The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Traitor (Goodreads)

Okay, let's the get the important stuff out the way . . .  this cover: it's GORGEOUS. Yes, in capitals. I would read this book just for the cover. And the title. Who would not want to find out who the traitor is: Ethan or Kerrian? Well, I'm not telling you. You have to read it to find out.

So after than fan rave, what did I think of this book? 

Better or worse than the The Lost Prince? 

Answer? Yes, it is, but then I only gave The Lost Prince three stars (you can see my review here) so that's not really difficult.

What makes The Iron Traitor better? 

It's hard to say. There were some things that really bugged me about it. Not to give away spoilers, but in places it felt as if Kagawa was running a bit short on imagination - a dramatic admission because she is The Imagination Queen - but I saw bits of other books and even a big steal from the movie Monsters Inc in it. 

Also, I was afraid after reading book one that the plot wasn't complex enough to fill a whole series, and I feel I was proved right. In this book Kagawa has fallen back on some well-known tropes to carry her story, for example: a prophecy now looms large. 

Those points definitely detracted from my enjoyment, but there was a lot that made up for it and most of that goes back to Ethan and Keirran.

Ethan and Keirran! 

Now there are two interesting male protagonists. I really enjoy being in Ethan's head and Keirran is a fascinatingly complex character. All the traits Ethan displayed in book one - loyalty, courage, determination - go into overdrive in this book. In a word, he's great. My only complaint is that he does a lot of fighting (yah, I love that) and gets multiple injuries in each fight, but still he keeps moving with nary a flinch.  I found that a bit implausible, enough so for me to start shaking my head after awhile. Still, Ethan is definitely one of my favourite male protags and I will happily read more books with him in it. 

Now for Keirran . . . wow. Julie Kagawa has a wild card here. At times I wanted to hug him and other times I could have kicked his butt all the way to Ash and demanded that Ash freeze his feet to the ground. (As an aside: I rather suspect that Ash feels the same way too. That said, Ethan also got up Meghan's and Ash's noses in this book. In fact he managed to annoy a lot of people. That's what makes him so much fun to be with)

The other characters? 

Kenzie and Annwyl strutted their stuff, but they are definitely not show stealers. I like Kenzie - a lot - but Annwyl really bugs me. I think she's weak and she allows Keirran to do some really crazy things for her without too much care for the consequences. But then, if she wasn't weak we wouldn't have a story. Razor the gremlin is back in force here, and I loved every page he was on.

The Ending - Urgh, No!!!

No review of this book would be complete without a comment on the ending. It sucks. There, I said it. It's a cliffhanger of note and, what can I say, it sucks! All I could do was roll my eyes and demand that Harlequin tell me how long they intend making me to wait to find out what happened. Obviously, no such answer was forthcoming. Oh well, this is me waiting at the edge of my seat . . .

Finally, the all-important question . . .

How many stars?

Humph . . . tough one. Definitely more than three but not quite four. So I guess that makes it's a three and a half. Still, I did enjoy it a lot and would recommend it to readers who love fey and intersting characters. Just a quick thank you to Harlequin for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Until next time

Cheers

Gwynn

The Narrowing Path by David J Normoyle

The Narrowing Path (Goodreads)

I found this gem of a book on Netgalley and was struck by the cover: definitely intriguing. The blurb clinched the deal, luring me in . . .

Only the strongest, smartest and most ruthless will survive.

Every six years, the world draws nearer to the sun. In Arcandis, those who want to live must claim the limited places in the Refuge, a series of underground caverns cooled by the sea.

The teenage boys of noble birth are sent out into the city to demonstrate their wits and strength. Some prove themselves in combat, others display their empire building skills, still others attempt to kill off their rivals. Out of over a hundred, only six will be selected by the leaders of the great families and allowed a place in the Refuge. The rest will perish, one way or another.

Not only is thirteen-year-old Bowe younger and weaker than most of the other boys, he has no family to support him. He is expected to die on the very first day of the narrowing path. Instead he begins a journey no one could have anticipated.

Unable to resist The Hunger Games feel of it, I immediately requested it and am delighted to say that it delivered on all its promises. I started reading in the evening and found myself still awake at three in the morning when I turned the last page on my Kindle. I was so impressed that I filed it into it's own category under the author's name. I only ever do that if I intend reading more of an author's work. The rest of the books get shoved into a genre category.

Okay . . . so what made it so good?

