3 star – Page 14 – Down the Rabbit Hole

Review: Onyx & Ivory by Mindee Arnett

June 6, 2018June 5, 2018 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Rime Chronicles #1

They call her Traitor Kate. It’s a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king years ago. Now Kate lives as an outcast, clinging to the fringes of society as a member of the Relay, the imperial courier service. Only those most skilled in riding and bow hunting ride for the Relay; and only the fastest survive, for when dark falls, the nightdrakes—deadly flightless dragons—come out to hunt. Fortunately, Kate has a secret edge: she is a wilder, born with magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals. But it’s this magic that she needs to keep hidden, as being a wilder is forbidden, punishable by death or exile. And it’s this magic that leads her to a caravan massacred by nightdrakes in broad daylight—the only survivor her childhood friend, her first love, the boy she swore to forget, the boy who broke her heart.

The high king’s second son, Corwin Tormane, never asked to lead. Even as he waits for the uror—the once-in-a-generation ritual to decide which of the king’s children will succeed him—he knows it’s always been his brother who will assume the throne. And that’s fine by him. He’d rather spend his days away from the palace, away from the sight of his father, broken with sickness from the attempt on his life. But the peacekeeping tour Corwin is on has given him too much time to reflect upon the night he saved his father’s life—the night he condemned the would-be killer to death and lost the girl he loved. Which is why he takes it on himself to investigate rumors of unrest in one of the remote city-states, only for his caravan to be attacked—and for him to be saved by Kate.

With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin have to put the past behind them. The threat of drakes who attack in the daylight is only the beginning of a darker menace stirring in the kingdom—one whose origins have dire implications for Kate’s father’s attack upon the king and will thrust them into the middle of a brewing civil war in the kingdom of Rime.

3 Drink Me Potions

A copy was provided by Edelweiss and HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review

I will admit, coming into this fantasy book, I thought it wouldn’t be able to surprise me much. I mean, a competition between brothers for the crown. A mysterious death of the previous king. Monstrous creatures coming out at night. A protagonist with secret magical abilities that may come in handy more than she could know. And enemies lurking in the shadows with ulterior motives. All sounds a little familiar, right?

How about the part of wild magic versus the controlled form of magic that was legal to use? Or the fact that the romance centred on an old flame who broke her heart? And only these two could right the wrongs that were occurring in their lands?

Yet, something about Onyx and Ivory didn’t let me put it down and give up completely. While the major concepts are things that very well are found in other books, I really enjoyed a couple of things that still felt unique.

The concept of uror and the competition the princes had to face went beyond a simple duel of who was a better fit to be king. It boiled down to the heart of each boy and what mattered to them the most, and getting to see this side of Corwin won me over a lot more than just the generic princely character in such stories.

Kate was also an intriguing protagonist in some ways. Yes, she held forbidden wild magic in her blood but it wasn’t completely evident if there was any applicable use of her abilities in the beginning. She wasn’t the most memorable girl (the whole powerful girl who can save the day thing, you know?) but I liked her courage to stand for what was important to her, including the people she loved.

As far as fantasies go, the pacing was all right and the story wasn’t completely predictable in every way, but it may not stand out very well in the sea of amazing YA fantasies out there already.

Overall Recommendation:
Onyx and Ivory features a plot that may not be 100% original yet it still delivers a nice story of courage, heart and fighting for what’s right. In a world where wild magic is forbidden, Kate has a lot going against her. Reunited with the boy who broke her heart, a conspiracy within the kingdom must be brought to light as old mysteries resurface. Although I liked this novel well enough, it just missed a certain element to propel it into the spotlight that’s been so overcrowded by a lot greater novels in the YA world.

3 star, YA

Review: Eden Conquered by Joelle Charbonneau

June 5, 2018 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Dividing Eden #2

The electrifying conclusion to the Dividing Eden series by the New York Times bestselling author of the Testing trilogy, Joelle Charbonneau..

The Trials of Virtuous Succession have ended. Prince Andreus is king—and Princess Carys is dead.

But even as he’s haunted by what he did to win the throne, Andreus discovers that his dream of ruling only brings new problems. The people love his twin even more in death than they did when she was alive. The Elders treat him as a figurehead. And worst of all, the winds of Eden are faltering.

But despite what everyone believes, Carys is alive. Exiled to the wilderness, Carys struggles to control the powers that have broken free inside her. And as she grows stronger, so does her conviction that she must return to the Palace of Winds, face her twin and root out the treachery that began long before the first Trials started.

The Kingdom of Eden is growing darker with each passing day. Brother and sister, former foes, must decide whether some betrayals cut too deep to be forgiven—and whether one will wear the crown or both will lose everything.

3 Drink Me Potions

**Eden Conquered comes out June 5, 2018**

Thank you Edelweiss and HarperCollins for this copy in exchange for an honest review

A princess on the run. Unknown assailants and spies lurking in the shadows of the court. Who to trust? And who will save Eden?

This sequel to Dividing Eden in ways did it justice, but likewise could have been better. Carys is terrified of the power she’s uncovered within her. Andreus wants to prove himself as king, yet there’s a nagging feeling that not all is right within the walls of his kingdom – let alone within his castle.

While the pacing lagged at times, the story alternates between Carys and Andreus for each chapter. Both the twins have no idea who they can fully trust in the aftermath of the Trials they were forced to take. Their storylines tried to develop their individual journey towards placing trust in the right people, and even taking steps to right wrongs that were done by their hand. Carys had escaped with two men with questionable pasts while Andreus almost had no one in the castle that may not have ulterior motives to setting him on the throne. Charbonneau did well in writing their fears, desires and other emotions into their POVs, yet at times this really slowed down the plot.

