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erinarkin20
I saw the cover of The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and was immediately drawn to it. Then I read the summary and knew I wanted to read this as it mixes historical with fantasy and this has become one of my favorite genres. The story centers on three characters, Nina, Hector, and Valerie.
Nina is in Loisail for her first grand season and is under the guidance of her cousin’s wife, Valerie. Unfortunately for Nina, Valerie isn’t very welcoming and add to that the fact that Nina has hard time controlling her telekinetic powers, Nina isn’t exactly happy. When she meets Hector, a telekinetic performer, two things happen. First, Nina gains control over her powers and she isn’t as much of a danger. And second, she falls in love with Hector.
I really wanted to hit Hector a number of times throughout this story. See, he is being quite deceptive with Nina as he has ulterior motives to being around her. Hector comes from nothing really but when he met Valerie years ago, he wanted to be something more and be able to provide for her. Hector ended up leaving Valerie behind so that he could earn his fortune and come back for her, but Valerie ended up marrying a man she didn’t love to save her family. Now that Hector is back and somewhat famous, he wants her back in his life, but Valerie is not the same person he left behind, and her bitterness pushes him toward Nina with his only goal being to make Valerie jealous and want him back.
Valerie is just angry and bitter, and she takes it out on Nina. She does whatever she can to make life hell for Nina and when Hector puts Nina right in the middle of their past, she takes the brunt of Valerie’s anger.
This is very much a character driven story and while a bit slow at times, I found I needed to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next for them all. There were times I was frustrated and angry and each one of them and poor Nina had no clue what she was getting into. Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to checking out more of her books.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.
Nina is in Loisail for her first grand season and is under the guidance of her cousin’s wife, Valerie. Unfortunately for Nina, Valerie isn’t very welcoming and add to that the fact that Nina has hard time controlling her telekinetic powers, Nina isn’t exactly happy. When she meets Hector, a telekinetic performer, two things happen. First, Nina gains control over her powers and she isn’t as much of a danger. And second, she falls in love with Hector.
I really wanted to hit Hector a number of times throughout this story. See, he is being quite deceptive with Nina as he has ulterior motives to being around her. Hector comes from nothing really but when he met Valerie years ago, he wanted to be something more and be able to provide for her. Hector ended up leaving Valerie behind so that he could earn his fortune and come back for her, but Valerie ended up marrying a man she didn’t love to save her family. Now that Hector is back and somewhat famous, he wants her back in his life, but Valerie is not the same person he left behind, and her bitterness pushes him toward Nina with his only goal being to make Valerie jealous and want him back.
Valerie is just angry and bitter, and she takes it out on Nina. She does whatever she can to make life hell for Nina and when Hector puts Nina right in the middle of their past, she takes the brunt of Valerie’s anger.
This is very much a character driven story and while a bit slow at times, I found I needed to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next for them all. There were times I was frustrated and angry and each one of them and poor Nina had no clue what she was getting into. Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to checking out more of her books.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.
Shatter is book two in the Glitter series by Aprilynne Pike and I think I liked this one better than the first book. I was successfully pulled back into this world of deception, blackmail, and intrigue and I found myself unable to stop reading.
If you recall from book one, Danica was looking for a way out of the world she was trapped in. As her escape from the Palace of Versailles was thwarted, Danica finds herself back with the King (Justin) and trapped in a world where she doesn’t feel she belongs. Add to that the fact that Saber has been locked up, and Danica has no choice but to dive into her role as Queen.
Danica’s relationship with Justin is interesting. It is clear she is using him and that she will do whatever she needs to in order to get what she wants but I have to say, I was kind of surprised she went as far as she did. While throughout the story it was clear she was looking for a way out for her and Saber, I actually kind of liked her better when she wasn’t so manipulative. However, in her role as Queen, she had to establish herself otherwise people would continue to walk all over her and I get why she did what she did.
