Review: Legacy by Cayla Kluver

Legacy by Cayla Kluver

Paperback, 496 pages

Published June 28th 2011 by HarlequinTeen
Source: Purchased
Buy the book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

I noticed his eyes. They were blue, sharp and intense. Despite the youthful glows of his suntanned face, his eyes were cold and unfriendly, suggesting he had great experience in the world and was now expecting the worst.
In her seventeenth year, Princess Alera of Hytanica faces one duty: to marry the man who will be king. But her father's choice of suitor fills her with despair.
When the palace guard captures and intruder— a boy her age with steel-blue eyes, hailing from her kingdom's greatest enemy— Alera is alarmed… and intrigued. But she could not have guessed that their clandestine meetings would unveil the dark legacy shadowing both their lands.
In this mystical world of court conspiracies and blood magic, loyalties will be tested. Courage won't be enough. And as the battle begins for everything Alera holds dear, love may be the downfall of a kingdom.

I have to admit, the hype for this book got to me. That's why I snatched it up a week before its release when I found it at Books-A-Million. The premise really intrigued me, but it didn't really hold up to the hype.
The story itself I loved, but the author's attention to detail really slowed it down to barely a crawl. I like the fact that a lot of background history is given, but stating a character's every miniscule move is a bit too far. The reader does get true look at the people and society of this world, but for many this depth is detrimental. I found myself flipping through pages just to see when the next conversation started. If a lot of this had been cut out, I feel I would have enjoyed the characters more.
Alera is a strong-minded woman in a society era that extremely hinders such beings. This personality trait made her very easy to relate to for me. The men in her life? Now that is another non-interesting storyline to get into with this book. It should have taken a larger front and the book may have been better. It was not to be though and it felt really like "deejay-vu" due to the premise. The man she is supposed to marry is an a$$ and the man she wants is a member of opposite forces (yes, just a liiiittle cliche). Unfortunately, the only man that held any true interest for me was her bodyguard. He actually had depth and characteristics that I looked forward to. Well, he is not in a majority of the book and that made the wait between scenes horrid. Even worse, he has the most potential for Alera, but circumstances arise and that door is slammed shut. That is where this book lost me almost entirely. The book itself is something to be desired, but it did hold out long enough for me to want to read the second one. We'll see where that took me in my next review post!

Waiting on Wednesday - June 27, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To join in, share the book or books that you are currently drooling over as you await their release and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. The gorgeous badge above is brought to us by Lindsay at The Violet Hour!

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Hardcover, 336 pages

Expected publication: January 22nd 2013 by Hyperion

 From Goodreads:

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous—it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

 This one absolutely is right up my alley. First, it is written by Victoria Schwab who brought us the amazing writing prose of The Near Witch. Second, the premise of libraries and the dead...love. it. I can't wait to dive back into Victoria's amazing writing about two concepts that fascinate me. ;)

Review: The Wood Queen by Karen Mahoney

The Wood Queen by Karen Mahoney

Paperback, 321 pages

Published: February 8th 2012 by Flux
Source: Purchased
Buy the book:  Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

Donna Underwood is in deep trouble.An ancient alchemical order is holding her accountable for destroying the last precious drops of the elixar of life. Never mind the fact that Donna was acting to free her friend, Navin, from the dangerous clutches of the Wood Queen at the time. But what the alchemists have in store is nothing compared to the wrath of the fey. The Wood Queen has been tricked and Donna must pay. Get ready for all hell - quite literally - to break loose...

I couldn't wait for this book, but unfortunately by the time I looked up from my class books I realized I had already missed its release. Well, it was worth the wait and the guilt.

The story picks up exactly where The Iron Witch left off. I wouldn't recommend trying to read this book before it for that reason. Unfortunately, this installment doesn't see a better end for Donna in many ways. Secrets stack up on secrets and it eventually becomes too much even for Donna. The result: a quick road to Hell, in the truest sense possible. Of course, Donna is blamed, but if the other characters had given just a little faith it could have had better results all the way around. A couple of these indiscretions really caused the book to slow and that contributed to the minus one sticky.

