Fiction Archives - Page 16 of 32 - Brooke's Reviews and Sweeps

Storm Glass

By Brookelorren on May 9, 2019May 6, 20194 Comments

Storm Glass is the first book in The Harbinger Series by Jeff Wheeler. I was fortunate enough to get it for free when it was on audiobook. It was so enjoyable that I ended up purchasing later books in the series when they were on sale as part of Amazon’s Kindle Monthly deals. I recommend this book.

Cettie is an orphan girl living in a dystopian universe. In the land where she lives, the wealthy live in mansions in the sky, while the poor live in terrible conditions in the cites below. Her life is changed when a wealthy admiral tries to adopt her.

You might think that this would be the happy end where everybody sings Kumbaya and lives happily ever after. If that was, this would be a really short book. Instead, Cettie finds out that not everybody in the wealthy sky mansions are rooting for her. In addition, the wealthy people don’t find everything to be rosy either. As you read the book, you will discover that even for the wealthy, life can be precarious.

In another sky mansion, Sera Fitzempress isn’t impressing her parents, and she doesn’t think the way her father would like her to. She asks too many questions. Sera might one day rule the entire country; her parents want to make sure that she’s trained properly… they don’t want her to disrupt the status quo that doesn’t really do anybody justice.

I enjoyed this story. Sera’s chapters weren’t as exciting as Cettie’s at first, but towards the end, it really helped to set up how incredibly corrupt this country is, and… resolving everything that’s wrong with this place is going to be a very tricky knot to untie. I definitely want to continue reading this story at some point to find out what happens.

Storm Glass has an imaginative setting. Instead of science, people study “mysteries.” The mysteries govern everything from the law to why the mansions float in the sky. Cettie discovers that she has a talent for the mysteries, which comes in handy towards the end of the book (and beyond).

There are several intriguing characters in Storm Glass. Cettie and Sera, the main female characters, are interesting (and they finally meet towards the end of the book). Both have to deal with villains who almost ruin their lives. There are also adult figures in the books that eventually help them overcome the villains. A lot of YA books don’t have parental figures in the books (although in this book Cettie is 12 so I wouldn’t expect her to be completely on her own).

I plan to finish reading the rest of the books in The Harbinger series at some point in the future. I’d like to find out more about the mysteries of this universe.

Rebel by Beverly Jenkins

By Brookelorren on May 6, 2019May 5, 2019Leave a Comment

I was fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to read Rebel by Beverly Jenkins (thank you Netgalley!). This was a great book! Since I’m sure I’m going to also love Marie Lu’s Rebel later on this year, it looks like there will be two amazing books with that title out in 2019.

Val is a black schoolteacher in the days shortly after the Civil War. Although originally from New York, she’s in New Orleans for a short time while her intended is away in France on a business trip. She’s teaching a group of newly freed slaves (both children and adults) how to read. She’s proud of all the progress that her students are making.

But even though the slaves have been freed, this is still a dangerous time to be black and live in the South. A lot of white people don’t like the idea of black people becoming better people. A group of supremacists decide to derail Val’s teaching plans and try to attack her.

Val isn’t the kind of person that will allow herself to be attacked without fighting back though. And that’s how she meets Drake LaVeq.

LaVeq is instantly attracted to her, but after he deters the thugs that are after her, he thinks that’s the last he’ll see of her — until she ends up at his brother’s hotel. You’ll have to read the book to find out how they find their happily ever after.

There were a lot of things I loved about this book. For one thing, I loved Val’s character. She was brave and willing to stand up for herself, yet at the same time, she was realistically constrained by the expectations that society had for her at the time. She wasn’t this Mary Sue kind of character that would kick the bad guy’s butt and then nobody would think anything of it. This did happen right after the Civil War. Even in the 1960s, that would have been unrealistic. LaVeq was also a well-written character. He was generous, yet still had his own demons to deal with (part of them having to do with being interested in a lady that was engaged to another).

I thought the setting portrayed the struggles that black people had to deal with after the Civil War quite well. There were a lot of white people at the time that didn’t want to see black people do well. Some former slave owners tried to force their former slaves to work for them again. Black people’s testimony wasn’t worth as much in a court of law, and some white people could get away with terrorizing black people. The first black people were elected to the US Senate around this time; this book really brings to life the struggles these people must have gone through. At the same time, Rebel doesn’t gloss over the fact the everybody was struggling at the time. There were poor whites in the South at the time too.

In addition to the amazing setting and the great characters, the romance aspect of this story was good too. LaVeq was respectful and tried to maintain his distance from Val (although that wasn’t easy to do). I loved how they resolved the situation with Val’s intended, and even with her father (who is an old-fashioned kind of guy). Val and LaVeq were great together and their story was compelling.