In addition, despite her disagreement with Saber about it, Danica continues to sell glitter and it gives her the money and cushion she needs if she ever hopes to get away. It also created some challenges but in the end, it was what she needed to help herself.
I think the issue I had here is that Danica was willing to do whatever she could to get Saber out of slavery (including put herself in danger with Reginald) but he took this fatalistic view and discouraged her from doing anything at every opportunity. I suppose I get it, he didn’t want to hope, and I can’t blame him for that, but I wanted him to be more than just the guy who is by her side no matter what. He just didn’t seem to be as critical to the story as he used to be.
As the story moves forward, Danica becomes almost ruthless. She bargains with the King, she takes on Reginald, and she takes down her nemesis in court. She goes toe to toe with Justin and comes out in pretty good shape. I was curious to see how she was going to wrap this up and thought Pike did a good job of bringing everything together at the end. If you liked Glitter, consider checking this book out – there was a good mix of action and character development to keep the story moving along. I’m glad I picked it up to see how things turned out for Danica.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.
If you recall from book one, Danica was looking for a way out of the world she was trapped in. As her escape from the Palace of Versailles was thwarted, Danica finds herself back with the King (Justin) and trapped in a world where she doesn’t feel she belongs. Add to that the fact that Saber has been locked up, and Danica has no choice but to dive into her role as Queen.
Danica’s relationship with Justin is interesting. It is clear she is using him and that she will do whatever she needs to in order to get what she wants but I have to say, I was kind of surprised she went as far as she did. While throughout the story it was clear she was looking for a way out for her and Saber, I actually kind of liked her better when she wasn’t so manipulative. However, in her role as Queen, she had to establish herself otherwise people would continue to walk all over her and I get why she did what she did.
In addition, despite her disagreement with Saber about it, Danica continues to sell glitter and it gives her the money and cushion she needs if she ever hopes to get away. It also created some challenges but in the end, it was what she needed to help herself.
I think the issue I had here is that Danica was willing to do whatever she could to get Saber out of slavery (including put herself in danger with Reginald) but he took this fatalistic view and discouraged her from doing anything at every opportunity. I suppose I get it, he didn’t want to hope, and I can’t blame him for that, but I wanted him to be more than just the guy who is by her side no matter what. He just didn’t seem to be as critical to the story as he used to be.
As the story moves forward, Danica becomes almost ruthless. She bargains with the King, she takes on Reginald, and she takes down her nemesis in court. She goes toe to toe with Justin and comes out in pretty good shape. I was curious to see how she was going to wrap this up and thought Pike did a good job of bringing everything together at the end. If you liked Glitter, consider checking this book out – there was a good mix of action and character development to keep the story moving along. I’m glad I picked it up to see how things turned out for Danica.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.
3.5 stars!
The cover is what initially drew me to By a Charm and a Curse by Jaime Questell but once I read the summary I knew I had to read it. It revolves around a traveling circus called Le Grand’s Carnival Fantastic, and the circus is bound by a charm which is held together by a curse. The story is told from two points of view – Emmaline and Benjamin.
When Emmaline King goes to the circus with her friend, she is drawn to a mysterious boy in a booth that proclaims to tell your future. When he talks her into taking his break with him, the start to chat about her life and this is what seals her fate. As Emmaline elaborates on how she just moved back to town and is having a hard time fitting back in, they decide to get on the ferris wheel with a bottle of wine and things take a turn for Emmaline.
I mentioned the charm and the curse…well the charm protects the members of the circus. There are two aspects to it – first, it stops the circus workers from growing older once they hit about 20 years of age. Secondly, when the charm is working, the workers don’t get hurt, no matter how dangerous their act is. Unfortunately, the curse balances this out as the person who occupies the fortune booth is not only trapped and forced to travel with the circus, but they essentially become a puppet in a box until they have the opportunity to pass the curse on to the next person. When Emma ends up with the curse, I couldn’t help feeling bad for her. She is forced into something she never asked for and now has to live with the consequences. She also must be strong enough to be willing to put someone else through the same thing she has gone through in order to get rid of it.
