Review: Avenged

Ruined: Avenged | Amy Tintera

Published by: HarperTeen, May 2nd 2017

Genre: YA, High Fantasy, Magic

Pages: 416

Format: Ebook

Source: HarperTeen, via Edelweiss

In the sequel to Ruined, the romance of The Selection and the epic stakes of Red Queen come together in a story of revenge, adventure, and unexpected love.

Emelina Flores has come home to Ruina. After rescuing her sister Olivia from imprisonment in rival kingdom Lera, Em and Olivia together vow to rebuild Ruina to its former glory. 

But their fight has only begun. Olivia is determined to destroy everyone who acts against Ruina, but Em isn’t as sure. Ever since Em posed as Prince Casimir’s betrothed in Lera, she’s started to see another side to this war. And now that Cas has taken the throne, Em believes a truce is within reach. But Olivia suspects that Em’s romantic feelings for Cas are just coloring her judgement.

Em is determined to bring peace to her home. But when winning the war could mean betraying her family, Em faces an impossible choice between loyalty and love. Em must stay one step ahead of her enemies—and her blood—before she’s the next victim in this battle for sovereignty.

These books are INTENSE. After reading quite a few sequels in the past year that were nowhere near as good as the first book, I was really worried about Avenged I loved Em and Cas SO MUCH in Ruined and I didn't want their story to decline, but I needn't have worried. This book is every bit as tense and dangerous and romantic as the first book. I only have a few thoughts about this book (I mostly have feeeeelings) so I'll list them here: -Olivia is TERRIFYING. Scariest non-villain villain in a book I've read. It's more unsettling because she means well, and every person she murders is for the good of her people. But her complete lack of feeling when she murders entire groups of people? Terrifying -Aren, poor, tortured Aren. Confession: going into this book, I could not remember Aren at all, but he came into himself as a character in this book and I loved him. I can't wait to see how he handles his evolving power and that ending. -The supporting characters make this book so much stronger. Noble guard Galo and his boyfriend. Newcomer Violet, another strong female character. Iria, conflicted warrior and all-around great person. August, pain in the ass (but he did up the tension so I guess he has some purpose as a human being, though I'm really struggling for something nice to say.) This is just such a good book, and every bit as scary and heartfelt as Ruined, just on a bigger and more exciting scale and with more conflict and heartache for Em. I'm so happy this sequel was strong!

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world ★★★★☆

Writing ★★★☆☆

Review: A Closed & Common Orbit

Wayfarers: A Closed & Common Orbit | Becky Chambers

Published by: Harper Voyager, March 14th 2017

Genre: Science Fiction, Space

Pages: 464

Format: Ebook

Source: Harper Voyager, via Edelweiss

Lovelace was once merely a ship's artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in an new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who's determined to help her learn and grow.

Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet introduced readers to the incredible world of Rosemary Harper, a young woman with a restless soul and secrets to keep. When she joined the crew of the Wayfarer, an intergalactic ship, she got more than she bargained for - and learned to live with, and love, her rag-tag collection of crewmates.

A Closed and Common Orbit is the stand-alone sequel to Becky Chambers' beloved debut novel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and is perfect for fans of Firefly, Joss Whedon, Mass Effect and Star Wars.

I didn't love QUITE this as much as The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet, but until I finished A Closed & Common Orbit, I didn't realise just how much I loved THIS book. It's one of those slow, quiet, full-of-heart books that sneaks up on you. The best thing about these books are the characters. They're so real and compelling and full of so many complexities and emotion and tragedy that it's impossible not to fall hard in love with them. I reaaally like the main characters, Pepper and Sidra, but my favourite has to be Blue, my precious stuttering, compassionate, thoughtful, totally endearing bae. I love him so much. Now here's a list of things this book does SO WELL: -Blue struggles with speech, and it's never once mocked or written as anything other than an accepted part of him. This means a whole lot to me. -Pepper (as Jane) is abused, and a huge part of this book is dedicated to recovering from it. It's not quick, and it's not easy, and it's ugly in parts. -Sidra, an A.I. is seen as a thing by most people, not a person, but her autonomy and her struggles with self-identity and discovery were handled so well. It's also nice to see characters realising they've been prejudiced in their past (about A.I.s) and changing their way of thinking (not without great effort too.) It's not easy to change the way you've always thought of something, and I appreciated this element of the book. -Tak, who changes between female and male genders, and whose pronouns change (and are USED accordingly by EVERYONE and it's not A BIG DEAL to make that little change.) -A gender neutral pronoun. This was just really nice. Really, really nice. Xyr/Xe used by pretty much everyone in the whole of space to refer to both people who don't want to use he or she, and also when someone's not sure of a person's gender. Really nice. Well done, book. Look, I love these books. Some books are forgettable and some stay with you - this is the latter. Perfect world building and alien species, welcome representation of different genders, sexualities, and abilities - and characters that feel less like characters than people who really exist.

