Review: The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Series: The Assassin's Curse #2

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Published date: June 18th 2013

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Source: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley.com, in exchange for a fair review.

Previous series reviews: The Assassin's Curse

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.

So it has been a little while since I have actually written a review so I apologise if I am a little rusty. Before I begin, just a little warning that this will contain spoilers for the first book of the series. I read The Assassin’s Curse earlier in the year and I really enjoyed it, so I had been really looking forward to reading this.

This started off where The Assassin’s Curse left off, with Naji and Ananna still being stuck on the Isle of the Sky with the three impossible tasks left to complete to break the curse. Therefore, once a way off the Isle arrives, after making a new friend, Ananna and Naji must find a way to break the curse.

For me, The Pirate’s Curse wasn’t as good as the first book. The main reason for this was that I didn’t like Ananna as much. I felt that Ananna wasn’t as strong a character this time around. She was sulky and bitter at times and what I like about her character in The Assassin’s Curse, wasn’t present as often. She was still strong at times and showed leadership and bravery, but she got on my nerves occasionally. There were also times when her loyalty wavered a little, which annoyed me.

Naji was a character that I liked getting to know a bit better. It was good to see him open up more and see more of his good qualities such as his loyalty and bravery. I also liked that Naji was a realistic character. There were times when he would despair that the curse wouldn’t be broken, which I think we all would if we had to complete three impossible tasks. I also really enjoyed watching him become more accepting of the way he looked and less self-conscious.

The new characters were great additions to the story. Each had their own part to play and each were fairly different from the others. I also really enjoyed exploring the history of some of the established characters and finding out more about their pasts.

I really enjoyed the relationships. I think that they were all realistic. The romantic relationships were a little tough and rocky, and didn’t necessarily have the perfect ending. The relationship between Ananna and her parents was what I expected it to be like. The friendships were also realistic with their up and down moments, but some of them were also amusing.

Another reason that I didn’t like The Pirate’s Curse as much as the first book was that I found the plot to be more predictable. I think that this was because there was a certain convenience to the storyline that made it easier to guess what was to come. I felt that the tasks weren’t actually all that impossible and that they were accomplished neatly and conveniently such as knowing someone who just so happened to have an item to break the curse. It was still an enjoyable plotline, but the predictability took away from it.

I did still enjoy reading The Pirate’s Curse, but it did have a few flaws in it so I give it 3.5/5 stars.

Mel.

Review: Sworn to Raise by Terah Edun

Series: Courtlight #1

Publisher: Amazon Digital 

Published: April 10th 2013

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy 

Source: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Seventeen-year-old Ciardis has grown up in poverty, a cleaner in a small vale on the outskirts of the kingdom. But beneath her kingdom’s seemingly idyllic surface lies a hidden secret. Whispers of an inept crown Prince are growing ever louder—intensified by the five year anniversary of the soulbond initiations. Amidst scandalous whispers, Ciardis finds herself chosen to train for the Companion’s Guild. She leaves her home and sets off on a personal journey to become a Court Companion. A position she’d never thought possible for a lowly servant to obtain, she must prove that she has the skills to attract a Patron.  But she must master those skills quickly. If the legends are true, only Ciardis can harness the power to raise a Prince in an Imperial Court sworn to bring him down.

Sworn to Raise was an interesting book that I enjoyed reading. It was a reasonably well written, quick read that was full of magic and action.

I really liked the main character, Ciardis. I felt that she was a strong female character, who still remained fairly feminine, which to me doesn’t necessarily happen all that often in young adult books. I liked that despite her strength, she still had fears and she still had a vulnerable side. I also liked Sebastian, who was loyal, strong and willing to take a stand. I did find him a little arrogant at times, which annoyed me a little, but overall I still liked him. Damias was another character I liked because of how he mentored Ciardis and was what she needed. I didn’t really like Serena because I found her to be too shallow and vain for my liking.

I really enjoyed the magical elements in the story. I loved that there were different types of mages and that they varied so much in skills and strength. I felt that maybe this could have been explored a little bit more in the story, but maybe that is to come in the next book.