Ben is part of the circus and does odd jobs and work around the grounds. He and his mother have been with the circus since his father died and he is saving his money and fixing up his car, so he can get away. His mother is somewhat controlling, and he really just wants to put down roots and stop traveling so he can figure out who he is supposed to be, and he can’t do that with the circus or the charm. As he and his friend Marcel plan to revisit their timeline for leaving, Emma joins the circus and priorities change for him.
I loved how Questell built the friendship between Ben and Emma. While there were a lot of supportive people in the crew, Emma was still an outcast as everyone treated her as The Girl in the Box. Ben is the only one who eventually got over what she meant for the circus and treated her just like anyone else. Eventually they begin to have feelings for each other and they both become motivated to find a way to get rid of the curse. Clearly Emma’s heart isn’t in the fortune telling and as she continues to disconnect from the role, the charm starts to become weaker and everyone is noticing.
As the story moves forward, the other characters in the book help to move things forward, whether it is by helping Emma or by threatening her to do what is expected. There are some bad guys in this story and while I’m not really going to say anything about them, I do have to say I found them to be extremely annoying.
That’s about all I can say without giving anything away and really, you don’t want me to do that. Overall, I enjoyed this book and while there were times that I felt were rushed, I thought the story was original and it held my attention. If you’re looking for something that is different from the other YA Fantasy books out there, consider checking this book out. I will definitely be watching for more from Questell in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.
The cover is what initially drew me to By a Charm and a Curse by Jaime Questell but once I read the summary I knew I had to read it. It revolves around a traveling circus called Le Grand’s Carnival Fantastic, and the circus is bound by a charm which is held together by a curse. The story is told from two points of view – Emmaline and Benjamin.
When Emmaline King goes to the circus with her friend, she is drawn to a mysterious boy in a booth that proclaims to tell your future. When he talks her into taking his break with him, the start to chat about her life and this is what seals her fate. As Emmaline elaborates on how she just moved back to town and is having a hard time fitting back in, they decide to get on the ferris wheel with a bottle of wine and things take a turn for Emmaline.
I mentioned the charm and the curse…well the charm protects the members of the circus. There are two aspects to it – first, it stops the circus workers from growing older once they hit about 20 years of age. Secondly, when the charm is working, the workers don’t get hurt, no matter how dangerous their act is. Unfortunately, the curse balances this out as the person who occupies the fortune booth is not only trapped and forced to travel with the circus, but they essentially become a puppet in a box until they have the opportunity to pass the curse on to the next person. When Emma ends up with the curse, I couldn’t help feeling bad for her. She is forced into something she never asked for and now has to live with the consequences. She also must be strong enough to be willing to put someone else through the same thing she has gone through in order to get rid of it.
Ben is part of the circus and does odd jobs and work around the grounds. He and his mother have been with the circus since his father died and he is saving his money and fixing up his car, so he can get away. His mother is somewhat controlling, and he really just wants to put down roots and stop traveling so he can figure out who he is supposed to be, and he can’t do that with the circus or the charm. As he and his friend Marcel plan to revisit their timeline for leaving, Emma joins the circus and priorities change for him.
I loved how Questell built the friendship between Ben and Emma. While there were a lot of supportive people in the crew, Emma was still an outcast as everyone treated her as The Girl in the Box. Ben is the only one who eventually got over what she meant for the circus and treated her just like anyone else. Eventually they begin to have feelings for each other and they both become motivated to find a way to get rid of the curse. Clearly Emma’s heart isn’t in the fortune telling and as she continues to disconnect from the role, the charm starts to become weaker and everyone is noticing.
As the story moves forward, the other characters in the book help to move things forward, whether it is by helping Emma or by threatening her to do what is expected. There are some bad guys in this story and while I’m not really going to say anything about them, I do have to say I found them to be extremely annoying.