The book is definitely dystopian (thoroughly brutal in fact) but it has a high fantasy setting! Anyone familiar with my blog will know that fantasy and sci-fi are my first loves. That said, one of my reading delights this year has been the discovery of some great cross-over books that mash different genres together - like this one - making for a fascinating read. As far as I can see, it's mainly indie-authors who are daring to write like this, and David J Normoyle has done it very well in The Narrowing Path.

The plot kicks off without too much backstory or preamble and we are in the world of Arcandis, following the fortunes - and misfortunes - of Bowe Bellanger, our young hero. I was instantly sucked in even though the first few pages bombarded me with names and titles and quite complicated aspects of Arcandis life. I admit, it could be an overwhelming beginning, but I was so intrigued by the action that I barreled through it and was hooked. 

Bowe Bellanger is a delightfully flawed hero with a giant-sized heart. He captured my sympathy instantly and although sometimes he made some really stupid decisions as he battled to stay alive on the 'path', I was rooting for him all the way through. Be warned though, this book is not for the faint-hearted: deaths - gruesome ones - occur every few pages. In that aspect it makes The Hunger Games look like a church picnic. 

Bowe also has some strange ideas about girls. But given his background and age, I found it quite acceptable. He is the perfect gentleman to the high class damsel in distress, but cannot cope with the tough, kick-butte peasant girl (whom he secretly fancies) who helped save his life a few times. I suspect this is going to be an area explored by Normoyle in subsequent books and I imagine young Bowe is going to learn some short, sharp lessons about dealing with women. I can't wait to read about them.

From that, you can guess that I will be reading the next two books in the series: The Treacherous Path and The Collapsing Path. You can bet on it.

So how many stars for The Narrowing Path? A solid four star read!

I will be doing an interview with David Normoyle on Wednesday when I will be giving away a couple of his books. It will be well worth stopping by for a chance to win.

Cheers

Gwynn

Autumn by Sierra Dean

Autumn (Goodreads) took me through a whole gambit of emotions:  

"What? You can't be serious! This heroine sucks."  

To

"Man, this book is tense." 

Until finally, 

"No way! It can't be finished. Where's the next book?"  

How's that for a rollercoster ride?

So the heroine sucks, does she? Well yes, to begin with. Lou's dad has recently died of cancer and her mom, having depleted the family coffers caring for him, is forced to move her and Lou to Poisonfoot, Texas, to stay with grandma. And all Lou did for the first part of the book was whinge and whine like an ungrateful teenager. I mean, come on, look at this . . .

"If Eloise (Lou) Whittaker had to narrow down the worst things ever in her life to a list, the top three would go as follows:

3) Uncooked chicken. When it's all, like, pink in the middle? Gross.

2) Her father dying. Which was really tied for number one with  . . . 

1) Moving because her dad died."

Sorry, but that was an epic fail for me. Lou Whittaker had a long way to claw back after those opening lines. So it wasn't with the kindest feelings that I went into her story. But by the time she had gotten to Poisonfoot, had settled in with her weirdo grandmother, and had gone to school where she met Cooper - the hot boy everyone in town warns her against - I was pretty engaged.

I think what saved Autumn for me - at least in the beginning - was Cooper. Now why can't one of my daughters meet a guy like that? He can join us for Sunday lunch anytime.  Okay, okay, I admit he has his problems . . . he's doomed by an old curse to turn into a coyote when he turns eighteen, but still, he's a great guy whom I really ached for as the story unfolded. I would read the sequels just to make sure his life gets sorted out and the curse lifted. In fact, the injustice of his plight has stayed with me long after I put the book down. That counts for something.

But there was something else that really bugged me about this book - the matter of simple teenage psychology. Ask any parent anywhere what happens when you tell a teenager no without backing it up with a concrete reason. Any parent anywhere will tell you that said teenager will - out of sheer bloody-mindedness - ignore you completely and go and do exactly what you told them not to. Well, it seems that not a single adult in Poisonfoot, Texas knows that, because everyone kept telling Lou and Cooper to keep away from each other, but everyone refused to tell them - and us - why. So guess what happened? Yeah, you got that right. So what was the love between them like? To be honest, I've read better chemistry, but I like Cooper so much, I will concede that his love is sweet.