The plot was enjoyable and I thought that it was fairly unique. I hadn’t read a book that really covered what this story was about before. The problem that I had with the plot though was that it was a little simple and predictable. Not much really surprised me with the story and I was never really pushed to think about the story line. This did make for a quick and easy read, but I was wishing for a little more complexity.

I also felt that everything was convenient for Ciardis. For example, Ciardis just so happened to come across the only person who could get her out of her situation and have her offer Ciardis the way out. This happened quite regularly throughout the book and I was often sound sitting there rolling my eyes and going “of course she would happen to find that thing there, without really looking,” which did annoy me a little. I also felt that the ending was a little too neatly wrapped up.

Another issue I had with the story was the pacing. I felt that the story was too fast-paced. It was all action, action, action and there wasn’t any time for really processing what was going on. I think that this was one of the reasons that I found the story to be simple. I also think that it was one of the reasons that I didn’t really connect emotionally with the story. There was a point in the plot where I should have felt even a little bit upset but I hardly felt anything. I also would have liked there to be a little more exploration into the character’s past because I didn’t feel like we really learnt much about anyone.

Despite my issues with the book, I did really enjoy it and I can’t wait to read the next book. I give this book 4 stars. 

Mel.

Up next - Review: Why I Let My Hair Grow Out by Maryrose Wood

Review: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

Finnikin of the Rock and his guardian, Sir Topher, have not been home to their beloved Lumatere for ten years. Not since the dark days when the royal family was murdered and the kingdom put under a terrible curse. But then Finnikin is summoned to meet Evanjalin, a young woman with an incredible claim: the heir to the throne of Lumatere, Prince Balthazar, is alive.

Evanjalin is determined to return home and she is the only one who can lead them to the heir. As they journey together, Finnikin is affected by her arrogance . . . and her hope. He begins to believe he will see his childhood friend, Prince Balthazar, again. And that their cursed people will be able to enter Lumatere and be reunited with those trapped inside. He even believes he will find his imprisoned father.

But Evanjalin is not what she seems. And the truth will test not only Finnikin's faith in her . . . but in himself.

This was a really good book. I managed to read it in two nights despite being busy and only managed to put it down when my eyes were closing because I needed sleep! This is the first book of the Lumatere Chronicles and I decided to give it a try on the recommendation of a friend. Although this book is probably classified as Young Adult, I wouldn’t recommend it to young YA readers because it is a fairly violent and the book and covers some adult themes.

What did I like about this book?

• It was refreshing to read a book with a male protagonist. It has been a while since I have read a book, particularly a YA book, that has that. I find that male protagonists often are less whiney than females and I tend to like them more. Plus there just aren’t enough male protagonists out there.
• I really enjoyed the plot. It was interesting and complicated, with one twist that I did not expect coming at all. There were plenty of hints along the way for you to try and guess what would come but quite often I managed to guess wrong. I also really enjoyed how it flowed well and how every little thing that happened would end up having an effect on something further down the track.
• I loved Melina Marchetta’s writing style. I like writing style’s where I find I don’t focus on the wording or the sentence structure too much, where I just focus on the story and Marchetta’s writing was perfect for me. It flowed really well. I also enjoyed how she changed the writing style when writing from another’s perspective, particularly one who was just learning the language and how she wrote his thoughts as jumbled and running into one another.
• I loved the depth of the characters. You had the most honourable men compared to the least honourable, a strong independent woman compared to a weak dependent male. I also loved the development of the characters across the book as you saw the strong independent woman become a little more dependent and the weak dependent male become stronger. I loved seeing the different interactions between the characters and how they changed over time because of certain events and revelations. I particularly liked watching Finnikin’s interaction with Evanjalin change and also his interaction with his father. I also liked how Froi’s interaction with other people changed.
• I really loved the romance of Finnikin and Evanjalin. I loved how it wasn’t an instalove but that it grew over time, quite slowly at times. I loved all the doubts and the things that got in the way because they were very realistic and problems that most couples in real life will have to face at some  point, if at a slightly smaller scale. I particularly liked the scene between the two at the end of the book.

What didn’t I like about this book?