That’s about all I can say without giving anything away and really, you don’t want me to do that. Overall, I enjoyed this book and while there were times that I felt were rushed, I thought the story was original and it held my attention. If you’re looking for something that is different from the other YA Fantasy books out there, consider checking this book out. I will definitely be watching for more from Questell in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.
Magic of Winter is the third book in the Celtic Legends series by Martina Boone and if you are looking for a story that centers around family and second chance romance, you should consider this book. While this is the third book of the series, I don’t think you have to read the first two, but it is definitely a good idea as some characters from the previous books make appearances.
The main characters in this story are Cait and Brice. They were high school sweethearts and engaged but both of them were struggling with figuring out who they were and what they wanted out of life. After the death of her mother and brother, Cait sees something that pushes her to run away to London – away from Brice as well as her father. When Christmas rolls around and her father refuses to come to London, Cait makes the decision to go back home and that is when things start to be revealed.
Cait immediately realizes her father has been keeping some pretty big secrets from her. He has essentially packed away or gotten rid of every trace of her mother and is in the process of selling the Library and Tea Room she built and loved. Not only was this important to Cait but it has been an important part of the village of Balwhither and Cait is unwilling to let it go. Add to this the fact that her father has found out he has cancer and has basically given up trying to fight it and Cait decides she needs to stay and do what she can on both fronts.
Before I go into this story any further, I have to say, I loved how Boone decided to write about such a challenging relationship between a father and a daughter. I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her when she gets home and continually hits a wall with her father. He is stubborn and sad, and it seems like no matter what Cait does, she can’t win with him.
Of course, there is the romance part of the story. I love a second chance romance and while I had no idea what it was that sent Cait running, it was clear Brice was going to have to prove himself in order to win her trust back. From the start of the book it is obvious that they both still have feelings for each other and as Brice slowly proves that he has really changed, Cait realizes they both had some growing up to do.
This was a pretty quick read (as are all the books in this series) and the romance is slowly built up despite the fact that these two characters have a past. As in the other books, Boone does a fantastic job of setting up the surroundings these characters live in and tying in the local traditions. If you are looking for a light romance set in the Highlands of Scotland, definitely consider checking not only this book out, but also the other books of the series.
Thank you to the author for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
The main characters in this story are Cait and Brice. They were high school sweethearts and engaged but both of them were struggling with figuring out who they were and what they wanted out of life. After the death of her mother and brother, Cait sees something that pushes her to run away to London – away from Brice as well as her father. When Christmas rolls around and her father refuses to come to London, Cait makes the decision to go back home and that is when things start to be revealed.
Cait immediately realizes her father has been keeping some pretty big secrets from her. He has essentially packed away or gotten rid of every trace of her mother and is in the process of selling the Library and Tea Room she built and loved. Not only was this important to Cait but it has been an important part of the village of Balwhither and Cait is unwilling to let it go. Add to this the fact that her father has found out he has cancer and has basically given up trying to fight it and Cait decides she needs to stay and do what she can on both fronts.
Before I go into this story any further, I have to say, I loved how Boone decided to write about such a challenging relationship between a father and a daughter. I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her when she gets home and continually hits a wall with her father. He is stubborn and sad, and it seems like no matter what Cait does, she can’t win with him.
Of course, there is the romance part of the story. I love a second chance romance and while I had no idea what it was that sent Cait running, it was clear Brice was going to have to prove himself in order to win her trust back. From the start of the book it is obvious that they both still have feelings for each other and as Brice slowly proves that he has really changed, Cait realizes they both had some growing up to do.
This was a pretty quick read (as are all the books in this series) and the romance is slowly built up despite the fact that these two characters have a past. As in the other books, Boone does a fantastic job of setting up the surroundings these characters live in and tying in the local traditions. If you are looking for a light romance set in the Highlands of Scotland, definitely consider checking not only this book out, but also the other books of the series.
Thank you to the author for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
