Book Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #4
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages: 656
Goodreads

Sarah J. Maas's New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series reaches new heights in this sweeping fourth volume.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her.  But she's at last returned to the empire - for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again.  She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison.  And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena's epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe.  This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena's story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter the world.

Book Review: All Fall Down by Ally Carter

All Fall Down
by Ally Carter
Series: Embassy Row
Publication: Scholastic Press on January 20, 2015
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Adventure, Espionage

Jacket copy:

Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:

1. She is not crazy

2. Her mother was murdered

3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.

As certain as Grace is about these facts, nobody else believes her - so there's no one she can completely trust.  Not her grandfather, a powerful ambassador.  Not her new friends, who all live on Embassy Row.  Not Alexei, the Russian boy next door, who is keeping his eye on Grace for reasons she neither likes nor understands.

Everybody wants Grace to put on a pretty dress and a pretty smile, blocking out all her unpretty thoughts.  But they can't control Grace - no more than Grace can control what she knows or what she needs to do.  Her past has come back to hunt her . . . and if she doesn't stop it, Grace isn't the only one who will get hurt.  Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down.

Okay.  Confession time: I'm pretty much the only person in the world who hasn't read Ally Carter's other popular series (the Gallagher Girls, the Heist Society, etc.).  (Sorry, I'm terrible, right?)  Anyway, All Fall Down was my first taste of this author's writing . . . and it was a pretty good taste!

All Fall Down is considered YA, but it was definitely on the more juvenile side of the genre.  However, I immediately loved the book for this one, tiny little reason: the setting.  Grace lives on Embassy Row among the powers of the world.  I mean, Russia's next door.  Germany, France, China, Israel, Brazil?  Just a walk away.  Ally Carter is brilliant for thinking up such a setting.  I've never read about anything like Embassy Row before, so definite props to the author for earning that hard-to-get creativity factor.

So, I entered the book with my expectations high.  (I mean, awesome setting = awesome story, right?)  Well, in all honesty, I thought the author could have done so much more with the story.  A good portion of the book just felt stagnant, and though the book claims ACTION! ADVENTURE! MYSTERY! it really wasn't all that interesting until the reader neared the end.

I wanted to love the main character, Grace, but she was a bit on the annoying side.  Though I do admire her perseverance and her drive, it became a bit too much at times.  What drove Grace's actions throughout the story was her adamant, unwavering belief that "The Scarred-Face Man" killed her mother a couple years back.  And spoiler alert! (not really) basically the entire storyline is Grace embarrassing herself in public as she pursues this "Scarred-Face Man."

In All Fall Down we were only given glimpses at the multitude of characters living on Embassy Row.  There's Alexei, friend of Grace's older brother, the Russian boy next door.  There's Noah, the half Israeli half Brazilian boy down the street who claims the title of Grace's best friend (quite literally).  There's little, unassuming, gymnast Rosie.  And there's of course, Grace.  Honestly, there wasn't a whole lot of character development to this first installment, but I'm sure we'll be able to get past the acquaintance stage in the Embassy Row books to follow.  I'm excited to get to fall in love with all of these full-of-personality characters.

All Fall Down was an appetizer, appeasing to the reader's taste, but its main purpose was for setting up the main course.  Ally Carter was able to leave off on a high note, and I have no doubt that with each Embassy Row book released, the storyline will continue to grow better and better.

Frostfire (Kanin Chronicles #1) - Amanda Hocking

Frostfire

by Amanda Hocking

Series: Kanin Chronicles (#1)

Publication: St. Martin's Griffin on January 6, 2015

Format: Paperback, 321 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance

Jacket copy:

Bryn Aven has never fit into Kanin society.  Her blond hair and blue eyes set her apart as an outsider - a half-blood unable to hold a respectable rank.  But she's determined to prove herself as a loyal protector of the kingdom she loves.  her dream is to become a member of the King's elite guard, and she's not going to let anything stand in her way . . . not even her growing feelings for her boss, Ridley Dresden.  A relationship between them is strictly forbidden, but Bryn can't fight her attraction to him.  And she's beginning to think he feels it, too.

Meanwhile, there's an attack on the kingdom - one that will test Bryn's strength like never before.  Finally, she has the chance to confront Konstantin Black, the traitor who tried to kill her father years ago.  It's up to Bryn to put a stop to him before he strikes again.  But is she willing to risk everything to protect a kingdom that doesn't accept her for who she really is?  And when her mission brings her closer to Ridley, will she be able to deny her heart?

So, after hearing quite a lot about this book and seeing it on multiple reading lists, I decided to get my own copy at Barnes & Noble the other day.  I think what really allured me into buying it (well, actually my mom bought it for me - thanks, mom!) was the gorgeous cover.  I'm sorry, I know how the saying goes, but I'm a sucker for pretty covers . . . we all are.  

At first, diving into the realm of Kanin was a bit confusing for me.  Only after reading the book did I find out it was a spin off of Amanda Hocking's popular Trylle Trilogy.  Unfortunately, I never read the series, and so it took me some time to get used to the storyline and setting.  However, I made a stop at the library today and just so happened to come across the entire trilogy - all three books in one!  I had to check it out.

After getting used to Kanin and the vocabulary that came along with it (changelings, Skojare, Omte, Vittra, etc.) I tried to focus on the storyline, but I didn't feel as if there really was one.  I mean, Bryn, the main character, spends the majority of the storyline hunting down the mysterious character Konstantin Black, who attempted to murder her father a few years back.  However, the reader never really gets to find out the driving force behind Konstantin's actions.  I suppose the reason will be slowly unraveled over the course of the series, but I feel as if Frostfire didn't have enough content in it.  When I flipped to the final page of the book, I couldn't believe it!  I thought for sure something would happen.  I felt as if there were no climax or ending.

Besides the mystery of Konstantin Black, another main storyline that runs throughout is the relationship between Bryn and Bryn's love interest, Ridley Dresden.  Again, this was another area of the book that I felt was missing content.  Ridley came across to the reader as an interesting character, however, the reader never had the chance to really fall in love with him with Bryn.  I hope that in the following books of the Kanin Chronicles, the author will further develop not only her storyline, but also her characters more.

Even still, with the lacking portions of the book accounted for, the main plot interested me as it was different and new.  And so, even though Frostfire did not live up to my standards as a book, I will give the world of Kanin another chance.  I plan to read the next installment in the series, and hopefully, I, as a reader, will receive more out of the chronicles.  Perhaps I was unable to fully immerse myself in Frostfire since I did not previously read the Trylle Trilogy.  Although, once I finish the trilogy, I will be sure to write a review on the blog to share how it went.

Frostfire wasn't all disappointing, and for that reason, I believe it deserves a peach rating of three.