Queen of the Tearling -- Erika Johansen

I read this book in less than 24 hours. In fact I did not leave the couch, let alone the house while I was reading Queen of the Tearling. The book is set in a future where several shiploads of people, presumably from our nearish future, have made a 'crossing' to a land that maybe exists in our world, or is maybe in another one. There is tantalizingly little information about The Crossing in book one of Erika Johansen's series and I imagine that more will be revealed to us in upcoming books! The main focus of Queen of the Tearling is Kelsea, a 19 year old  girl who has been living in secret with her foster parents for most of her life. She is also the Queen of the country of Tear and now that she is of age she must leave her home in the forest and venture into a corrupt and venal court led by her uncle the Regent.

Kelsea knows very little about current events in her kingdom and to tell you any details about what's going on in her capital would ruin, what for me was a pretty epic moment or two, so I won't. But there are some fun details I will share! For one, because this book takes place in our distant future there are some throwbacks, Kelsea has copies of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series on her bookshelf, along with The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings. We learn pretty early on that the main reason for The Crossing was to cut away the modern day trappings of life that we are so accustomed to, so the people of Tear live a pretty medieval lifestyle, complete with swords and armour. And I can always get behind some sword fighting! The book contains plenty of parallels with some of my favourite series. There's a nod to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in the Red Queen, who is Kelsea's nemesis, and some very strong similarities to The Hunger Games in a lottery system whose purpose I won't divulge!

A really great combination of new ideas and themes, mixed with the more conventional aspects of Young Adult fiction that we have all come to know and love! Another thing I will add is there is some profanity in the book (the f word pops up more than once) and some adult themes (think prostitution) so this book is not meant for the young end of the YA spectrum. But really a great read!

Enjoy!

Sea of Shadows -- Kelley Armstrong

I liked this book. Kelley Armstrong is a Canadian author, which is always exciting for me, and several of her books take place in Canadian settings! This one however, is not set in our world at all, but in another one where creatures of myth become real and the spirit world overflows into the realms of the living. Moria and Ashyn are twin sisters chosen for the roles of Keeper and Seeker. Every year they are sent to quiet the spirits of criminals who have been exiled into Forest of the Dead. Obviously given the name "Forest of the Dead" we can surmise that many of our exiled friends do not survive and their angry spirits are prowling around the forest waiting for the unwary. This time when Ashyn enters the forest to quiet the spirits, nothing goes as planned and events are put into motion that will change the girls lives forever! This book is another in a long string of easy- to- read, relatively exciting Young Adult novels that have sprung up recently. Armstrong perhaps takes things a little far with the types of monsters we encounter, zombies, ghosts, spirits and Thunder birds to name but four and we of course have love interests for both girls whose course runs anything but smoothly. And because we have two female protagonists, we get both a charming thief as well as a strong, silent nobleman. 

I have to say that this book has gotten some pretty stinky reviews on Goodreads, but I really didn't think it was bad at all. The plot moved quickly, there was lots of action and I quite liked the character development for both Moria and Ashyn. It will be interesting to see what happens in book two!

Enjoy!

Blood Red Road -- Moira Young

I loved this book! I thought Saba was such a great character, she's a bit of an anti- hero. When her twin brother Lugh is kidnapped by thugs from their isolated home Saba takes off to go find him, even abandoning her younger sister with a former friend of her parents. Saba has never much cared for her younger sister Emmy Saba blames her for their mother's death and for stealing her precious time with Lugh, but Emmy has more to her then Saba knows and both of them will discover new things about themselves on their journey to find Lugh. 

Saba really doesn't think much of herself, she's completely single minded in her pursuit of Lugh, but other people quickly see her value and she builds a nice little team to help her on her quest. She really has some amazing adventures, lots of fighting with a nice little stint as a gladiatrix, followed by a daring escape from captivity. There really is a lot happening throughout the book. It's fast paced and exciting, a great start to what I'm sure will be an excellent series!

Enjoy!

