Tag: romance

YA

Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Caraval #1

caraval -stephanie garberRemember, it’s only a game…

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.

5 Drink Me Potions

Caraval is everything you can imagine from that beautiful synopsis. From a sweeping mystery to the beautifully described world of the once-a-year Caraval, my heart was pounding in excitement to the very end.

I heard that this book has been gushed over since before it came out. It makes me wary sometimes as that puts on really high expectations which could actually do the exact opposite by disappointing me in the end. That was NOT the case with this book.

Caraval is essentially about two sisters who apparently would do anything for each other. Tella’s the more reckless and headstrong sister, while Scarlett is more thoughtful in all her actions. It comes with being the older sister. I loved Scarlett. She was so understandable and her devotion to her younger sister was admirable. She would do anything to get them out of their abusive father’s hands, even by marrying a complete stranger who offered to take in Tella too.

But, the magic and mystery surrounding Caraval and its mystery hunt during its week-long performance was the one thing Scarlett had always dreamed of attending. When things turned and the sisters found themselves entering Caraval to join in on this year’s game, my heart was literally so ecstatic. Even when the “real” plot hadn’t officially started yet, I was already so wrapped up in these characters and what would await them in Caraval.

I didn’t love Tella as much as Scarlett. In part, it was due to the fact that the sisters were separated so early on and everything’s in Scarlett’s POV. But it always seemed like Scarlett was the one to be making the sacrifice. I learned to appreciate Tella a bit more over time, but any more of her presence might’ve annoyed me more. Thankfully, the other protagonist and love interest for Scarlett was surprisingly amazing.

Julian was the PERFECT guy for Scarlett. Not only was he mysterious, confident and very hot, he pushed Scarlett beyond her comfort zone in a way no one else could. And even though there always seemed to be an aura of secrets around him, he was dependable when push came to shove for Scarlett. And I thought she was good for him too. As his secrets untangled over the course of the plot (which by the way were deliciously unpredictable as I kept second-guessing what his purpose was for being at Caraval and what his connections to this place were), I felt all these emotions collide in me. Happy, sad, surprised, relieved, you name it. The chemistry between these two were literally tangible. It was such a beautiful, slow-burn romance. They didn’t necessarily want to fall for each other – after all, Scarlett was technically still engaged to some stranger. But they did and it just worked! *fangirl sigh*

As for the world of Caraval, its mysterious characters that Scarlett met along the way, and the weird rules were all fascinating. Everything was well-described and the oddity of some of the things that went on here reminded me a lot of the imaginative detailing and world of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland. Of course, that only added to my joy in reading this. On top of that, the mystery game at the heart of Caraval that its contestants could join in to solve for a prize was amazing. It was well-paced, with fun clues that kept Scarlett (and me) guessing for its meaning.

Honestly, Caraval has it all. Whatever you want in a book, it should have it within its pages. Whether you believe the hype or not, I suggest you read it for yourself with no expectations and just maybe, you’ll find yourself as surprised as I was at how much I enjoyed this.

(P.S. from Fives: absolutely a 5 Drink Me Potion MUST read. Highly, highly recommend)

Overall Recommendation:
Caraval is one of those rare books that just makes you believe in the world that you’ve stepped into, and makes it so hard to leave it. With a loyal and empathetic protagonist as Scarlett and a mysterious love interest such as Julian, the romance department here was just HOT. And the additional mystery that they needed to solve while at Caraval with the highest stakes possible only added to the pulse-pounding experience. A well-paced and overall imaginative story, Caraval hasn’t made it to many reviewers’ good graces for no reason. A definite recommendation.

YA

Review: The Great Pursuit by Wendy Higgins

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Eurona Duology #2

the great pursuit -wendy higginsIn The Great Pursuit, the dramatic sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Great Hunt, Wendy Higgins delivers another thrilling fantasy filled with dangerous enemies, political intrigue, searing romance, and a princess who is willing to do everything to protect her kingdom.  

One hunt has ended, but the pursuit for love and justice continues.

The kingdom of Lochlanach has traded the great beast that once terrorized the realm of Eurona for something far more dangerous: the ire of powerful Lashed woman Rosaria Rocato. Rosaria demands that Eurona overturn the laws prohibiting magic, or an innocent will be killed each day.

Despite the king’s resistance, Princess Aerity believes they must make peace with the Lashed, and though she’s accepted a betrothal to the man who took down the beast, she cannot help thinking about Paxton, the Lashed man who stole her heart and disappeared.

Aerity soon discovers that Paxton has joined Rosaria’s army in the war against her family. Though her feelings for him are still strong, her duty to her kingdom and her family is stronger—especially when her parents are kidnapped and she has to step up to the throne and once again put aside what’s best for her in order to do what’s best for her people. Paxton and Princess Aerity must fight to see what is more powerful: their love or the impending war between the magical Lashed and the non-magic humans.

 

4.5 Drink Me Potions

The Great Pursuit wraps up a duology in a way that fit my expectations and some. With mysterious intrigue about the evil Rosaria and her plans for the Lashed, this story has elements that would excite different readers.

Starting back very closely from where the previous novel left off, our protagonists are all in a bit of a pickle. Aerity is being rushed to marry Lief, who previously won her hand for killing the first beast that terrorized the land. Her actual love, Pax, is on the run into other kingdoms following the Zandalee women, fierce warriors who showcase the power and might of women instead of the traditional male-dominant role. And Aerity’s cousin, Wyn, fancies Lief while it’s obvious that someone else who’s more worthy of her attentions is left with his unrequited love.

