Tag: fantasy

YA

Review: Now and For Never by Lesley Livingston

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Never #3

now and for never -lesley livingstonPast and present collide on the high seas when Clare and Allie hurtle back in time once more in a perilous attempt to retrieve Marcus Donatus—Allie’s blast-from-the-past crush—and put an end, once and for all, to the Time Monkey Shenanigans. But when Clare and Allie unexpectedly find themselves temporal stowaways on a Roman warship full of looted Celtic gold, sailing straight for the heart of a magic-fuelled maelstrom, there’s not much they can do but hang on for the ride—and hope Milo can tap into the Druid lore trapped in his genius brain to help bring them home, before it’s too late. The only thing that’s going to save Clarinet Reid and Allie McAllister now is if they join forces with old enemies, new loves … and unexpected friends.

2.5 Drink Me Potions

It’s been a long time since I’ve last read the other two books in the series. However, I feel that Lesley Livingston did a great job of kind of recapping the important parts of what had happened earlier. I wasn’t left feeling lost for long, and for that, I greatly appreciate it.

I really tried to enjoy the concluding installment to the Time Travelling Monkey Shenanigans Gang. But I found myself a little disappointed. Now, I’m a fan of Livingston’s, even have a personally autographed book from her, but her other series are more….serious. The mythology was more compelling and suspenseful in the way the plot slowly unwinded.

Clare and Allie are both very unique protagonists. You won’t find another personality quite like theirs. Allie is all fireball attitude, wears only black, references nerdy things like Star Wars and Star Trek ALL the time, and is quite good with the tech stuff. Meanwhile, Clare is the more serious of the two and not so great with the nerd lingo, but she dives head into crazy time travelling adventures to save people (and trying not to change the course of history).

This series is all fun and definitely more lighthearted out of Livingston’s collection of stories. I guess I just wasn’t in the mood for that kind of the story so it was harder to enjoy the crazy hairball plans the two came up with to save Marcus from the past (where Every Never After left off).

What I can say that was positive is that Livingston did an amazing job trying to wrap up the loose ends after all the time travelling the two girls did in the previous 2 novels. No one wants to change history so….there goes the girls again for their last adventure to the past to make sure their reality doesn’t change after all their meddling. It was a little confusing at times as to what artifact had to be found where and when exactly so that, say, Clare could find it two millennia later.

I’d say that Now and for Never concludes the series well. It just wasn’t the kind of book I was looking for so that may have skewed with my rating. It’s definitely ideal for younger readers, possibly in their earlier teens. The lighthearted banter and nerdy lingo were great additions to the comical atmosphere.

Overall Recommendation:
Now and for Never concludes the Time Travelling Monkey Shenanigans that have been going on in the previous two novels of the series. Although I didn’t rate it too high, I still think it was a good way to wrap up the adventures that Clare and Ally had experienced back in the past, with appearances of both the Druids from Clare’s story and the Romans of Allie’s.

With the usual fun and lighthearted atmosphere, this book is perfect for those who enjoy some history (and meddling with it through time travel!), magic and nerdy references thrown in there. I recommend it for a light and funny read, so if you’re in one of those moods, this would be more enjoyable.

YA

Review: The Faerie Queen by Kiki Hamilton

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: The Faerie Ring #4

the faerie queen -kiki hamiltonThe Winter King has ordered Tiki’s death and hunts her in both the Otherworld and London. War looms ever closer and the mysterious Four Treasures of Faerie seem to offer the Seelie Court their only hope of stopping Donegal from claiming all of Faerie. The ever-enigmatic Larkin issues a threat regarding Clara that forces Tiki to choose between a child and a kingdom….

A ruthless opponent, a powerful treasure, an unforgettable decision…

4 Drink Me Potions

Oh boy, what a conclusion!

If you have read any of my other comments of the previous books in the Faerie Ring series, I have always mentioned that Kiki Hamilton is a master storyteller. She weaves in so many layers, particularly in the plotline (even the tiniest event of a previous book could have a significant meaning later), but also in her characters!

First, I have to say, Larkin is the most amazing and complex character I have read yet. She always seemed like a villain, or at least an antagonistic force when it comes to Tiki. Yet it’s been so hard to decipher what her ulterior motives are or what other random information she’s been hiding from everyone else. One moment, she seems to be acting like a guiding counsel for Tiki as she learns more about the world of the fey, and the next moment, she’s the most arrogant woman ever and seemingly aiming to claim the throne for herself. Which side should we believe? And that’s the beauty of it. She has that many layers to her.

Then comes the complexity of the plot. Thrown into the end of the The Seven Year King, she goes and says what? Clara’s her child. But wait! Other crazy relations are also revealed at Dain and Rieker’s heritage (yet again). And here I thought that it was crazy enough that Rieker even had family left. There’s more?

