Author: Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

A lifelong reader of all things YA and books with heartfelt moments that punch you with all the feels. Currently expanding my reading interests to encompass anything that makes me feel deep and resonate with the characters
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The ABC Book Challenge ~ C

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

The ABC book challenge features a fun weekly post dedicated to interesting books that have been read or would hopefully be read starting with a specific letter of the alphabet.

While I do not know the original creator for this, I have seen this posted by Sofii (A Book. A Thought) and Tiana (The Book Raven ). Check out their sites ’cause they are amazing!

And this week, we’re onto the letter “C”!

Memorable titles starting with “C”

Caraval by Stephanie Garber: when I first read this debut novel, I didn’t expect to fall so in love with it. Set in a mysterious locale with plenty of masked/unknown figures while our protagonist has to find her lost sister was more than enough to get my heart racing until the very end! I never read any book quite like this.

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth: after the craziness that was Divergent, the newest series was just as imaginative and delightfully different. I always love a bit of a forbidden love element to my stories, and oh boy, are there additional twists in this one!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer: OMG I just don’t know where to start with this one. There’s nothing I recommend more for fairy tale retellings than Marissa’s series, with this book topping it all. Like, imagining Cinderella as a cyborg mechanic who can handle herself better than any old fashion princess? Yes please!

Control by Lydia Kang: this is the only book that mixes science in a beautiful way. Coming from a heavy science background, I love seeing the scientific bits dropping here and there while being wholly creative with the not-so-scientifically-proven twists. Exciting and intriguing, this book captivated me from start to finish!

Crash into You by Katie McGarry: as contemporaries go, nothing beats out Katie, especially in a book such as this with a really hot guy and a girl protagonist whom I can totally relate to with anxiety problems. I loved the chemistry and the slow-burn buildup in the relationship. Just pure perfection ♥️

Titles I want to read starting with “C”

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J Maas: Selina Kyle + SJM? Sign me up. There’s really nothing else that needs to be said. Except maybe, why the heck did I not read this book sooner?

Children of Blood and Bone by Toni Adeyemi: I’ve heard many good things about this book, although at first the synopsis didn’t immediately attract my attention. I can’t wait to see what the hype is all about.

Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye: Second series by Evelyn and I have this ARC just waiting for me to crack open. I love the sounds of stealthy protagonists and schools for learning how to fight! I can’t wait to see what more she has to bring to the table.

Contagion by Erin Bowman: The description sounds scary and mildly Alien-esque but in the vein of trying to read more different genres, toeing the line between sci-fi thriller and horror sounds like it should be a different kind of fun indeed.

The Cursed Sea by Lauren DeStefano: Book 2 after The Glass Spare, which frankly left me hanging there at the end. I just want some closure to the curse upon the protagonist! Is that too much to ask??

Well, what do you think? Did I crack out a few obscure titles or are these ALSO on your list??

2.5 star, YA

Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: The Folk of the Air #1

the cruel prince -holly blackOf course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

2.5 Drink Me Potions

Faerie might be beautiful, but its beauty is like a golden stag’s carcass, crawling with maggots beneath his hide, ready to burst.

Back into the land of the fae. While I’m acquainted with faeries from various authors (see Julie Kagawa, Lesley Livingston, recent Cassandra Clare), this is my first real romp with Holly Black’s version of these mythical creatures.

And it’s definitely the crueler side highlighted.

Twins Jude and Taryn have lived with the faeries since they were young after being kidnapped by their parents’ killer. But they’ve been treated fairly well, to the status of Gentry, which explains the extreme Stockholm syndrome present in these girls.

Yet this land is no place for mortals. Or at least, not if they want to be treated well and with respect.

I struggled with Jude as the main character for most of the book. While the high class faeries mocked them and tormented them, I get wanting to hurt them back and to feel less powerless. But Jude pushed back sometimes too hard and it led to consequences that I don’t think she really thought through. And consequences that fell on other people, namely Taryn.

At the same time, it’s this deep anger and willingness to do anything to gain power and control over her own situation that made Jude real. And over time, she became someone stronger – with maybe less scrupulous morals (in some ways).

And yet none of [land, knighthood, love] seems all that valuable anymore. None of those are true power. True power isn’t granted. True power can’t be taken away.