• The only thing that annoyed me was when the first change of perspective of the story came. It wasn’t obvious at all that the perspective had changed, particularly seeing as it was a new character’s perspective. It took a little bit for me to realise what had happened and who’s perspective I was now reading from. I also didn’t really like that sometimes the perspective would change mid chapter without very much indication at all that it had happened.

I give this book 4.5-5/5 stars because it was a really good read. The only reason I didn’t give it the full 5/5 is because of the abrupt changes in perspective.

This book was read for the Australian Women Writer's Challenge 2013 (click the picture to sign-up).

Mel.

Review: The Golden Door (The Three Doors Triology 1) by Emily Rodda

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

The walled city of Weld is under attack from ferocious flying creatures that raid in the night, bringing death and destruction. The Warden calls for Volunteers to find and destroy the Enemy sending invaders, and the heroes of Weld answer the call one by one, never to return. Rye is officially too young to go, but his brothers are among the lost and he must find them. What terrors await him beyond the Wall. 

The Golden Door really would be called a Middle Grade book, but being a fan of Emily Rodda since I read the Deltora Quest series I decided to give it a go. 

What did I like about the book?

• The world building was great. Rodda is great at descriptions. It is so easy to form mental images of the places that Rye goes to. There is depth to the world, as well. We see the City of Weld with it's walls, that in some parts are crumbling, the forest outside the walls and the other towns/cities that they travel through. The descriptions of everything was really vivid. 
• The characters were great. There was such a mix of characters from old to young, good to evil and everything in between, yet you don't lose track of any of the characters. I loved the character interactions. The relationship between Rye and his two brothers were different in many ways. Then there were the relationship with Rye and the adults around him. My favourite relationship was between Rye and Sonia. I loved that Sonia annoyed Rye at the start before a friendship formed that was essential for the rest of the book. The differences in the personalities and characteristics of the people from different areas was also interesting to observe.
• The different creatures and monsters are great. I won't expand on this because I don't want to spoil anything.
• I also loved the little pictures scattered throughout the book of signs and other things. Each one often gave a hint and allowed you to guess what was going on.

What didn't I like about the book?

• It was a simple read. I could guess what was going to come and not much thinking was required from my part. In saying that, it is a book aimed at Middle Graders not 20 year old book lovers, so it is understandable. I just found that the writing was fairly simple as well, but again it is a Middle Grade book.
• I found that it was slow at times. There were parts where either the descriptions or the conversations slowed down the story line, particularly at the start of the book and I almost stopped reading a couple of times because I wasn't getting into the story.

I am glad that I persevered through the start because I did end up enjoying the story. I give this story 3.5/5 stars.

Mel.

Up next: Throwback Thursday.

Throwback Thursday - Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus

On Thursday's I will be doing Throwback Thursday. This is where I will talk about previous books, in particular series but I will also do standalone books, that I have read. On a Throwback Thursday I might give a mini-review on each book (but not necessary everytime), tell you what my favourite/least favourite parts were and tell  you how I came by these books. 

So now to my first Throwback Thursday. This week I am going to cover two series because the second leads on from the first, that being Percy Jackson and the Olympians (PJO) and Heroes of Olympus (HOO). I first came across PJO because of the move, The Lightning Thief. I enjoyed the movie and then saw that it was based on a book, so I went out and bought the box set and read all the books in the series. Then I questioned how that could completely ruin the story line of the first book when they turned it into the movie. After falling in love with Percy and his friends in PJO I found out about HOO and then I read them. 

I recently took to rereading PJO and the books current released of HOO before I read the latest book out, the Mark of Athena. I will do a full review of Mark of Athena when I have finished reading it, but before then I had the idea to share some of my thoughts on each of the books so far. 

Firstly, just a comment about the writing style. In the PJO series the writing is first perspective, with the main voice being Percy (obviously). I am not usually a fan of first perspective writing because I feel like we miss out on other things (for example, The Hunger Games where I feel we miss so much of the action and revolution because it is all written from Katniss' perspective). However, in this series I felt it worked really well because Percy was generally right in the thick of the action and anything else important to the plot that he didn't experience he saw in dreams. In HOO the writing is third perspective and I really like this. It was refreshing to have someone else's point of view and it allowed you to see things important to the story line that the other characters didn't know at that point in time. 