If you’re interested in a romance set in the post-Civil War era, I highly recommend Rebel by Beverly Jenkins. She’s an outstanding author and I would read other books by her in the future.

Favorite Books of April (Fangirling on Friday)

By Brookelorren on May 3, 2019April 30, 20194 Comments

It’s Friday, and it’s the beginning of the month, so what does that mean? Not only does it mean it’s time for Fangirling on Friday, but it’s time for me to talk about my favorite books from last month. Fangirling on Friday is hosted by Books in the Skye!

This month I’m going to pick two favorites… one a fantasy, and the other a contemporary!

Favorite Fantasy: Finale – Stephanie Garber

I was so lucky that I was approved for the Finale ARC. In fact, publishers loved me in April and I’m so thankful. Finale was my favorite fantasy novel I read last month.

I read Caraval for the first time last summer, so waiting for the next books in this series hasn’t been as long a journey for me as it has been for many of you, but I thought this series had a beautiful (and fitting) ending. I loved this book so much that I pre-ordered a finished copy. I got it on Kindle though because I’m running low on room for books!

Favorite Contemporary: When Dimple Met Rishi – Sandhya Menon

I was lucky enough to hear Sandhya Menon speak not once, but twice last month. Of course I had to buy one of her books. I bought her first book because I read that Dimple Shah liked computers, and so do I, so I figured that we already had something in common. And I loved this book. Now I’m fortunate enough to have a signed copy.

So what about you? What was your favorite book from last month?

The Tiger at Midnight

By Brookelorren on May 2, 2019April 29, 20192 Comments

The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala was one of my most anticipated books of the season. It looked like exactly the kind of book that I’d give five stars to. Amazon says it’s “perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir and Renée Ahdieh.” Check. Ms. Teerdhala said that Legend was one of its comp titles. Double check. Perhaps this book was a little overhyped in my mind, because while it was good, it ended up only being a four-star book in my mind.

The land has a magical illness. The lands of Jansa and Dharka have historically been ruled by two different people with magical bloodlines, who periodically have to perform some sort of ritual to keep the land fertile and lush. The balance of power has been upset in recent years, and famine is starting to spread over the land. Esha, also known as the Viper, is part of a rebel group that is attempting to restore that balance. Kunal, the nephew of the general, has been trained as a child to uphold the government in power.

When the general is killed, Kunal has to find the Viper. He ends up finding something that could be even more deadly: the truth.

What I Liked

There were a lot of things I liked about this book. The setting was great. It had this whole medieval Indian vibe that was unique and interesting. The book had political intrigue. You’re not quite sure who is good and who is bad, and I was surprised at the end. The cat and mouse game that Esha and Kunal played, where Kunal would catch Esha and then she’d escape, was fun.

What Was Just… Okay

There are some books that just drag you in at the start with their beautiful writing. This may be why The Tiger at Midnight did not quite get the five stars I thought it would get: it lacked the magical quality I was hoping it would have. While it had so many other things going for it, it was lacking right here.

The only other thing that I could have been better was the realism in Esha and Kunal’s relationship. Kunal chases her over the countryside, catches her, and then she escapes. She leaves him a note, and they seem to have an attraction to each other. It’s cute, but not realistic? Especially as this scenario happens more than once. Then, after it’s obvious they are both attracted to each other, they get to one point in the book where they could spend more time with each other but don’t?

Conclusion

I definitely plan on reading the other books in The Tiger at Midnight trilogy when they come out. This is Swati Teerdhala’s debut, and I’ve seen other authors blossom when their sophomore and beyond books come out. The story itself is good, and I do want to find out what happens next. Probably the biggest thing that this book suffered from was how amazing the books this one was compared to were, and how difficult it would have been to live up to them.

Book Quotes That Move Me

By Brookelorren on April 30, 2019April 29, 201936 Comments

Hello! ::waves:: It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time for Top Ten Tuesday. Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic is supposed to be “Inspirational/Thought-Provoking Book Quotes” but I’m going to twist that idea just a smidge and post about Book Quotes that Move Me today instead. I just started a book journal, where I write down reactions to things I read/quotes, just recently, so you’ll probably see most of my quotes from there.

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! Let’s get started:

And that’s when I realize that, at the end, we’d all wish for the same thing.
Just a little more time.
Wildcard, p. 316 – Marie Lu

This quote puts me in tears almost every time I think of it. I also almost always think of the same person when I think of this quote: my grandma. I never really got to say goodbye to her.