What a love-mess. Fortunately, I thought it was more fun untangling this than I thought it would be, and all my ships have come true. But that’s besides the point (unless that was something you desperately wanted to know too).

Facing off not just one enemy, but two, the powerful Lashed army is coming upon them and they don’t even know it. I normally appreciated Aerity a lot for her stance against her country’s laws on the Lashed and for how selfless she was to sacrifice her own wants for the better of her kingdom, as a true leader should do. At times, it was still difficult as of course the ship game is strong for Pax, but at least I got it.

I felt the romance took up a large space in this story, yet there still felt like it was balanced well with the action parts that took up the rest of the plot. Nothing was going to be the same again in this kingdom if they wanted Lashed and un-Lashed to get along with each other like they once did. This particularly trope reminded me a lot of Marie Rutkoski’s The Winner’s Curse trilogy and I think it similarly looked into this element. Although how it was developed and managed was quite different between the series, Higgins managed to still deliver a heart-pounding story that I gobbled up in a matter of hours.

Oh, and did I mention there was such a HOT scene with Pax and Aerity? My wait since The Great Hunt was definitely rewarded.

Overall Recommendation:
The Great Pursuit delivered the perfect ending that I had wanted, almost wrapped up in a neat bow without it getting too stiflingly perfect. From a world divided and lovers separated, this story brought together battles facing off cunning foes and romances that were just as I had hoped. Aerity is still the strong-headed leader she’s been becoming since before and each of these characters learn more about what it means to live in a world that’s changing. I think fans of the first novel would be satisfied with this ending.

YA

Review: The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: The Falconer #2

the vanishing throne -elizabeth mayEverything she loved is gone.

Trapped. Aileana Kameron, the Falconer, disappeared through the fae portal she was trying to close forever. Now she wakes in an alien world of mirrors, magic, and deception—a prisoner of the evil fae Lonnrach, who has a desperate and deadly plan for his new captive.

Tortured. Time after agonizing time Lonnrach steals Aileana’s memories, searching for knowledge to save his world. Just when she’s about to lose all hope, Aileana is rescued by an unexpected ally and returns home, only to confront a terrifying truth. The city of Edinburgh is now an unrecognizable wasteland. And Aileana knows the devastation is all her fault.

Transformed. The few human survivors are living in an underground colony, in an uneasy truce with a remnant of the fae. It is a fragile alliance, but an even greater danger awaits: the human and fae worlds may disappear forever. Only Aileana can save both worlds, but in order to do so she must awaken her latent Falconer powers. And the price of doing so might be her life…

3 Drink Me Potions

The Vanishing Throne was just as imaginative and epic as its predecessor, filled with character development and lush new settings and mysteries.

First off, can I just say that I’m so glad Aileana isn’t constantly harping on about revenge and what not in her mother’s killer in this book? It was a major turn-off in the first book as her bloodlust drove her to do irrational things and the descriptions of how it overtook her was just getting tiring.

That’s not to say that she doesn’t have things that happen to her in this book that wasn’t worthy of being mad about. It starts right off where we last left our hero. Trapped in some underground world with their number one enemy. Things pretty much stay level on the action department from there. I felt so bad for her as her strong spirit was slowly broken down and her physical body tormented in cruel ways. Fortunately, they don’t stay in this world for long in the book, which surprised me as I assumed this part of the story arc would last longer.

But of course, this allows more time for the other familiar characters from book 1 to appear. Derrick is such a sweet little thing, with a fiercely loyal spirit to Aileana and love for honey. We get to know more about him and his people in this story, including the weird history that he and Kieran share. Speaking of our resident bad boy, a TON of things about his past and who he was were answered, although many more questions popped up just as soon afterwards. He’s a lot softer than I remembered him being in the first novel, but I suppose feeling love towards another human could do that to you. The romance was unrushed, but at the same time, it felt a little lacking for me. I totally love this ship but my heart just wasn’t captivated by it so much in this book.

What disappointed me less was the overall story plot. After getting back to Scotland, things were so very unlike what they were in the first book. Time has passed (after all, fae time differs greatly from human time on Earth) and people Aileana knew had changed after facing horrendous events in the aftermath of the Wild Hunt in Edinburgh. While this completely different setting, and their new camp base, intrigued me, the action (aka battles) weren’t as suspenseful or mysterious as I anticipated. Don’t get me wrong, crazy things go down as their enemies close in on their surviving human base, and of course a certain few fae were really gunning for our girl Aileana. Some of the events that occurred just felt a bit predictable overall.

Although exciting things do happen with regards to this main story arc, no matter how predictable, I felt this book suffered a little. I can’t quite pinpoint how. It seemed to have the makings of everything I could want in a fantasy to make me quite happy, yet I felt my attention swerving to another book and it took a while to finish this book after a long break. This could’ve just been me and the exciting books I read prior to it, so don’t feel too disappointed yet with this sequel. That ending! Oh my goodness, it really sets things up for the next and last book. I’m pretty sure some big head-to-head is coming our way. So stay tuned and just get through this one. I’m sure it can be enjoyable for quite a few readers who loved The Falconer.

Overall Recommendation:
The Vanishing Throne continues with our brave heroine, Aileana, as she tackles one-on-one with a fearsome foe. Although there are plenty of scenes that should leave you breathless with anticipation and excitement, something just didn’t hit me right with this book. Maybe it was the pace which sometimes felt a little slow, or the romance that just didn’t seem to excite me as much as it should. But with plenty of imaginative additions to the fae lore and familiar secondary characters playing a different role in this book, I’d say this sequel should satisfy most fans even if it didn’t quite do the trick for me.