Now about all that tension I mentioned earlier. Trust me, it's there. This book has everything: ghosts, curses, weirdos, magic, and a very creepy town filled with some real odd-ball people. All of it builds up to a whopper of an ending. To be honest, I thought I had the book sussed out: I knew who the good guys were and the bad, and I had the mystery solved until BLAM . . . the ending. I just did not see it coming. Well done, Sierra Dean. You had me biting my nails and then crying out in horror at the outcome. It is a long time since that has happened to me with a book.

So Autumn  . . . would I recommend it?  It's definitely intriguing - well worth a spending an afternoon with. Number of stars: Because of my rocky start with Lou, I will say three.

By the way, I got this book for free of Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cheers
Gwynn

Outcast by Adrienne Kress

I was looking for something new and fresh when I requested Outcast (Goodreads) off Netgalley. I'm delighted to say that the book delivered on every level. And look at that cover. Isn't it great?  

In Outcast, we meet Riley, our socially awkward, hyper-intelligent heroine who has recently lost her best friend/almost boyfriend Chris to kidnapping angels. Or that's what the whole town - whipped into a fervour of angel worship by the local pastor - likes to believe happened. Once a year, for the last six years, angel-like beings have swept down from the sky, swooped into town, and carried off the young and healthy at an event the townspeople call the Taking. Chris fell victim last year and Riley still isn't over it yet.

Now, with a new Taking looming, she's in no mood for angels. So when one arrives in her backyard, looking to kidnap her, she does what any self-respecting Southern girls would do - she blasts it in the face with a shotgun. So far so good. Only when the dust settles, it isn't an angel lying at her feet but a very hot, very naked young guy named Gabe. After an understandably rocky start, Riley and Gabe set off to solve the mystery of the angels. Along the way, they also discover romance. Gabe, with all his worldly experience, meets his match with the very insecure Riley. I thrilled at their love. It was perfect. Not too fast. not too slow. Beautifully sketched with a totally unexpected twist at the end.

The Characters

They are delightful. I so enjoyed being in Riley's head and could read many more books with her as a narrator. She is so dry, so wise, so sharp, and so awkward, all at the same time. And Gabe? He's the perfect bad good guy. He successfully charmed every girl in town - including me (I took up residence for the duration of the book) The minor characters also step off the page. The pastor who control the town with his angel fever is exactly what you'd imagine such a person to be. Fantastic.

The Angels

While Adrienne Kress's angel-lore is very different to my own personal angel theology, it's well thought out and had me convinced for the duration of her story. What more can an author ask for? Whether I still see Archangels in such a poor light, I'm not so sure . . .  But that's why we read, isn't it? To explore other ideas and to enjoy other possibilities.

Sex and Language

There is some bad language, but it's pretty innocuous.  Although Gabe spends the first chapter naked, there is nothing steamy in this book. It's a fantasy I would happily let my kids read. So if you're looking for a fun read, this is it. I ripped through it in a day, lapping up every moment of the action.

Stars

Four shiny angels with gleaming gold wings.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read it.

Cheers

Gwynn

Ender's World edited by Orson Scott Card

Have you ever heard the rather disparaging English (as in UK) phrase 'to be an Anorak'? 

No.

I didn't think so, seeing as most of my readers come from the USA and Russia. So let me explain:

An anorak is a person - usually male - who, while dressed in an anorak to protect him from the foul English weather, spends all his spare time sitting at the end of the runway at his local airport watching and noting - in painstaking detail - the comings and goings of all the airplanes. He then tells his friends (those who still have friends) about his finds, quoting registration numbers, engine types and each flight's punctuality. A thoroughly anal activity. 

I share this with you because I'm an Ender's Game Anorak. (Review here)

I have to be. I mean who else would have squealed with delight on seeing a book with the word Ender in the title on Netgalley? And then, without bothering to read what it was about pounced on the mouse, clicked the request button, said a quick prayer that I'd be approved, all in less time than it takes most people to sneeze. At that point I started reaching for my Anorak.

But the final confirmation of my Anorak status came when I downloaded the ARC of Ender's World (Amazon) onto my Kindle. It was only then that I discovered to my absolute delight that it's actually a book of essays about Ender and his world written by . . .  yes, you guessed it! Other Ender Anoraks!

How fantastic is that! A whole book devoted to reading about how amazing Ender Wiggin is, what a natural born leader he is, how he fits into the Jungian hero mold, all the while being the classic Hero With A Thousand Faces. There is even a chapter extolling the value of him being short! Did you know most successful people are below average height? I didn't either.

