenspire #3) by C.J. Redwine

Out:  2/13

From Goodreads:

                Javan Najafai, crown prince of Akram, has spent the last ten years at an elite boarding school, far away from his kingdom.  But his eagerly awaited return home is cut short when a mysterious imposter takes his place—and no one believes Javan is the true prince.

                After barely escaping the imposter’s assassins, Javan is thrown into Maqbara, the kingdom’s most dangerous prison.  The only way to gain an audience with the king—and reveal Javan’s identity—is to fight in Maqbara’s yearly tournament.  But winning is much harder than acing competitions at school, and soon Javan finds himself beset not just by the terrifying creatures in the arena, but also a band of prisoners allied against him, and even the warden herself.

                The only person who can help him is Sajda, who has been enslaved by Maqbara’s warden since she was a child, and whose guarded demeanor and powerful right hook keep the prisoners in check.  Working with Sajda might be the only way Javan can escape alive—but she has dangerous secrets.

               

                Together, Javan and Sajda have to outwit the vicious warden, outfight the deadly creatures, and outlast the murderous prisoners intent on killing Javan.  If they fail, they’ll be trapped in Maqbara for good—and the secret Sajda’s been hiding will bury them both.

Why I’m Waiting:

                I’m a love this authors other books and I have enjoyed the other books in the series thus far so this is a no brainer for me to buy!  Plus it has the whole gladiator type vibe which I’m digging while also reminding me of an old episode of Wishbone.

                What are you waiting on?  Tell me below what you think of this title and leave a link to your WoW as well so I can check it out.

~Waiting on Wednesday~ The Wish Granter (Ravenspire #2)

                “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

The Wish Granter (Ravenspire #2) by C.J. Redwine

Out: 2/14

From Goodreads:

                An epic, romantic, and action-packed fantasy inspired by the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, about a bastard princess who must take on an evil fae to save her brother’s soul, from C.J. Redwine, the New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow Queen.  Perfect for fans of Graceling and the Lunar Chronicles.

                The world has turned upside down for Thad and Ari Glavan, the bastard twins of Súndraille’s king.  Their mother was murdered.  The royal family died mysteriously.  And now Thad sits on the throne of a kingdom whose streets are suddenly overrun with violence he can’t stop. 

                Growing up ignored by the nobility, Ari never wanted to be a proper princess.  And when Thad suddenly starts training Ari to take his place, she realizes that her brother’s ascension to the throne wasn’t fate.  It was the work of a Wish Granter named Alistair Teague who tricked Thad into wishing away both the safety of his people and his soul in exchange for the crown.

                So Ari recruits the help of Thad’s enigmatic new weapons master, Sebastian Vaughn, to teach her how to fight Teague.  With secret ties to Teague’s criminal empire, Sebastian might just hold the key to discovering Alistair’s weaknesses, saving Ari’s brother---and herself.

                But Teague is ruthless and more than ready to destroy anyone who dares stand in his way—and now he has his sights set on the princess.  And if Ari can’t outwit him, she’ll lose Sebastian, her brother…and her soul.           

Why I’m Waiting:

                I really enjoyed The Shadow Queen (review) so I’m excited to see what else this world has to offer.  Plus I never knew much of the Rumpelstiltskin story other than from Once Upon a Time and I really enjoy the character so I’m thrilled to see this idea play out.         

                What are you waiting on?  Tell me below what you think of this title and leave a link to your WoW as well so I can check it out.

The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire #1)

                Hello happy readers!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I worked this one but I did get some sleep and some OTC stuff and my sinuses are back to their normal irritating levels.  I also had a chance to finish some great books and one I’d like to discuss today is The ShadowQueen by C.J. Redwine the first book in the Ravenspire series.  I previously reviewed the Defiance series (Defiance, Deception, Deliverance) if you'd like to check them out.  Clearly I went in a fan of her writing and ready to see what new fantasy was coming to life. 

Rating:  5 Stars

                For those who don’t know The Shadow Queen is a Snow White retelling of sorts with the evil queen and the innocent princess and rightful heir wanting to take back her crown and save her people.  Lorelai, the princess and fugitive, has one mission:  killing her step mother and evil queen Irina before she completely destroys their land.  They have one thing in common, magic.  Irina has been using her magic for longer than Lorelai has been alive and is known as the most dangerous sorceress any has ever known.  So when a neighboring kingdom Eldr, a land of dragon shifters how cool, find the war in their land with invading ogres has taken a turn they are not equipped to take on, their leader Kol will make a deal with the queen to save his land.  Bring the queen Lorelai’s heart and the ogres will be stopped; the only problem is Lorelai is on her own mission to save her people and not a damsel in distress. 

                First side note that adds to the book love, how pretty it is.  The cover is simple and perfect, even more so as you read, but the naked book…those end pages in the bright red map!  OH I was so excited for them. 