Sometimes our heroes don’t make it to the end.
Ruin and Rising, dedication – Leigh Bardugo

Leigh Bardugo dedicated Ruin and Rising to her dad with this quote. So sad!

I hope that your dreams, whatever they may be, come true. I hope you pursue those dreams with your whole heart; I hope you work toward them no matter how long it takes, no matter how unlikely the odds.
Kingdom of Ash, p. 984 (acknowledgements) – Sarah J. Maas

This was part of the note that Sarah J. Maas left to her readers in the acknowledgements. I thought it was inspirational.

Warning: Potentially Spoilery Quote Ahead!

I don’t need immortality. You’re my forever.
Finale (ARC), loc. 5162 – Stephanie Garber

When I read this quote, my heart just melted. Such a sweet thing for someone to say.

Sometimes the most impossible things are the things most worth fighting for.
The Land of Yesterday, p. 238 – K.A. Reynolds

Although this is a quirky little middle grade book, there are some beautiful, thoughtful quotes in here.

Maybe your soul didn’t break like a bone. Maybe it broke like a promise.
King of Fools (ARC), loc. 5318 – Amanda Foody

People don’t purposely try to become bad people. It just happens. One bad decision after bad decision. This quote speaks a truth to me in that regard.

Perhaps all monsters were heroes in their own eyes.
Blood Heir (ARC), loc. 1632 – Amélie Wen Zhao

I try to keep this in mind when I deal with people. Most people think that they’re good people. We’re all just dealing with the difficult things that life throws at us. Maybe realizing that can help us be more compassionate towards the people we disagree with.

You’re going to see a lot of it. People getting ahead unfairly because of the category into which they were born: male or white or straight or rich.
When Dimple Met Rishi, p. 347 – Sandhya Menon

I guess this is another unavoidable fact of life. While it’s true that we need to take advantage of our gifts, what’s not okay is when we cheat while doing so.

I remind myself that my voice was strong and change had to start with me.
No Place Like Here (ARC), loc. 2617 – Christina June

This is a good thing for anybody to remember. If you want to make a change in your life, or the world, then change has to start with you.

Maybe the thing no one had told her about growing up, was that nobody ever really became the person they’d wanted to be.
The Devouring Gray (ARC), loc. 1654 – Christine Lynn Herman

Do kids ever say, when they’re really little, “I want to be a junkie when I grow up!” or “I want to be homeless!” or “I want to go to prison!” No. We all want to be heroes or famous or someone that will do good in the world. But not all of us become the people we dream to be.

Bonus Quote:

Most people live their lives as if the end were always years away. They measure their days in love, laughter, accomplishment and loss. There are moments of sunshine and storm. There are schedules, phone calls, careers. Anxieties, joys, exotic trips, favorite foods, romance, shame, and hunger.
A person can be defined by clothing, the smell of his breath, the way she combs her hair. The shape of his torso, or even the company she keeps.
All over the world, children love their parents and yearn for love in return. They revel in the touch of parental hands on their faces. And even on the worst of days, each person has dreams about the future. Dreams that sometimes come true.
Such is life. Yet life can end in less time than it takes to draw one breath.
Killing Kennedy, end of chapter 24 (audiobook) – Bill O’Reilly

That passage just spoke to me when I heard it.

So those are some book quotes that stood out to me, most of them recently. I can’t wait to see what quotes you use this week (I bet there will be many unique ones). Next week we’re going to talk about characters that remind me of myself.

Happily and Madly

By Brookelorren on April 29, 2019April 25, 2019Leave a Comment

I recently was given the opportunity to read Happily and Madly by Alexis Bass (thank you, Netgalley). The premise sounded really exciting: Maris Brown would one day fall happily and madly in love, and she might die before her 18th birthday.

Maris Brown isn’t one for making intelligent choices. Her former boyfriend, Trevor, was into drugs, and she once got into trouble because she was with him when he was doing something stupid. She also comes from a broken home: her father left her mother for another family, and now she’s going to spend the summer with him. One of the new family members she’s going to stay with is Chelsea, who is about the same age as Maris.

Unfortunately, I have to give out a slight spoiler to discuss my feelings about this book. Chelsea and Maris become friends. Chelsea is dating Edison… a boy who Maris meets and instantly becomes attracted to, before she knows he’s Edison. But does that cause her to stay away from her? No. She still is friends with Chelsea even while they’re all hanging out like a big happy family and Chelsea kisses Edison right in front of her.

I had to ask myself why this aspect of Happily and Madly bothered me while the book I’m writing involves a girl that’s supposed to become betrothed to someone but falls in love with someone else. I’ve also lived something like this. In my story and in my life, the two people who were both seeing the third person were not friends. I think that’s what I found difficult about that situation.