Finally, if that wasn't enough magic, there are also pages and pages devoted to genuine Q&A with Orson Scott Card. For an Anorka, what could be more amazing than getting into OSC's mind, seeing his motivations and the depth of his knowledge of his Enderverse?

Enderverse - I love that word!

And you know what else, if that had been all this book was about, I would have been a very satisfied reader.

But there was more. A lot more. As a writer, I learned so much as the contributing authors - bestsellers in their own rights like Neal Shusterman, Janis Ian and Aaron Johnston - dissected Ender's Game, exposing the nuances of OSC writing. For me, this was a real bonus. If you're a writer - even if you don't write Sci-Fi - it will be well worthwhile reading this book, because you will come away with a new set of insights into our art.

So how many stars? 

Definitely four! I loved it and am grateful to the publisher for giving me the ARC to review. So to my fellow Anoraks out there, Ender's World is not to be missed.

cheers
Gwynn

Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

I really enjoyed Katie McGarry's first book Pushing The Limits (Goodreads),  so when I saw Dare You To (Goodreads) on Netgalley I had to request a copy. Thanks to Harlequin Teen for the opportunity to read it. It certainly did not disappoint and I'm now aching to read Crash into You (Goodreads), the next in the PTL series. (This is Isaiah moment in the sun!)

In Pushing The Limits we're introduced to Beth, a hardcore tough girl with drug problems and trust issues. To be honest, I didn't like her much, but not having had the easiest teen years myself, I understand it's often the most vulnerable kids who use the toughest shells to protect themselves. Beth definitely fits into this category.

Once a beautiful little blonde angel who loved pink ribbons, she now hides behind the F-word (strings of them), dyed black hair, and ripped clothes that reveal more than they cover. Her idea of a hot night out is smoking pot with her best friend Isaiah. On the face of it, she's definitely the kind of girl my mother tried to warn me against. Hell, she's the kind of girl I now warn my own kids about. 

But that is not all there is to Beth. Underneath all that venom, hate and insecurity, she's loyal (to a fault), brave and has heart the size of a house. Her entire existence revolves around protecting her mother from a particularly foul, abusive boyfriend. Beth will trade anything - including her own life if necessary - for her mother. It's due to that obsessive loyalty that Beth's uncle Scott rips her away from her mom, taking her to live with him. Like all defiant teenagers Beth spends the rest of the novel trying to get back. Of course, Beth doesn't see any of these amazing attributes in herself. As far as she's concerned, she's a total failure - a loser of note. It took Ryan to get her to see her worth and to clean up her act.

Ryan! What a great guy. He really grew on me, developing from a fairly shallow teen hottie to a man who is prepared to stand for what he believes. I really liked his character development. He too lives a double life. As far as everyone knows, he's Mr Perfect, the town golden boy headed to the baseball majors after high school. Little do they know he's carrying his own secret burdens. I so enjoyed watching him grapple with his issues, finally stepping up to the plate to claim his own life.

He and Beth meet over a dare - hence the name of the book. What follows is a roller coaster ride of a love story. Katie McGarry - the queen of teenage angst - definitely knows how to get the reader's toes tingling as she builds the romantic tension between her characters. 

But if Dare You To had just been a hot romance it would not have hit it with me. Like PTL, there is so much more to this story. McGarry spares no punches as she takes us deep into the heart of Beth's sordid past with her mother. Be warned, this book has it all: teen sex, homosexuality, homophobia, drugs, violence, bad language, teen drinking and prostitution. Meaty concepts for Young Adult, so this is definitely more of a New Adult read, but the book would be a lesser story without them. Each of these add a necessary layer, helping the characters grow, developing a believable love without the slightest taint of the insta-variety so common in YA fiction. 

One of the best parts of the story was watching the 'true' Beth emerge from her dark shell. That was truly heart-warming, proving yet again that we should not make snap judgements about people until we truly understand what drives them. 

So if you love gritty romances with great characters and a heart-stopping plot, you cannot miss Dare You To.

My only real criticisms relate to the writing style. At times I found it a bit disjointed, with strange jumps that pulled me out the story and left me wondering what was going on. It could be that the problems were just in the ARC and that they have been sorted out. I certainly hope so, because it was enough to rob the book of a star.

So talking of stars . . . how many? Four tingling heart throbs.

Cheers
Gwynn