Grave Mercy - Robin LaFevers

This book was an interesting read. I was really taken by the premise, but kind of disappointed overall. It wasn't the best thing I've ever read but the plot was fairly interesting and quick paced. The story takes place in medieval Brittany (a region of France) where our heroine Ismae is born marked by the poison her mother took in order to abort her. She is a daughter of death, feared by her step father and sold to the pig farmer down the road when she reaches marriageable age. Before she can be ruined by a life of physical labour and hardship she is rescued by a group of nuns at the convent of St. Mortain who are assassins, fulfilling Death's wishes by killing those who are a threat to Brittany's independence. Ismae joins the nuns and becomes an expert assassin, particularly well trained in poison. However, things go slightly awry on her first mission and she ends up in the company of a nobleman bound for Brittany's royal court and the intrigue and deceit that comes along with it.

I have to be honest I wasn't really to fond of Ismae. She was a bit whiny. I was also a bit confused as to why the Abbess of the convent would send a woefully unprepared novice to the royal court when there were surely people more adequately prepared for the mission. Ismae spends quite a lot of time questioning her placement there, and while her loyalty to the besieged duchess is admirable, she was quite clearly not the woman for the job. I was also considerably more interested in another one of the novices who arrived at the same time as Ismae. Sybella was a much more engaging character and I was quite pleased to learn that she is the star of the second book in the series! another thing that really bothered me about this book was the fact that as a trained assassin Ismae should really be able to take on any and all opponents, and often she does, but occasionally her skills seem to abandon her and if there's one thing I dislike it's inconsistency. Finally and I'll say *SPOILER ALERT* Sex as a cure for poison? Not so sure about that...

All and all a decent read but not the top of my list!

Enjoy 

Morgan

The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater

I just have to say first that I really love Maggie Stiefvater. Everything I read by her I really enjoy and The Raven Boys was no exception. Like The Scorpio Races I really loved how she blended mythical and magical elements into everyday life so that magic somehow blends perfectly into contemporary society. There's not really any sense of unbelieveability at all; the insertion of magic is done so masterfully that you just accept that things are the way she's written them. I read a lot of fantasy fiction and Stiefvater is up there with the best of them for sure!

 The Raven Boys takes place in a small town in the United States. The town's population is divided between the local townsfolk who live there year round and the Raven Boys who attend the prestigious Aglionby Academy. The locals tolerate the presence of spoiled rich boys, but there is no love lost between the two groups, so when Blue the daughter of the local psychic gets caught up with four of the most infamous Raven Boys adventure is sure to follow.

Blue is a really interesting character and I have to say that I really fell for her. She's the black sheep of her family, able to augment the psychic powers of her mother and female relatives, but unable to see the future or into the spirit realms. With her powers she is an important tool to the psychic's trade but she's always on the outside looking in, until one fateful night with her aunt in a graveyard. The relationships between the four Raven Boys we meet are also incredibly intricate and are such a wonderful aspect of the story. So often in YA fiction we are only privy to the relationships between the female protagonist and any of the men/ boys she comes in contact with. The relationships that those boys have with other boys is so rarely explored.

This book contains all the elements of a great story. A mystery, a quest, a coming of age, and even a romance or two.

Definitely worth a read!

Enjoy!

Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo

This was a pretty different read from some of the other fantasy fictions I've read. Set in a late 19th or early 20th century mythical Russia Shadow and Bone blends the opulence of the Russian aristocracy of that era  with some dark and frankly creepy magical elements. Alina is a cartographer for the army of Ravka sent on a large expeditionary mission into the fold. A place of darkness created by a sorcerer thousands of years ago. Within the fold are creatures who feed on the flesh of the living and the only thing that frightens them is light. In Ravka those who have any kind of magic are identified as children and sent away to the palace to learn how to  properly use their magic. As a child Alina and her best friend (and secret love) Mal were tested for magic at the home for orphans where they grow up together neither is discovered to have magic and together they make their way through the world.

When Alina and Mal and the rest of their party make their way into the darkness of the fold they are set upon by thousands of monsters and when Mal is potentially fatally wounded Alina lights up the night with her previously undiscovered power coming to the notice of the Darkling the most powerful sorcerer in Ravka.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read the contrast between the glittering wealth of the Ravkan court and the darkness of the magic that they use strikes just the right cord. Alina is an interesting character with believable flaws and failings, not simply a selfless hero and so many protagonists in fantasy fiction before her. She faces some very difficult choices leaving the life she has known for one that is completely outside her realm of experience. She is suddenly bestowed with not only magic but also wealth and influence, but not all is what it seems and Alina struggles and makes mistakes like any real person would.