               Now moving on to what is important, what’s inside the lovely book ends.  I was in LOVE with this book from the start.  The Shadow Queen starts off with a bang for sure and in the first 50 pages I was entranced and didn’t want to put it down.  First Irina is evil incarnate and pretty badass, I can admit when someone is a good villain, while I never rooted for her I respected her power and her level of crazy.  Lorelai was just endearing from the start in her Robin Hood type moves to try and help her people and build herself up.  Plus her interactions with Leo and Gabril cemented the familial bond and I just adored them.  And while I’m not personally a fan of feathered creatures in real life, hey fears run deep, still I loved Sasha and the conversations about "gifts" brought me up every time.  Kol was very similar in several ways.  I found him charming in the best of ways not only because of the obvious charm but for his humor and his strength of conviction to what is right and to his people.  No matter how flippant he may seem in the beginning as soon as things get serious he steps up.  And while he may do anything to save his people he still struggles with his decisions and find a way to continue to be honorable. 

               

                The world we are thrown into is one of magic both good and evil and so much more.  I felt like I understood the world, though I still have much more to learn.  This is after all the first book in a new series and the map has lots of other places on it….just saying.  Plus we spent pretty much the whole time in Ravenspire and I look forward to seeing more of Eldr and the other lands.  Some of the magic has yet to be expanded upon but again more books.  The story moved along very quickly and there was a ton of action from chases to fights both normal and magical with never a dull moment.  When you're a fugitive you can't sit still too long!  We also have some romance happening and while this is a surprisingly short book it didn't feel rushed to me, it felt natural given the pacing and events in the book.  Blending foes and friends and finding the right path.

                Basically I loved it and think you should pick it up if you're in the mood for a face paced magical retelling that will keep you hooked from the start.  I can't wait to see where Redwine takes the series next.  I know throughout the book I was constantly trying to figure out what would happen and while some aspects I pegged others came about in such a different want than I expected.  I'd love to hear your thoughts below on the new series in the comments below. 

                Until next time…

Deliverance~ The Conclusion to a Series

                Happy Monday!  I had a very interesting weekend, I finished a couple of books, watched some movies, and tried sleeping off a possible on-coming cold.  So far so good there.  So real quick there is still time in my open giveaway for a signed copy of The Rose Society by Marie Lu, here.  Don't forget you can get one entry each day for just tweeting about it!  Now you may remember I mentioned that I was near finishing a series I started back in 2015, Defiance or The Courier's Daughter trilogy by C.J. Redwine.  I previously reviewed Defiance and Deception if you want to catch up there.  I have also finished the last book, Deliverance and can't wait to share my thoughts with you.  If you haven't finished the first two books there will be spoilers for those two.  

Rating:  5 Stars

                When we left off in Deception things were bad.  Really horribly bad.  Logan was incarcerated with Willow with two parties wanting him and the device both willing to destroy the city to get their way and both stopping him from going after Rachel.  Rachel who was injured and taken by Ian who has a serious rage hate going for Logan wanting him to suffer and hurting Rachel is a good place to do that.  Rachel is fighting for her life trying to escape at any opportunity but as she learns a secret that could put everyone she has left at risk she must hatch a new plan.  Logan our master of plans and last stitch schemes must join forces with the one man he has sought to kill since childhood.  At least until he can take down the larger threat. The enemy of thy enemy is thy friend they say.

                So I was a bit of a wreck through a majority of this book.  I did not in the least like Rachel in Ian's custody but even less as she was injured and not able to fully defend herself against his cruelty.  Thankfully we have Samuel there who is not the most likeable guy but at least he has a strict set of we'll call them morals and is determined to make sure Rachel makes it to the destination without Ian killing her.  I did almost grow to like him and I enjoyed getting to know a somewhat sane person from Rowansmark.  This book was rather dark, with lots of violence and pain happening.  Now the other two books aren't rainbows and sunshine by any stretch but this one seemed more vicious to me, maybe it was that it was the end and our MC's were in the thick of it and really struggling with everything but yeah it was serious.

                One aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was getting to see more of the world.  In Deception we moved in not only more of the Wasteland but also into Lankenshire which was progression.  In the conclusion not only do we get those but we also get to travel to Hodenswald, Chelmingford, and the evil power of Rowansmark.  I loved the travel and getting to meet different heads and seeing how everyone interacted not only with the Commander but with Logan and their band of unlikely allies.  I also just adored that Connor came along and kept on the journey with them.  He was one of my favorite new characters because well, he was kind of a book nerd and he spoke so well and with such purpose and poise that I just kind of swooned for him a bit.  He was a bit of a weakling in the more physical aspects but he could lay a verbal beat down like no ones business.  Such random awkward spills that come out of his mouth just loved him and he was the perfect Lankenshire ambassador. 