I can’t say that action wasn’t a pivotal component of the story. An imminent attack on Eden from their rival country was coming, and different groups had different agendas for who should be put on the throne. There was always an underlying sense of urgency – whether in Carys’ return to the castle or Andreus’ ability to outwit his shadowy enemies – but the action only packed the greatest punch in the last 25% or so of the novel.

And oh boy, was that something. Like a wind hurtling full force, all of a sudden a bunch of things were coming into play. Vague predictions/messages from the seers, monsters coming at full force out of the darkness, and the threat of war just amassed on these twins.

Unseen twists caught me by surprise, though I’m not sure in hindsight why I didn’t see that coming. Yet now in hindsight, I can’t help but feel somewhat cheated in the ending to this duology. Don’t get me wrong, it was exciting in a way but it all happened so fast. Each “obstacle” was resolved in a way that didn’t take the time to fully appreciate the climax of the story. Even the twins’ reunion after the rocky way they left each other in book 1 all occurred so fast.

What I will say about the ending that redeemed this entire book for me was that it didn’t wrap itself up in a very nice bow. Not completely at least. It’s not a sad ending, but things are left somewhat open to the happiness and future of the protagonists. And while this entire series, including this sequel, only supplemented the story with romance, I felt it was the perfect amount to support the plot instead of overwhelm it. The highlight was kept on the twins’ character development and unearthing the subterfuge amidst them.

Would I rather the novel was extended a bit more to really flesh out the climax, and maybe added to the plot a bit more? For sure. But as it stands, Eden Conquered managed to deliver an ending that I think was worthwhile in some way still.

Overall Recommendation:
Eden Conquered may not have packed as heavy of a punch as a final installment to this duology, but it made up for its lack of plot and sometimes slow pacing with a beautiful focus on character development. Both Carys and Andreus are flawed protagonists with their own inner demons, or curses, they had to face. With a kingdom depending on them working together instead of against one another, this sequel placed emphasis on all the right aspects that made it a worthy conclusion in the end. A surprise twist here and there, a touch of feels and an ending that was somewhat open to interpretation, I at least leave Eden with a smile on my face.

3 star, YA

Review: Lifeblood by Gena Showalter

April 30, 2018 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Everlife #2

My Firstlife is over, but my Everlife is only now beginning.

With her last living breath, Tenley “Ten” Lockwood made her choice and picked her realm in the Everlife. Now, as the war between Troika and Myriad rages, she must face the consequences.

Because Ten possesses a rare supernatural ability to absorb and share light, the Powers That Be have the highest expectations for her future—and the enemy wants her neutralized. Fighting to save her Secondlife, she must learn about her realm from the ground up while launching her first mission: convincing a select group of humans to join her side before they die. No pressure, right?

But Ten’s competition is Killian, the boy she can’t forget—the one who gave up everything for her happiness. He has only one shot at redemption: beating Ten at a game she’s never even played. As their throw-downs heat up, so do their undeniable feelings, and soon, Ten will have to make another choice. Love…or victory.

3 Drink Me Potions

Lifeblood is a middle book that made me wish it was the first book. Filled with better world building – or should I say afterlife building? – and more kickass characters, this sequel was everything I wished book 1 contained.

Ten Lockwood, girl wonder that fits your mold of a special snowflake protagonist who’s invaluable to the central plot of the story, annoyed me less this time around. Which is a gigantic feat to accomplish. Her over-obsession with numbers and counting literally everything around her wasn’t overtly used, although that’s not say that it wasn’t still very much present in her life. However, I could say that she grew drastically as a character since last we saw of her. No longer is the indecisive girl who couldn’t choose between the 2 afterlife realms. This is a young woman with her whole being set on the Troikan values.

To keep this short and sweet, there weren’t many highlights aside from these things. I didn’t mind the info dump that occurred since Ten went to Troika as this was what I had wanted to know from the start . It was imaginative and well-described to the point that I felt I could navigate Troika myself. We get some info about the enemy realm, Myriad, and their history together too, so don’t you go worrying about lack of information there.

Both familiar characters and new ones play bigger roles here. The hot Troikan labourer, Deacon, and possibly your least favourite character, Sloan, are both still kicking, and even fallen characters who succumbed to Second Death aren’t necessarily gone for good (*hint hint*). We finally get a sense of the bigger picture now as Ten prepares to join in on this war between the realms. It’s finally pumping my blood a little at how this whole chaotic thing is gonna end.

I’m guessing Ten’s special powers have something to do with it. There’s minimal information about what exactly she can possibly do, but I suppose that’s why we have a book 3, right?

So world building and some minor character development helped with this rating as it took me forever to finish this book. What I still couldn’t really stand for was the romance . I mean, he’s hot and all and there’s apparently physical chemistry going on there, but for the life of me, I just am feeling nothing when it comes to Killian. He’s too textbook bad boy with a sad past that makes him a papercut-out copy of too many love interests for me to care. If you came here for the romance, I will say there’re plenty of little fun scenes where they do manage to get together, but if you just want everything else aside from it, no worries. You can totally skip those scenes as fast as possible without losing too much relevant information!

While the above states some of the more trivial things that I liked or not-so-much liked about Lifeblood, there was one thing that really got to me. I absolutely adored the underlying message in this book. To love even those that are hard to love or may not really deserve it. To forgive. To never give up on those who can be saved. These themes make this novel more than just your average book and for that I finished it.

Overall Recommendation:
Lifeblood was the kind of sequel that excelled beyond what the first book gave us. With plenty of war action between the realms and yes, even hot little romantic scenes, this book definitely had more of everything I was looking for. Both familiar and new characters will surprise you as the momentum builds for the conclusion. Although I wasn’t considered a fan of this series before, I think Lifeblood may have just convinced me to see it through.