Maris is also a horrible spy, yet she does this on more than one occasion. She follows people to see what’s going on and then gets caught. Stop doing this! It’s maddening. It would be one thing if she did it in the beginning and learned to be more cautious later on… but no.

The final thing that bothered me was… they were always hanging out with Edison’s family on their summer vacation, and his family was loaded so they paid for everything. Who does this? Maris is expected to hang out with the Brown family most of the time and watch the fireworks with them every evening. She’s 17. She’s not allowed to choose her own things to do every now and then?

That being said, Happily and Madly was enjoyable overall. There were unanswered questions that kept me reading. Even though there was heartbreak (obviously, when two people love the same boy) the situation does get resolved. I think eventually, the good guys will live satisfying lives. If you like forbidden romances and don’t mind if the boy’s two girlfriends are friends, and don’t mind her clunky spying, you might like it.

First Books In Series (That Made Me Want More)

By Brookelorren on April 26, 2019April 25, 20192 Comments

Hello and welcome to another edition of Fangirling on Friday, where I fangirl over some of my favorite books. It’s hosted by Books In the Skye. You can make your own lists too if you’d like. Today’s prompt is “First Series” which I’m not exactly sure what that means, so I’m going to write about series where the first books hooked me and made me want to read more.

One book that hooked me from the beginning was The 5th Wave. It was one of my favorite books of the year when I read it. I just had to read the rest of the series. Sadly, although I loved this book, the rest of the series was just… okay. I was kinda hoping that it would go in a different direction. The ending of the series was… satisfactory. It wasn’t so bad that I felt I had to write fix-it fanfiction, but it wasn’t the ending that would leave me fangirling for years. Although the first book… loved it!

Oh how I loved Flame in the Mist! It was the first Renée Ahdieh book I read and this is definitely a book I could fangirl over! I enjoyed Smoke in the Sun (and loved how the duology ended) but it didn’t have quite the magic that the first book did for me. I remember reading it at work, getting to a really good part, and then I’d have to go back to work. I couldn’t stop thinking about the book while I was at work. I just love books that you just can’t stop thinking about, and this was one of them. Sometimes I still feel the need to read certain passages again.

It’s not a secret that I love Divergent. After I read the first 50 pages, I just couldn’t put this book down. When I went home, I finished this book, read the beginning of Insurgent, went to bed, and the next day finished Insurgent and Allegiant, going to bed at four in the morning in tears. Although I hated the last little bit of Allegiant, this book drug me into YA and I’ve been a fangirl over this book for years. I own the first book in the series in four languages. I even dressed as Tris to the Insurgent movie premiere.

I’ve read the complete series for all the books above, but a book I’ve read recently that I haven’t read the ending to is Sky Without Stars. J’adore this book! While it didn’t end quite on a cliffhanger, I really have to find out what happens! I hope to get my hands on a copy of it’s sequel, Between Burning Worlds, as soon as possible. Which probably won’t be until some time next year, but when it does come out, I plan to read it. And I hope I gush over the sequel as much as I did the first book.

So what book series drug you in with the first book? Next week we’re going to talk about my favorite book I read in April. Wow, it’s already that time? I have a feeling I know which book that’s going to be, but I’m probably going to finish one more book between now and the end of the month, so we’ll see if the book I loved the best so far remains my favorite.

Four Dead Queens

By Brookelorren on April 25, 2019April 22, 2019Leave a Comment

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte had a lot of hype surrounding it in the year leading to its release. Look at it! It has such a pretty cover! I pre-ordered it and read it as soon as I could get my hands on it. It was well worth the wait, and I named it my favorite book of February in that Fangirling on Friday post.

The queendom of Quadara is divided into four sections, each known for one trait, and each quadrant ruled by one queen. You would think it would be cool to be a queen, but no. Every queen has to live by very strict rules in order to supposedly help them govern better.

But then, something happens. Keralie, a thief, discovers that the queens have been killed, and she has been betrayed. She ends up partnering with a boy named Varin in order to find out who did it. Things are not as they seem though. As I read this book, there were several points where I wasn’t sure what was going on, but there is a logical explanation for everything that occurs and it ended nicely.

What I Liked

I really liked Four Dead Queens. The worldbuilding was quite unique. I thought I was going to be confused by the different quadrants and different queens, but I was able to follow everything just fine.

The characters had different stories. They all wanted something, and sometimes what they wanted was conflicting. Even the queens had things they were hiding. The book was light on romance, but that’s to be expected: the book takes place over a very short span of time, and you can’t expect people to fall in love that quickly.