                Rachel in the last book was in a very dark place.  She was making decisions and going down a path of revenge and letting nothing or no one stand in her way.  Others were hurt in her blind and sometimes suicidal quest and she didn't care, any cost would balance out if the Commander died.  Quinn, oh wonderful Quinn, took it upon himself to try and make her see things clearly.  That the pain inside bottled up was not helping her and she had to choose to feel to let it in to be able to move on.  That struck true and as much as her stubborn self didn't like it, given what Quinn scarified for her she knew he was right and she turned a corner.  Seeing her whole journey through the books was amazing.  She grew so much and there is a specific moment in the book that basically sums it all up and when you get to it you will know it.  Seeing her in even more dyer circumstances than before but more determined to make it and move through it was beautifully written. 

                Logan is also forced to come to terms with his own issues.  He feels he is a failure and that most things can be traced back to him in some form or fashion and how can everyone not look at him and see that.  He also has to work with the man he's wanted to kill since he was but a child, brutally orphaned.  I really enjoyed watching him continue to work his wonderful mind and try to see every possible outcome and grow more confident in his choices for his family.  When he makes a stupid and crazy decision that goes against the odds and rational thought, soft for women, it was so very Logan.  Also his scenes with Willow, just loved them.  She warmed up several degrees since we first met her.  She is still everything we loved about her but she also has some softness.  As Rachel is with enemies Logan is with, well technically enemies and friends, but he has that group that support system.  We got to see more of Jodi, Adam, Nola, Smithson, Frankie, Drake and so on. 

                Everything was so beautifully written from the characters and the world to the pain both emotional and physical it just came off the page.  I cringed so many times throughout because while I knew it was just a book I still was so invested in the outcome it felt real.    I just loved it!

                I highly enjoyed Deliverance as a book and as a conclusion to the series.  I feel it wrapped up the storylines in a strong finish and also left the world there rip for another story maybe sometime in the future.  Also I should point out after finishing this book I found out there was a Quinn/Willow novella from when they were still with the tree people called Outcast available on kindle which I can't wait to read.  In case you didn't know about it I figured I'd help you out!  Anywho that is all for me today, I would love to hear your thoughts on this series in the comments below. 

                Until next time…

Deception by C.J. Redwine

                Happy Monday!  It is 2016 and I have big plans for the year.  As some of you may have noticed I added a new tab for reading challenges!  I plan to put a serious dent in my reading goal by participating in a couple and just getting right into it because let's face it they sound fun and are basically covering what I already planned to do anyways in 2016!  For more details if you're curious it's laid out there.  I am already making good progress and just yesterday finished the last book in a series I had been working on.  This is important because today I'd like to discuss the second book in the same trilogy, Deception by C.J. Redwine. 

Rating:  5 Stars

                Deception follows book one Defiance (review) where we left off, no wasted time.  Baalboden has been destroyed and only a small group remain.  Rachel is in a hard place having lost the two most important people in her life for so long and she is struggling with that.  Still she has Logan, the one bright spot for her.  Logan who becomes the leader of their rag tag group of survivors.  With the device so many have died over in hand and an army after then to claim it they must leave what is left of their home and face the dangers of the Wasteland.  But that isn't the worst of it as they face obstacles at every angle someone is also threatening them from within.  This puts even more strain on Logan and Rachel as the defacto leaders and pushes them further both physically and emotionally. 

                I was really excited to start this book having loved the first book and wanting to find out more.  I loved Rachel and Logan and seeing from both their perspectives was just…oh so heart wrenching at times.  Rachel has been through more than one should have to deal with and goes down the rabbit hole of her own.  She has been raised to be strong and fight but this isn't a battle she is prepared for.  Consumed with grief and the need for revenge things start to blur.  And poor Logan finding out some harsh truths that shatter his reality and feeling unable to keep those who look to him to lead safe.  He is such a strong character but he has such self doubt and unease.  I really loved the depth to the characters we saw in this book.  I already felt like I knew our mains pretty well but we got so much more from them in this book that I was there with them. 

                 We get to know more and more about the Wastelands and some of the other city-states.  We also get to know even more characters as we move through.  The story is very much one of action and conflict but also about the characters.  I loved getting to know more about Willow and Quinn!  They are just adorable and I just found out there is a novella for them and how they met Rachel's dad that I must read!  Another aspect I really enjoyed was getting to see how the people of Baalboden handled the adjustment.  They lived their entire life in a completely different world, especially the women.  Now they are being lead by someone they didn't think much of before the city fell and a woman who previously would have had no voice or power at all.  Now teaching everyone to survive and to think for themselves.  It was developed beautifully.  