Well worth a read!
Enjoy!

Origin - Jessica Khoury

This book was really refreshing. Mostly because of the choices that the main character Pia made throughout the book, but also because it stands alone. I could be wrong Jessica Khoury could be planning on writing 100 more books about Pia, but the ending really suggested to me that Origin was it, and I love that. Sometimes it is so great to read a really good book and to have closure at the end rather than feel like you have to wait another year to find out what happens. Don't get me wrong I love a good series, but Origin was just so satisfying in itself and it's really impressive that Khoury was able to write such a stunning book as her debut at 22 no less. 

I loved Pia. I thought she was a really interesting character. She is immortal, and she lives in the facility where she was created by scientists who have spent their entire lives trying to create her. One day Pia finally breaks free from the fence by which she is surrounded to go into the jungle and explore. There she meets Eio a boy who has grown up in the jungle and her life changes direction quite rapidly from there. When we first meet her Pia's main goal  is to become a part of the team that is working on creating other being like her. Other immortals so that she won't have to be alone anymore. Once she meets Eio and the other denizens of the jungle she slowly begins to realize that being a scientist and behaving 'rationally' are not all that they seem to be. Something is not right. 

A wonderful story with a great cast of characters, which creates some worrying thoughts about the world we live in and the lengths that people might go to in order to become immortal.

Enjoy!

Graceling - Kristin Cashore

I loved this book. It was highly recommended by a fellow book lover and she couldn't have been more right. Graceling has so much going for it. The main character is reminiscent of Katniss from The Hunger Games (and not just because of her name) she kicks some serious butt as one of her world's people who are "graced" with a range of talents. Her's it seems is fighting. In the kingdom where Katsa lives those who are "graced" with talents automatically become the property of the King, Randa, who uses his niece Katsa as his own personal torturer and assassin. Katsa, however, has other ideas about how to use her talents. She and her compatriots have begun an underground movement to help the oppressed people of her kingdom and the other six kingdoms as well. 

Unlike Katniss, Katsa has a considerable amount of agency when it comes to decision making. I mean who is going to argue with a woman who has been 'graced' with a talent for killing people? Not me. 

I really liked Katsa as well as the other main characters in the book. I felt that the plot moved quickly enough  to keep me interested, but slowly enough to not feel rushed or like Cashore was trying to pour too many plot points into the story. Every aspect of the plot flowed together nicely and the love story was another aspect of the story that was really interesting. Katsa's love interest Po is well written and well rounded. It is easy to see how the two fit together and nothing feels forced.

I also loved the sequels Fire and Bitterblue which give background and depth to Katsa's story as one of the sequels takes place before Graceling and the other takes place years after. 

A must read!

Enjoy!

The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater

In The Scorpio Races Maggie Steifvater blends myth and magic with the modern world to create a really wonderful read. The story in  really interesting with the water horses of Irish legend coming to life on the tiny island of Thisby which is located, I would imagine, somewhere in the Atlantic. Stiefvater mixes magical elements with real life facts to make a believable story about flesh eating horses who emerge from the ocean each November to both terrify and enchant the locals. As the water horses (called Capaill Uisce by the natives of Thisby) surface each November brave and foolish riders try to capture them to use as mounts in the annual Scorpio Races.

The story is told from the perspective of two prospective competitors in the races. Kate who goes by Puck and Sean Kendrick. Sean is a returning participant who has won the races for a number of years running, Puck is racing out of desperation. Both desperately need to win the race, Sean to finally own his beloved water horse and Puck to save her family's home. If she races Puck will be the first girl ever to do so and she faces not just the challenge of finding and taming one of the incredibly dangerous Capaill Uisce (who happened to have killed and eaten her parents), but also the challenge of overcoming the discrimination of her neighbours.

There is of course a love story woven into The Scorpio Races, but refreshingly there is no love triangle and Puck's feelings for her love interest are clear and simple. It is a small part of the story, but does create a lovely side plot and make for an interesting end to the story.