Another contribution is the love-interest/relationship aspects of this book. I do love me some love triangle stuff, but this one gets a little silly at times. We get to see all of them grow up in this book, but there is still a lot left for them to do. I was also happy to finally get to know a couple of other key characters that only received cameos in the first book. To say much more would definitely give too much away and the only way to know what I am talking about is to read the books. It is a great series and I look forward to the finale!

Waiting on Wednesday - May 16, 2012

 Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To join in, share the book or books that you are currently drooling over as you await their release and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. The gorgeous badge above is brought to us by Lindsay at The Violet Hour!

Hey there, friends! My picks this week are from authors that I absolutely love to read. Either one of these wonderful ladies could re-write the phone book and I would buy it. Both write beautifully and I am sure these will be the page-turners like their predecessors.

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa 
Paperback

Expected publication: October 23rd 2012 by Harlequin Teen

From Goodreads:

Set several years after the events of the first, this trilogy will star an older Ethan Chase, Meghan's brother.

Julie's new series stars Ethan, Meghan Chase's younger brother. We barely got a glimpse of him in The Iron Fey series and now we get to dive in head first into his mind.
The cover kind of ....shocked...me  for a YA book. LOL It's a little daring compared to others, but I concluded it to be perfect after reading the first few pages of the story from an exert in The Iron Knight.  This is a world I wish I could live in and I am so thankful for the chance to revisit it. I can't wait to see where Ethan's adventures take us and to hopefully see cameos of some old friends. ;)

 

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Hardcover, 416 pages

Expected publication: September 18th 2012 by Scholastic Press

From Goodreads:
“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

The synopsis alone on this one says it all. Since it is a Stiefvater book, we can be almost guaranteed amazing characters and intriguing plot lines that will steal our hearts.

Waiting on Wednesday - May 9, 2012

 Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To join in, share the book or books that you are currently drooling over as you await their release and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. The gorgeous badge above is brought to us by Lindsay at The Violet Hour!

This week I bring you a couple of books I am excited about. The first, Covet, is the second book in "The Clann" series by Melissa Darnell. The first book, Crave, was one of my first NetGalley books and I applied for it on a whim actually. I was pleasantly surprised by it, because I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was. I hope that the series continues to get better. Also, I adore the covers on these books. Simply amazing.
The other book is from a series I have yet to start. I've only managed to read the first chapter of  The Faerie Ring due to classes and other books taking priority. That's all it took for me and I am itching to get back to it. I may hold off on finishing it so I can snatch The Torn Wing up right when I finish it! 


Covet by Melissa

Paperback, 304 pages

Expected publication: September 25th 2012 by Harlequin Teen

From Amazon:

Dangerous to be together. Painful to be apart.
Savannah Colbert knows she broke up with Tristan Coleman for the right reasons. Most of all, to keep from killing him with her new vampire abilities. But try telling her heart. Now, lost in a sea of hostile Clann faces, Sav tries to come to terms with what she's becoming and what that means for her future. And that someone is doing their best to bully her into making a terrible mistake.
Tristan can't believe Sav won't even talk to him. If being apart is her decision, fine. Just don't expect him to honor it. But even as he prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for.
A reckoning is coming...and not everyone will survive.

 prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for.
A reckoning is coming...and not everyone will survive.
prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for.
A reckoning is coming...and not everyone will survive. prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for.
A reckoning is coming...and not everyone will survive. prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for.
A reckoning is coming...and not everyone will survive.
prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for.
A reckoning is coming...and not everyone will survive.

THE CLANN
"A spellbinding, compelling and completely enjoyable debut." -Electrifying Reviews blog on Crave
"Crave is such a refreshing, intoxicating paranormal read." -Mundie Moms blog

 prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for.  

A reckoning is coming...and not everyone will survive.

The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton

Expected publication: October 2nd 2012 Tor Teen/Macmillian

From Goodreads:
Tiki’s greatest fear suddenly becomes all too real: the fey have returned to London seeking revenge. As war escalates in the Otherworld, Queen Victoria’s youngest son, Prince Leopold, is attacked. In order to protect her family and the ones she loves, she needs to know the meaning of an fáinne sí, the birthmark that winds around her wrist. But will Tiki be brave enough to face the truth?

A bloody escape, a deadly threat, a shocking revelation…