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★☆

Review: Hellblazer, Volume One

Hellblazer: Volume One: The Poison Truth | Simon Oliver, Moriat, Andre Syzmanowicz

Published by: DC Comics, April 4th 2017

Genre: Science Fiction, Superheroes

Pages: 168

Format: Ebook

Source: DC Comics, via Netgalley

John Constantine, the hard-hearted Hellblazer returns home to London to face an impossible choice: live an immortal life bonded to a demonic curse, or shift that curse to eight million people--killing each and every one of them! What to do, what to do... 

The Hellblazer is back in the first volume of the continued story of one of DC's most iconic and long-lasting characters by writer Simon Oliver (FBP) with art by Moriat (The Spirit).

Collecting: Hellblazer 1-6

I bloody love how British this is. Plus. the fantasy element is cool, I love the introduction of Djinn (Can't wait to see where that goes!) and the secondary characters are so damn compelling. Mercury is bae. Perfect setting, perfect little shit Constantine, perfect amount of action. I like the art too! There's nothing I don't like about this.

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world ★★★★☆

Writing ★★★★★

11 Overdue Reads

Everyone has a mountain of unread books, right? I have a bookcase full, a separate tower-stack, a whole other shelf - and a kindle with HUNDREDS of unread books on it. It was kinda hard to narrow down this list... (I stuck to physical books I own.)

Icons was one of my fave books ever, Have I read the sequel yet? I have not.

I hear this is epic and I have been dying to read it for years. One day I will.

Again, adored the first book, haven't read the sequel. These duologies kill me - two books can never be enough! I don't want to be disappointed. For that matter see Until The Beginning by Amy Plum, another sequel I haven't read even though I LOVE the first in series.

Yeah, I have no excuse for not reading this. Need to get my ass in gear!

This has been on my shelf for A YEAR and I haven't read it. What is wrong with me???

Historical fantasy set in SCOTLAND???? AKA one of my favourite places (Edinburgh owns my soul) and I STILL haven't read it yet? Come on, Saruuh.

I know I will love this book. Why is it still unread? Whyyyyy?

More sci-fi from a female author! I need to get on this immediately. (I've owned this for a reaaally long time, oops.)

Read a sample, fell in love, bought the hardcover, never read it. I have no excuse.

Cassie and Holly co-authoring a book? YES. Read it right now, self!

Kiersten White, AKA my fave, and mythology, AKA my fave. It should be on a READ SHELF.

Review: Batgirl, Beyond Burnside

Batgirl: Volume One: Beyond Burnside | Hope Larson, Raphael Albuquerque

Published by: DC Comics, March 28th 2017

Genre: Science Fiction, Superheroes

Pages: 128

Format: Ebook

Source: DC Comics, via Netgalley

A part of DC Universe: Rebirth!

Barbara Gordon looks to add a new bullet point to her already impressive Batgirl resume: travel agent. Having just (barely!) survived the Battle of Burnside and verging on an Arkham-worthy breakdown, the star pulls a Kerouac and gets on the road to find herself.

Follow Babs on her worldwide quest in Batgirl, Volume 1: Beyond Burnside, with New York Times best-selling author Hope Larson and award-winning artist Raphael Albuquerque leading the way!

Collecting: Batgirl 1-6 

Ehh, I didn't mind this but it had no spark for me. I wasn't fussed on the story, and the romance was just thrown in and I never connected to it. Also the art is not my kinda style. But Beyond Burnside isn't bad - it's perfectly good. Just not really for me.

Characters ★★☆☆☆

Setting/world ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★☆☆

Review: The Hunted

Hunted | Meagan Spooner

Published by: Harper Teen, March 14th 2017

Genre: Fantasy, Retellings, Fairy Tales, Magic

Pages: 352

Format: Ebook

Source: HarperTeen, via Edelweiss

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them. 

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. 

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

A perfect, delicate blend of Russian folklore, Beauty+The Beast, and an altogether new kind of magic.

I can't rave about this book enough. The setting is vast and detailed and so well built from the very beginning. The relationships between Yeva and her family, winding through the whole book, works so well with the dangerous, seductive, heartfelt story of Beast and Yeva. I just love everything - the magic, the tragedy, the heartbreak lying just under the surface, the huntress Beauty, the tormented Beast, the slow-burn liking to slow-burn love. This book is pure magic. I want to read it all over again.

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★★