Review: Flame In The Mist

Flame In The Mist: Flame In The Mist  | Renee Ahdieh

Published by: Hodder&Stoughton, May 18th 2017

Genre: Fantasy, Diverse

Pages: 400

Format: Ebook

Source: Hodder&Stoughton, via Netgalley

The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family's standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.

Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the ranks of the Black Clan, determined to track down the person responsible for the target on her back. But she's quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command, his best friend Okami. Still believing her to be a boy, Ranmaru and Okami eventually warm to Mariko, impressed by her intellect and ingenuity. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she's ever known.

I have to admit, I wasn't sure about this at first. Okami and Ranmaru are pretty horrible to Mariko (and even though they think she's a boy, drugging and hitting and abducting her is Not Okay) and it was my worst nightmare that Mariko and Ranmaru would end up as a couple when he'd hit her. But that wasn't a thing, thankfully, and I did end up loving the romantic interest, Okami, my sad tortured liar.

It's pretty slow paced, but I still enjoyed it because of Mariko's fearlessness and her drive to find out why the Black Clan want her dead. Plus it picks up toward the end and there's one hell of a plot twist which is always fun. I also love the trope of Mariko appearing as male to infiltrate a gang, and this book did it so well. And it doesn't shy away from the reasons Mariko wouldn't be safe to do so appearing female, and it's scathing and fierce as hell. Feminist AF. I really do love this book.

A rich, romantic fantasy with a heroine on a mission to find the truth, Flame In The Mist shines an unforgiving light on gender roles and the patriarchy. Eagerly awaiting book 2!

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★★

Review: Caraval

Caraval: Caraval | Stephanie Garber

Published by: Hodder & Stoughton, January 31st 2017

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Pages: 416

Format: Ebook

Source: Hodden & Stoughton, via Netgalley

Whatever you've heard about Caraval, it doesn't compare to the reality. It's more than just a game or a performance. It's the closest you'll ever find to magic in this world . . . 

Welcome, welcome to Caraval―Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

Ehhh, 4.5 ish. Still not sure, but I'll settle on that.

I really, really liked it, and I loved some parts (that it read like real magic instead of those competition style plots I hate) and I liked the bickery romance between Scarlet and Julian. But I never really clicked into ADORING THIS in the emotional way that makes me obsessed, and that's just a personal thing. But here's what you need to know about Caraval:

- It's very clever. It just feels clever when you're reading it. Like, Legend (ringleader, manipulator, trickster, whatever he is) is clever and deceptive but the book itself feels the same, so you're never sure what's true and what's imagined. It's almost psychological thriller in that sense.

- Scarlet is my favourite kind of character. She starts off very reserved, quiet, scared to break rules (and with damn good reason) but throughout the game she realises her own power and that people ought to be afraid of her too. By the end she's capable, instead of timid and reluctant, and she's pretty damn kickass. But she's very nurturing and loving and emotional under it and I love that. She doesn't become the typically masculine type of strong. She just becomes the best version of herself.

- The story is as imaginative and mysterious and secretive as all the best books. Some twists you will see coming, some secrets you will guess, but most you will guess wrong (As I did. Twice.)

- The ending is the cleverest, most secretive and cunning of the whole book. You sneaky sneak, Caraval.

- It's fast, it's (I will not say furious, I will not say furious) DANGEROUS, seductive as hell, and the beating heart of the book is the love of one girl for her sister. I want to see more of some characters (hi Dante) and I expect the sequel will be even better. Can't wait to read it! 

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world ★★★★★

Writing ★★★☆☆

The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet (ARC Review)

The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet | Becky Chambers

Published by: Hodder & Stoughton, August 13th 2015

Genre: Adult, Science Fiction, Space, Aliens

Pages: 404

Format: Ebook

Source: Hodder & Stoughton, via Netgalley

Somewhere within our crowded sky, a crew of wormhole builders hops from planet to planet, on their way to the job of a lifetime. To the galaxy at large, humanity is a minor species, and one patched-up construction vessel is a mere speck on the starchart. This is an everyday sort of ship, just trying to get from here to there. 