                Overall I think this was a great aspect in the story and the twists and turns were there I mean I didn't see some of them coming at all.  More things are explained throughout as it develops.  There is the character development really kicked up a notch on top of the constant motion and battles.  Stay or run? When there is no clear cut easy answer how do you decide?  Oh and then we come to that cliffhanger.  I was completely at a loss for words.  I won't spoil it for anyone but it is hard to put down and I am so glad I didn't have to wait a year between books or I may have gone a bit crazy.

                That's all I have for now.  Stay tuned for the review of the final book in the Defiance or Courier's Daughter trilogy (it has both names listed in different places) which I plant to have up next week.  I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below on Deception and the Defiance trilogy.  I hope you all are having a fantasist start to 2016!

                Until next time…

~Waiting on Wednesday~ The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

                “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

Out:  2/23

From Goodreads:

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission:  kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father.  To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic.  She'll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol's father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly giving the responsibility of saving his kingdom.  To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai's heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king.  Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen.  But Irina isn't going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose. 

Why I’m Waiting:

                I am finding I just adore fairy tale retellings and I fell in love with the Defiance trilogy so it stands to reason I'd want to check out her other work.  Also the cover is rather stunning, dark and devious no doubt.  I had the chance to meet C.J. Redwine back in June and she was so much fun to talk to and we chatted for a good bit about her books as much as I could anyways as I hadn't finished the series and she had some amazing things to say in one of the panels she was on about world building.  

Defiance by C.J. Redwine

                Welcome back everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break!  I am surprised to say I got no books this year for Christmas, thus far anyways.  I did need some car parts which I needed so I am okay with that plus I got some gift cards though which are basically books in waiting.  I also placed another Bookoutlet order.  2016 is fast approaching, I can’t believe 2015 is almost over.  But today as the only review for this week I wanted to share my thoughts on the start of a series I will be finishing up start of the New Year if things go right and the first book is Defiance by C.J. Redwine.

               

Rating: 5 Stars

                Defiance takes place in a world full of city-states where women are trained to sew and dance and are unable to go anywhere without a male protector.  Outside the walls there is the Wasteland and a monster that can’t be killed.  Rachel isn’t like other girls, her father raised her to track and hunt and she doesn’t want a protector, she’d rather have a sparring partner.  However, when her father doesn’t come home from his courier mission and is declared dead she is assigned a new protector, until she is of age to be claimed by a husband of course, none other than her father’s apprentice and boy she confessed to love some time ago, Logan.  Rachel knows in her bones her father is alive and she will do anything to find him even if she has to do it herself.  Together this pair with a history journey through the Wasteland and are faced with the monster, trained assassins, and pretty much everyone wanting them dead.  Oh and there is the whole pesky hurt feelings still lingering between them, what could go wrong?

                 I really enjoyed this book.  It caught me by surprise as I didn’t know much about it when I started just that it had been out for a while and I liked the simple yet striking covers. Baalboden was not my kind of place.  The role of a female was not something I enjoyed and found myself scoffing at every person who talked about it being the proper way marking them on my list of ‘okay if they die’ through the series.  Come on I know I can’t be the only one who thinks about characters as I read them and sort through in my mind, especially if it’s a book where death is a likely event for some, and wonder if I would be okay with them dying or will it be hard to cope.  Some people swap back and forth all the time based on their actions but still.  At any rate the Commander of their city-state is so far past okay with and please die category.  Not just for being the ruler and enforcer of such a system that treat women as little more than pets to cook, clean, and breed, but other more substantia reasons.  Can you tell I wouldn’t do well in this type of society and probably why I don’t read many historical novels?

                Maybe this is why I love Rachel and her father.  He didn’t agree with that notion of the world and he taught his daughter better than that.  She is strong and fierce rather than meek and shy.  I love how head strong she is, in a world where women don’t have the option she was sheltered in a way and allowed to have her own opinions and given voice to share them and develop a quick wit, which may or may not be a good thing in some instances.  Then we have Logan who was taken in by this same caring man and given a job and purpose and a new kind of family.  He sees Rachel for who she really is, not who she must pretend to be in society.  Where Rachel is headstrong and ready to rush into danger with determination and passion he is just as stubborn but more meticulous in wanting to have a plan.  They are balances to one another, yin and yang. 

                The story is a journey to overcome and fight the oppression and who doesn’t love that kind of story.  Plus there is plenty of action as monsters, assassins and such keep everyone on their toes.  The batter is both internal and external.  Both characters we see through are faced with battles on both fronts.  The world they live in in flushed out in a way I felt like I understood their life and their motivations.  I really enjoyed the book as a whole and was excited to continue on.  I didn’t marathon through one after the other, but not for lack of desire, just that I was reading with a friend and that was worth waiting a bit to continue on.  We plan to finish the last book in the trilogy at the start of the year.  Defiance has everything a good fantasy should have in my opinion, a well thought out world, interesting characters, and an intriguing story arch that builds.  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. 

                Until next time…