Book Review: The Runaway King

Title: The Runaway King

Author: Jennifer A Nielsen

Genre: Fantasy

Book Blurb:

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?

Review:

And my reading-awesome-books streak continues! *Does victory dance*

Jennifer Nielsen wows me again with the second installment of the Ascendence Trilogy. Usually, the second book in a trilogy is usually the worst book (I sometimes feel like authors just throw them in to bridge the gap between the beginning and the conclusion, and are therefore, not really needed.) This is not the case with The Runaway King. I loved this book just as much as I did with The False Prince.

Jaron continues to live up to my expectations in terms of sassitude (sass + attitude) and honorable moral values. He easily makes it onto my top ten fave character list.  Jaron also continues to leave me in awe with his clever reasoning and planning (though I will admit he does have more than his fair share of luck--both good and bad.)  You also beging to see some feelings develop between Imogen and Jaron, but the romance isn't overwhelming, so thank goodness for that! Though Nielsen does kinda pull the star-crossed lover trick out of her hat in The Runaway King, regarding the Jaron, Imogen and Amarinda love triangle situation. 

March Madness Giveaway (week two)

Wahoo! Congraulation to the first winner of the March Madness Book Giveaway! The weather is finally turning--it was 50 degrees yesterday! Without further ado, here is week numero does of the giveaway!  Be sure to check back often to see what goodies you can win :-)

This week's book to be given away is....(insert drum roll)....Tiger's Voyage by Celleen Houck!  Not only is the cover absolutely stunning (it looks even better in person because the cover has this shiny material embossed on it...ooh...ahh...shiny!) the edition I'm giving away is an exclusive edition of the book! There is extra content and other fun surprises hidden between its pages :-) Be sure to enter and earn extra entries by tweeting and spreading the word about this giveaway.

PS...Tiger's Voyage is actually book three in the The Tiger Saga, so be sure to check out Tiger's Curse and Tiger's Quest, the first two books in the series.

Description form Goodreads:

With the head-to-head battle against the villainous Lokesh behind her, Kelsey confronts a new heartbreak: in the wake of his traumatic experience, her beloved Ren no longer remembers who she is. As the trio continues their quest by challenging five cunning and duplicitous dragons, Ren and Kishan once more vie for her affections--leaving Kelsey more confused than ever.

Book Trailer for Tiger's Voyage:

***This giveaway is open to US residents only***

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Review: Fantasy Books

Hello world! So...I'm behind on reviewing books again (what else is new!) Being slightly obsessed with Psych may or may not be the reason. (I recently got hooked onto the show, lol.)  Since I don't have a review ready yet, I thought I'll share with you some fantasy books. I've heard a lot of buzz about Throne of Glass and Game of Thrones (did you know they're actually two completely separate series?!) and decided to check these two books out.  Anyways, I've ordered Throne of Glass and can't wait to read it once the book arrives! In the meantime, here's a bunch of mini reviews for fantasy books I've read in the past :-)

Review: 

I find it amazing that a 15 year old boy could pen such an amazing/intricate story. The descriptions and characters and plot are absolutely spellbinding. I'm pretty sure this book is one of the main reasons why I got hooked onto fantasy books in middle school.  I loved how Paolini could create such a rich, fantastical setting with specific customs to each region in the world of Eragon.  The characters are very realistic (at least I found Eragon and Saphira to be very realistic and engaging--I love their relationship, how Saphira in some ways is like a mentor to Eragon.)  Although the the story often deviates from the main plot line, I think that it immerses readers more into the setting by going on these "side trips." 

Book Tour + Guest Post: Saskia Trilogy

Eden Forest

Book One of the Saskia Trilogy

By: Aoife Marie Sheridan

Four banished Angels,

A world created by the hands of God,

A Kingdom on its knees,

A secret protected for centuries,

And one mortal can save them all.

Step into Saskia.

Book Description:

Sarajane Anderson is your regular twenty one year old. With family, friends and a normal job. She also happens to be the only person who can save Saskia, a world parallel to earth.

When Sarajane is taken to Saskia, she could never have imagined the reality of the world she steps into, a world where magical abilities are in everyone's possession.

Book Review: Aether Warriors

Title: Aether Warriors

Author: Dean Ravenola

Genre: Fantasy

Review:

This book was a fun, quick read once I got rid of some preconceived notions I had set up in my mind regarding Aether Warriors. The book description interested me right away, but as I started reading the book, I couldn't help but think that the main character felt a little bit two dimensional....but then I realized that was because I was reading the book with the mind of someone expecting a YA read. Once I started reading the book with the mindset of a middle schooler, it was very enjoyable.

Since this book is probably aimed towards younger readers (I'm thinking age 10+), parts of the plot was on the more predictable side. There were also a few scenes that seemed a bit implausible to me. For example, I find it kind of hard to believe a thirteen year-old boy could pick up a pair of daggers and wield them like a kung fu master with virtually no training, even though he is connected to Aether (the universal life force.) But hey, anything is possible within the pages of a book, right?

I know I did mention that Aether Warriors was a bit predictable for my taste--but there was one major plot twist that I did not see coming at all. The author did an excellent job setting up and misleading readers up til the twist. So, kudos to Dean for that amazing plot/character twist!

Book Review: World After

Title: World After

Author: Susan Ee

Genre: YA dystopian/Urban fantasy

Review:

I loved the first book, Angelfall, to death. I mean, it took me a few chapters to really get into the book, but once I was in, I was hooked. Susan Ee did not disappoint with book two in this 5-book series titled Penryn & The End of Days. Sure, some scenes in the book seemed like a stretch, but hey, I finished World After all in one day, so that should be saying something :-)

Okay, let's start off with our main character Penryn, shall we? She's exactly the same as I remember her from Angelfall, which is to say sarcastic and pretty awesome. I love her narration and some of her observations of the world around her makes me crack up. Plus I love the twins, Dee and Dum because they totally crack me up as well....here's a quote just to prove my point:

“I'm gonna be sick," I said
"I'm ordering you not to," says Obi.
"Ah, don't say that," says Dee-Dum. "She's a born rebel. She'll puke just to make a point.” 

Book Blast: Mistress of the Wind + Giveaway

By: Michelle Diener

New Adult/Sci-Fi Fantasy

Paperback, 342 pages

Expected publication: December 19th 2

Bjorn needs to find a very special woman . . .

The fate of his people, and his own life, depends on it. But when he does find her, she is nothing like he imagined, and may just harbor more secrets than he does himself.

Astrid has never taken well to commands. No matter who issues them . . .

She's clashed her whole life with her father, and now her lover, the mysterious man who comes to her bedroom in darkness and disappears to guard his mountain by day as a bear, is finding it out the hard way. And when he's taken by his enemies, no one is prepared for Astrid's response.

It is never wise to anger the mistress of the wind . . .

A captivating and magical adult retelling of the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon.

A Word from the Author:

Mistress of the Wind is based on the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon. It's a fairy tale I've loved since I was a child, but it wasn't until I started seriously researching the origins and mythology of East of the Sun, West of the Moon in preparation for writing Mistress of the Wind that I discovered what a unique fairy tale it is in many respects.