The romance, likewise, got better with time. Prince Cardan is not nice. In fact, that’s a pure understatement.

I couldn’t get a good read on him and I’m not really sure what his attraction to Jude is based on. It’s definitely a slow burn kinda romance so I appreciate that more than insta-love. But I withhold judgment on how it’ll go from there.

The pacing was excruciatingly slow in the beginning. Nothing really got exciting until maybe two-thirds or more into the book. The beginning is basically Jude being angry (instead of having to deal with just being scared) all the time while everyone is cruel to her. I can see why everyone loves this novel overall, yet you really gotta pat yourself on the back for getting to the point where it gets exciting.

With that twisted ending that almost felt like it was left mid-sentence, I do look forward to seeing what’s next in store in this faerie court. The intrigue is afoot!

Overall Recommendation:

The Cruel Prince fell a little flat after all the hype that surrounded it upon release. Slow in its execution and featuring a romance where I couldn’t exactly say I was rooting for the guy for most of the book, the only highlight was the imaginative land of faeries crafted by Holly Black and the twisted ending that I didn’t see coming. Having an irritating but realistic protagonist such as Jude made the journey more interesting, that’s for sure. With book 1 setting the stage in the last 1/3 of the story, I find myself extremely intrigued as to what will come next!

3.5 star, YA

Review: Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Dance of Thieves #1

Dance of Thieves_FINAL 9.18A new novel in the New York Times–bestselling Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.

When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty’s resentment and anger.

At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.

3.5 Drink Me Potions

Smart and filled with an interesting cast of characters, entering back into the world of The Remnant Chronicles was like slipping on a cozy shawl in the winter and sitting by the fireplace in Dance of Thieves.

Although my memory isn’t what it’s used to – so you can guess just how many details I recall from the other series – little tidbits dropped here and there made me smile, though you definitely don’t have to have read any of Mary Pearson’s other books to jump right into this one.

I liked that I never quite knew what was exactly gonna happen next. One moment, our heroine Kazi has everything in control, and the next? She can find herself tied up with a guy like Jase Ballenger. And from there, things do get interesting.

The pacing is fast enough, settling into the story right away. And it doesn’t stay in one place for too long so I never felt like it dragged its heels in for scenes/moments that should’ve been done with a long while ago.

Yet. There’s something in me that feels like the story took its time in laying out the foundations too much. You don’t get many details into Kazi’s mission to the Ballengers in the beginning, only vague notes about having to come under the guise of something else. And you don’t get why the Ballengers may be doing something wrong.

Where it’s not as high action as I had hoped from this author, the romance was sufficient. I know. Not a very heartwarming comment but at the moment, not many romantic relationships in books have really tugged at me. Frankly, I feel almost bored with them so this is a compliment at this moment.

Yes, it was a bit rushed at times. But the reality of how their feelings built through the moments they shared and the trust they slowly gave to each other was real.

And though these elements are normally essential to me as a reader, nothing warmed my heart as much as the focus on family ties and fierce girls who can kick butt. The Ballengers were large in number but they had each other’s’ backs over anything else. Likewise, Kazi’s group, the Rahtan, that served the queen was like a found family from different backgrounds now all serving one purpose together.

In reality, without some of these extra things, Dance of Thieves may have been harder to swallow.

And of course, wonderful appearances of our main cast in the Remnant Chronicles are featured here so that was the icing on top.

While I may have been expecting too much from this story (what with everything that I remember from Mary’s writings), this novel still weaves together an imaginative new story in a familiar world that has intrigue, fun personalities and the different families we have. A definite story to check out for fans of Mary and her previous series, but also for anyone looking for a fantasy read in a well crafted world.

Overall Recommendation:

Dance of Thieves features a mostly new cast in the wonderful world of the Remnant Chronicles. With enough romance, a decent plot pace and an intriguing mission hanging over our heads, diving back into this land is like slipping on a shoe. Two different families, the Rahtan and the Ballengers, come head to head as missions collide and tenuous trust is built. Beautiful world building and surprising appearances of former characters, this novel is a perfect companion to the previous series and something fun to read if you’re into all-things fantasy.