All in all a very original read!
Enjoy!

Enclave - Ann Aguirre

In this post apocalyptic thriller our main character Deuce has just graduated from being a 'brat' (an unnamed child) to being a Huntress, one of the elite warriors of her small community. The enclave where Deuce lives is situated in the remains of the New York City subway and is constantly under the threat of both starvation and of being over run by the monsters living in the tunnels that they call "freaks". Deuce has spent her whole life waiting to become a Huntress, however her illusions of becoming one of the warrior brethren are quickly shattered as she becomes aware of the politics that lie beneath the seemingly perfect exterior.

I really enjoyed Enclave. I thought Deuce was an interesting character and that the world she lived in underground was just as believable as any other post apocalyptic read, and there are certainly many! As with most Young Adult fiction there is a budding romance and Deuce has mixed feelings about the boy she has her eyes on. However, the romance does not detract from the main plot line of the story, but adds to it. Deuce is a kick butt heroine who certainly does not need a boy to protect her from anybody and she proves it time and again. I really liked how she and Fade (her hunting partner and love interest) are equals, working together to protect each other, rather than either of them making enormous sacrifices for the sake of the other.

The book also takes an interesting turn half way through as our main characters find their way out of the tunnels and into the world above, which Deuce has always believed to be uninhabitable. The world above is even more dangerous than the world underground and Deuce needs all of her fighting and survival skills to survive the surface.

Overall a great plot, engaging characters and an interesting premise! I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!

**The sequel Outpost was almost as good as the first book, looking forward to the third!**

***Third book also great! Interesting twist!***

Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein

Code Name Verity is hands down one of the best Young Adult books I have read in a long time. Elizabeth Wein has created a story that is both engaging and heart breaking. It is a story of friendship and loss, with the stories of two best friends so perfectly interwoven that the end, when it comes, is completely unexpected.

Code Name Verity  begins in England just after the beginning of the Second World War. We are introduced to our two young protagonists through the writings  of a young woman who has been captured by the Gestapo (Nazi secret police) in occupied France. She describes the unlikely meeting between two even unliklier friends. Maddie, is a young woman who wants nothing more than to spend her life in the air, flying any kind of airplane she can get her hands on. From rural England Maddie has spent her childhood living with her Grandparents who have encouraged her to make use of her natural mechanic ability. Once the war begins, England needs every pilot they can get their hands on and Maddie begins flying with regularity, saving the behinds of several male flight crews and gaining the respect of everyone she works with and the notice of Air Transport Auxiliary  who need pilots to ferry British spies.

Queenie is a member of the Scottish aristocracy who because of her innate ability as an actress and her perfect German has been recruited as a spy. The first half of the book is written from her perspective, and it is from her that we learn everything we know of Maddie and their relationship. We also learn of how Queenie ended up in occupied France and why she is writing down the story of their friendship. 

To be perfectly honest the beginning of the book with difficult to get into, however once the story begins to emerge it caught me hook, line and sinker and I couldn’t put it down. The facts were so well researched that they faded into the background, allowing the reader to concentrate on the story rather than on the historical background. Elizabeth Wein has certainly outdone herself with this book. I highly recommend the read. It is certainly a difficult subject though so keep that in mind if picking the book.

Enjoy!

Divergent - Veronica Roth

One of the best post Hunger Games Young Adult books that I have read. Divergent stars another kick ass heroine, though she comes from a decidedly different background than Katniss. In Divergent Beatrice Prior lives in a post apocalyptic society that has split itself into five factions based on personality traits. In Candor for example they cherish the truth and in Dauntless, courage. On their 16th birthday each member of society is asked to choose which of the five factions they will join. Before making this choice Beatrice takes a personality test designed to tell her which faction she is best suited for. But when something goes wrong during the test Beatrice realizes that the choice may not be so clear cut after all.

In Divergent Veronica Roth has created a really interesting world populated by believable characters and nasty villains. The plot progresses at a quick pace, but it never feels as though she’s rushing through the story. There is of course a romantic subplot, but while it is an important aspect of the story line it never over powers the book or detracts from the plot. 

A great read if you’re looking for something to cure your Hunger Games hangover!