I loved Rick Riordan's writing style. I found it so easy to read, but he put enough complexity into the plot so I wasn't certain of what was to come. I really like books where I have to guess what is coming, and the more wilder my theories the better.

So the first book in the PJO series is the Lightning Thief. One thing to say first, if you haven't read this but have seen the film please do not be put off, the book is different in so many ways to the movie, and heaps better. So what did I like about this book? I think the better question would be what didn't I like about the book, which other than the betrayal, which was needed but I didn't have to like it, the answer to that would be nothing. Probably the best thing I liked about this book was the complexity. I spent a lot of my time guessing why someone would do certain things and wondering how Percy was going to get out of each situation. I also really like the monsters. The descriptions were so vivid and imaginative and they could be fairly witty too.

My favourite part about the second book, the Sea of Monsters, would definitely be the humour. There were so many great mental images that I got from some of the scenes, particularly with Grover and his 'love' and also the Party Ponies (sorry about the vagueness but I am trying not to spoil anything if you haven't read it). The introduction of a couple of new characters was well done, each one having a particular part to play and they weren't unnecessary. Even though I liked the humour, it is a serious story and there are plenty of sad/somber parts. There isn't really anything that I didn't like about this book.

This also applies to the third book, the Titan's Curse. This was a great book, possibly the best. Again there was plenty of humour and again there was plenty of sadness. There was also quite a bit of tension and hostility in parts of this book, particularly between the Hunters of Artemis and the demigod's from Camp Half-Blood. I have to say, and I am a little ashamed to admit this, I absolutely love Apollo. His humour was refreshing, but he also showed that he could be serious, particularly if someone was messing with his family. I am pretty sure he is one god that you wouldn't want to mess with.

There were plenty of times in the fourth book, the Battle of the Labyrinth, that I had no idea how Percy and his friends would survive. There was so much suspicion, tension, spite and many near death experiences. It was really fast paced and action filled, although in saying that there was still humour with my favourite part involving a mortal, a blue plastic hairbrush and the king of the titans. I loved how a lot of the story lines were starting to come together before the final book, even though new questions were also posed.

The fifth and final book of the PJO, the Last Olympian, was probably my favourite of the series. It had me sobbing and laughing at different parts. The ending was brilliant, not what I expected to happen, but it was sad. I loved how at the very end Percy stood up to the gods, and made them accountable for their part in the what had happened. The flashbacks intertwined in this book was well done and gave you enough information that you started to piece together what had happened and what was possibly to come. It really was the best way to wrap up the series.

Then along came the HOO. In the Lost Hero, we met Jason, Piper and Leo, along with most of the regular members of Camp Half-Blood, with one major exception. I loved these three together. They all had their flaws but they all just gelled together. There were some major pieces of news in this story, particularly if you were familiar with PJO, which had me reading into the early hours of the morning, wanting to know what was going to happen next. The mixture of old places and new places and old characters and new characters was handled really well by Riordan and you didn't miss previous characters because you learnt to love the new ones. It was an intriguing and brilliant start to the new series.

In the second book, the Son of Neptune, Percy was joined by Frank and Hazel, as well as quite a few new faces. Again the mixture of new and old was handled brilliantly and I loved having the different perspectives. I felt that it was needed more in this book than the previous one because of the different backgrounds of the characters and the different secrets that each character had. Again, I was constantly wondering how on earth  the characters were going to survive and achieve their goals in time. It was fast paced and left me wanting to know more. One thing I didn't like was Octavian. Every time he was present in the story I wanted to strangle him, and usually I am a non-violent person. He drove me insane, but his character required that and I think it will be very important for the stories to come.

So now it is time for me to read Mark of Athena, which I have been wanting to read since it came out in October. There are so many questions that need answering, but may or may not be answered in this book, and I am pretty sure a ton more will pop up. 

Now my first ever Throwback Thursday is complete and it has been fun. I hope you have enjoyed it and please leave comments bellow on your thoughts about the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series.

Bye for now,

Mel.

Up next: An introduction to what I will be posting and when.