With this being the final book in the series, somehow, Hamilton was able to weave everything together and tie all loose ends into one happy conclusion. Yes, a happy ending, folks. Of course, some of the epic things that went down were kind of predictable, but it was still great to see how the new plot twists fit into it all.

Amidst all these crazy revelations, there’s a war to be prepped for and a treasure hunt for the last of the Four Treasures of the faeries. It seems only Tiki can find it and unite the courts of Faerie as that is her destiny. I think the ending fit well with what her character would do. She really has grown over the course of this book and possibly the previous one. Hard to imagine that the series spans only about 1.5 years or so in their lives.

Anyway, cutting this review short ’cause I could gush on and on about it some more. The Faerie Queen is an example of how an epic conclusion to a fantasy story should end. With action, suspense and tying in the crazy plotlines, Hamilton more than delivers all these elements and more. And if you’re a lover of any ancient locations (particularly those that we can actually visit) associated with the fey, London and parts of Scotland are mentioned throughout the novel. It makes me want to go there now…

Overall Recommendation:
The Faerie Queen was the epic conclusion to an ultimately heart-stopping historical fantasy series. Further plot twists (who knew there could possibly be more room for those?) all tie in nicely together for an unpredictable, yet happy, ending for Tiki and her friends. It’s like a fairy tale but with more action and character development! And who wouldn’t like a fairy tale, hmm? I recommend this series, and particularly this book, to anyone who loves adventure, fantasy, factual history and romance. It won’t disappoint, trust me. This book deserves all the praise it can get.

YA

Review: The Seven Year King by Kiki Hamilton

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: The Faerie Ring #3

It is the seventh year—the time when the UnSeelie Court must pay a tithe to Seelie royalty to remain a separate entity. Sacrificed at midnight on Samhain, the UnSeelies call their offering the Seven Year King. This time, Donegal plans to sacrifice someone Tiki loves. To make matters worse, Fiona disappears, Johnny lies near death, and the threat of the liche comes closer. Tiki’s only hope is that she and Rieker can find an ancient faerie treasure and outsmart the Winter King before the turning of the seasons. In this third book of The Faerie Ring series, Tiki is pulled between two worlds—and unable to find peace in either.

A deadly sacrifice, a heartbreaking choice, an uncertain future…

4 Drink Me Potions

It still constantly amazes me how well Hamilton was able to immerse the land of mythical fey with 19th century London.

In this 3rd installment of the Faerie Ring series, we get to see more of the Otherworld as Tiki spends more time there, having accepted her role in leading the Seelie Court. The novel starts off with a bang as 1) Dain has been captured at the end of The Torn Wing and possibly going to be sacrificed on Samhain, and 2) Johnny has been captured by the liche, aka hideous monster that’s been doing the Winter King’s bidding.

Torn between keeping her family safe in London and saving those who need her in the Otherworld, I was glad to see that this book really picked up the pace where The Torn Wing was a little lacking. Without ruining too much, basically some action starts happening as the liche continues to hunt down Tiki and her family, in particular Fiona.

And as always, Hamilton is the best at incorporating tidbits of new information and introducing new characters. This time, we get to see the amazing (and sometimes horrifying) creatures of the fey. From tree dryads (who are really witches!) to ugly hobgoblins and their distant relatives the Redcaps, crazy things continue to happen as Tiki embarks to rescue Dain.

I smell a love triangle with Dain, but for those who don’t love them, rest assured, I don’t think Hamilton made those hints of feelings into anything more, at least on Tiki’s side of things. Her heart is safely with Rieker (as it well should be). Oh and finally! Some seriously hot romantic action goes on here with our favourite pickpocket-slash-handsome-lord.

The one thing I felt a little off with this story was Johnny and Fiona’s romantic chemistry. I honestly didn’t feel like they knew each other well enough before suddenly, they were “in love” or something like it from the way Fiona freaked out about Johnny’s capture. But anyway, this book really won’t disappoint with suspense OR romance. The land of the fey and the gorgeous old city of London ever continues to amaze me in The Seven Year King. Not to mention, a few more real life facts/artifacts thrown into the story!

Overall Recommendation:
The Seven Year King was a truly enjoyable read. Hamilton is a master story-weaver as she immerses us into both the land of the fey and 19th century London this time. With two friends’ lives hanging in the balance, Tiki and her companions are on a timeline to save them. Not to mention there is still a horrible monster hunting them down for the Winter King. This surely sets the foundation for the ultimate conclusion to the series. Please, do yourself a favour and read it. Romance? History? Fantasy? Suspense/action? No other story blends these elements as well as this does.