As I read the book, I kept asking “how is this going to be resolved?” As I started approaching the end and the answers still hadn’t arrived, I was worried that things would end badly, but fortunately, the book ends on a satisfactory note.

Downsides?

The very first page of the book, where all the rules that queens have to follow are listed, was not all that exciting. I didn’t have any context at that point and didn’t really get it. If I reread this book, it will make more sense, but on your first read-through, it’s a little confusing.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for an exciting young adult book fantasy mystery, you might like Four Dead Queens. I would definitely read another book by this author.

No Place Like Here

By Brookelorren on April 22, 2019April 7, 20196 Comments

No Place Like Here by Christina June is branded as a Hansel and Gretel retelling. While I didn’t see a lot of similarities between this contemporary story and the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, it was a sweet story about family.

Ashlyn is looking forward to the summer. After making a mistake by choosing the wrong boyfriend and getting into a tight spot, her father had sent her off to boarding school. As the school year ends, she’s excited about spending her vacation with her best friend.

Unfortunately, her plans are derailed when she finds out that her dad is going to prison, her mother is going to a residential facility to deal with her depression, and Dad’s plans for her summer involve working at a summer camp. She’s supposed to work there with a cousin she barely knows. Could anything be worse?

Over the course of the summer, Ashlyn learns to speak up for herself and gain confidence. Through a series of trials, she deals with boys, work, and her family. When we close the book, we have hope that things are looking up for this family.

No Place Like Here was an enjoyable book. The story was interesting, and Ashlyn seemed to be a well-rounded character with a compelling backstory. Her family situation is probably like many others out there – families that do love each other, but have drifted apart and have trouble communicating what they really want.

That being said, there are things that could have been better with this book. Most of the supporting characters could have used more depth to them. The worldbuilding could have been stronger. Since the book is only 288 pages long, there isn’t exactly a lot of room to develop these aspects more.

The story is light in the romance department, but is very believable, since we are talking about summer camp here. You’re not likely to find your true love while working at a summer camp at age 17.

Overall, if you’re looking for a quick contemporary book where a teenager learns how to stand up for herself and help her family heal, No Place Like Here may be up your alley. It’s not the Hansel and Gretel retelling that I thought it would be, but that’s okay. It was still a good story. This book will be released on May 21st, but you can pre-order it now.

Easter Book Tag

By Brookelorren on April 21, 2019April 21, 20194 Comments

Hello! I just heard about this wonderful book tag from The Bookish Chick! I just had to do it because I thought it was so cute. It was originally created by Theresa @ Calico Books. And Happy Easter!

Here are the rules:

Answer the prompts.
Tag some friends.
Link back to this post, and be sure to mention the creator (Theresa @ The Calico Books)
Have fun!

Because I review a lot of ARCs, I end up reading a lot of books that don’t get a lot of hype. There are some authors that I absolutely adore and talk about all the time, but there are also some books that I like to feature that not as many people know about. One of the books I loved that didn’t get a lot of publicity was Frequency by Christopher Krovatin.

J’adore this book! I was lucky enough to read Enchantée as an ARC, and I thought it was wonderful. I’d definitely read more by this author!

I definitely didn’t want Sky Without Stars to end! I just have to find out what happens next! I guess that’s what the authors are using to get us to buy the next book.

I’m the queen of getting books for cheap. I bought Ace of Shades for $1.99 on Kindle. I shop the Kindle Monthly Deals every month, as well as take advantage of the free books that Amazon gives through their First to Read program.

When Dimple Met Rishi was such a sweet book! And the author is sweet too. I definitely hope to read more of Sandhya Menon’s books, even though I mostly read more dark fantasy.

Since this is the church tag and it is Easter, I will say that the Bible changed my life. But as a bonus, I’ll add another book: Divergent. There are several reasons. For one, I started to fall in love with YA books after reading this one. But second, I hated the ending of the third book Allegiant. Yes, even after an ending I loathed, I still love this series. I’ve read at least 50 pages of this book in 4 languages. And Ms. Roth is one of my auto-buy authors.

The reason why an ending I hated changed my life was that it got me into fanfiction. Which got me to start writing the book I’m editing now. So yes, a series I loved with an ending I loathed changed my life.

There are a lot of books that have surprises for me, but the one I’ve read recently with the biggest surprise was The Wicked King. I was not expecting that ending!

I have to find out how this one ends. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare might have made this category too, but I looked it up ahead of time and I kinda had a good idea of what was going to happen. I didn’t know the full details, however.

So there you have it! The Easter Book tag! If you want to do one of your own, consider yourself tagged! Have a great week!