But all voyages leave their mark, and even the most ordinary of people have stories worth telling. A young Martian woman, hoping the vastness of space will put some distance between herself and the life she‘s left behind. An alien pilot, navigating life without her own kind. A pacifist captain, awaiting the return of a loved one at war. 

Set against a backdrop of curious cultures and distant worlds, this episodic tale weaves together the adventures of nine eclectic characters, each on a journey of their own.

The Long Way... was a total impulse read for me. I wanted something sci-fi and spacey and I was hooked by the blurb. Reading it, though, I expected to like it. I turned out to adore it (spoiler: I immediately pre-ordered it upon finishing it - that's how much I loved it.)

The first thing that impressed me was the representation in this book. You have rep of different genders, sexuality (a f/f cross-species relationship!!), a bunch of people of colour, and the use of gender neutral pronouns. This book has it all, and I can easily recommend it based on that alone, but representation isn't all it has.

This book is so, so unique. It's a totally new take on aliens, with every species and culture being different and identifiable - it's clear the author put a LOT of thought into it. Every character had a story, a life - nobody was one dimension, even background characters. It's detailed without being info-dump-y and passion shows on every page. The relationships in this book are new and strange and heartfelt and a little heartbreaking (I mean, I cried over an A.I.) It was a little slow at the beginning, but oddly enough it didn't matter because it gave plenty of time to get to know the characters and the world and the ship and species.

A fascinating, impressive sci-fi novel I'm not likely to ever forget, with characters you care about as if they were real people and an emotional devastating end that sneaks up on you.

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★☆

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Witch Hunter (ARC Review)

The Witch Hunter: Witch Hunter | Virginia Boecker

Published by: Hodder & Stoughton, September 1st 2015

Genre: YA, Historical (sorta), Fantasy, Witches

Pages: 409

Format: Ebook

Source: Hodder & Stoughton, via Netgalley

Witches, watch out... Half Bad meets Kill Bill in this incredible new supernatural series.

Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Grey doesn't look dangerous. A tiny, blonde, wisp of a girl shouldn't know how to poison a wizard and make it look like an accident. Or take out ten necromancers with a single sword and a bag of salt. Or kill a man using only her thumb. But things are not always as they appear. Elizabeth is one of the best witch hunters in Anglia and a member of the king's elite guard, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and bringing those who practice it to justice. And in Anglia, the price of justice is high: death by burning.

When Elizabeth is accused of being a witch herself, she's arrested and thrown in prison. The king declares her a traitor and her life is all but forfeit. With just hours before she's to die at the stake, Elizabeth gets a visitor - Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful wizard in Anglia. He offers her a deal: he will free her from prison and save her from execution if she will track down the wizard who laid a deadly curse on him.

As Elizabeth uncovers the horrifying facts about Nicholas's curse and the unwitting role she played in its creation, she is forced to redefine the differences between right and wrong, friends and enemies, love and hate... and life and death.

The first book in an incredible new series set in a fantastical medieval world.

This book has been compared to Graceling, Game of Thrones, Kill Bill, Half Bad, and the novels of both Sarah J. Maas and Holly Black. Basically, the comparisons need to chill. I understand the usefulness of them, and have found many a great book because of a comparison, but SIX for one book?

This book is awesome and can stand apart from (and above most of) the comparisons. Set in a fantasy version of England, Witch Hunter introduces us to a world where witches are persecuted and witch hunters work for the Inquisitor, a real nasty weasel called Blackwell - who has his own agenda for wanting wizards killed (and a serious plot twist that is!) I loved the world of Witch Hunter instantly. I've read a lot of witch books and none of them really caught my interest as much as this, and once I was fully absorbed in the story I was flying through the pages and unable to stop reading.

The unique world forms the basis of this story, but the characters really carry it. I ended up loving Elizabeth way more than I first expected, and I fell head over heels for John. Another thing this book does is it introduces a female as the bitchy, jealous rival and then COMPLETELY CHANGES THAT by throwing them together and making them friends. Thank you, Witch Hunter, for this female friendship. And don't even get me started on the romance between John and Elizabeth, the slowest of slow burns that had me wanting to push their faces together and shout JUST KISS.

I loved literally everything about this book - the gradual romance, the stand out characters, the vivid world and its dark secrets. I need the next book immediately.

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world-building ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★☆

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