Review: Legendary by Stephanie Garber

SYNOPSIS

Stephanie Garber’s limitless imagination takes flight once more in the colorful, mesmerizing, and immersive sequel to the bestselling breakout debut Caraval
A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval...the games have only just begun.

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About the author

I’m the international and New York Times bestselling author of Caraval.

When I’m not writing, I teach creative writing at a private college in Northern California, where I’ve been known to turn assignments into games and take students on field trips that involve book signings.

To help pay my bills during college, grad school, and the breaks in between, I worked as a barista, a waitress, a bartender, a customer service representative for an energy consulting company, and as a sales girl at Bath and Bodyworks. I also spent years working with youth; I worked as a counselor at space themed summer camp, volunteered at a school for deaf children in Mexico, and I took multiple groups of college students overseas to spend their winter vacations serving at youth hostels in Amsterdam. But out of everything that I’ve done, writing young adult novels has been my favorite job.

My debut YA fantasy novel, Caraval is out now

(Flatiron Books/Macmillan—US and Hodder & Stoughton—UK). Caraval has sold in thirty foreign territories and the movie rights were picked by Twentieth Century Fox.

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REVIEW

Legendary by Stephanie Garber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Title: Legendary
Series: Caraval #2
Author: Stephanie Garber
Release date: May 29, 2018

This is one of those reviews that intimidates you to write because you know there's no hope in ever expressing how good the story really is. I'm a huge, huge fan of book one, Caraval . The twists and turns, the unpredictable nature and magical adventure was like nothing I had read before. I never would have thought it was possible to top that reading experience, and I must admit I was a little nervous for disappointment in the second book. After all, I'm no novice. I know what to expect from this deceptive game now. Right?

RIGHT?!...

Wrong.

Check your confidence at the door before stepping foot in the Meridian Empire's enchanted city of Valenda. Once again, Stephanie Garber had me questioning everything I thought I knew, and turning the world on its head. In Valenda you'll discover a city of flying carriages, and crumbling columns. Imprisoned immortal fates whose cruelty must never be unleashed on the world again. A city blanketed by lavender skies, stardust, and more danger than your imagination could conjure.

Tella wondered if Legend’s games ever ended, or if his world was an endless maze of fantasy and reality that left those caught inside it forever suspended somewhere in between the two.

It all started with a Deck of Destiny and a curious little girl who couldn't resist tempting fate. Tella Dragna has always been bold, courageous, and maybe a little too impulsive for her own good. With one innocent choice, she set a chain of events in motion that she may never be able to break.

In Caraval, Tella was a wild card with questionable motivations. Scarlett's younger sister seemed flighty and whimsical, and I had no idea what to think of her. Then she looked death square in the eye, and risked everything for the sake of her sister. With a cruel father, and a mother who didn't care enough to stay, Scarlett was the one person she could depend upon. That forged a solid bond, and fierce loyalty between the sisters that couldn't be broken. But their mother's disappearance seven years before left a gaping hole that needed to be filled. She would have answers, even if she had to bargain with the devil to seek them out.

Not only is she up against Legend's wit and magic, a new sinister player is revealed that may have the power to be her undoing.

They said his kiss had been fatal to all but her—his only weakness—and as he’d sought her, he’d left a trail of corpses.

Even with an unexpected ally, (Or are they really?) she's working with a physical handicap that's like a ticking timebomb preparing to detonate. You can try to guess her friends and foes, what's real, and what's a trick of the mind. I dare you. Even with the unveiling of Legend, will Tella find the answers and the future she seeks? Or is she doomed to fulfill the destiny that's been foretold that she refuses to accept?

Tella won me over completely with her determination and bravery. She was nothing like I expected, and much more than she believed herself to be. Along the way she faced countless challenges, crushing disappointments, and heartache. Underneath that fiery stubbornness was a vulnerable side that she tries to hide, but comes peeking out at the most inopportune times. You could see that this entire adventure was her desperate attempt to recapture control of her life after being powerless for so long. Flitting from boy to boy was self-protection from the belief that she wasn't meant to find true love. That love was alluring, but destroyed everything it touched.

Love turned the world into a garden, so beguiling it was easy to forget that rose petals were as ephemeral as feelings, eventually they would wilt and die, leaving nothing but the thorns.

These characters have a depth and dimension to them that make the story so vivid you can't tell where the pages end and you begin. The plot is layered with mystery, desperation, and when everything comes together it will leave you gasping. I'm not exaggerating, my heart was actually pounding from excitement as she raced towards the final confrontation. I could not read fast enough for my spinning mind.
The story told from a fresh point of view, a glittering, sprawling backdrop, and filled with a new ensemble of completely fleshed out characters. I can tell you without hesitation that this is one of the best crafted fantasy books you'll ever read.

The number one rule of Caraval is to Remember, it's only a game. I kept chanting this most basic rule. It's a game! These are actors playing a part on the grandest of stages! BUT Y'ALL, I STILL DOUBTED. I theorized, guessed, second guessed...well...you get the picture. Just don't expect things to be wrapped up in a cozy, tidy bow. Hold your breath, take the leap, and experience the wonder that awaits you.

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Review: Marriage of Inconvenience by Penny Reid

Synopsis:

There are three things you need to know about Kat Tanner (aka Kathleen Tyson. . . and yes, she is *that* Kathleen Tyson): 1) She’s determined to make good decisions, 2) She must get married ASAP, and 3) She knows how to knit.

Being a billionaire heiress isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it sucks. Determined to live a quiet life, Kat Tanner changed her identity years ago and eschewed her family’s legacy. But now, Kat’s silver spoon past has finally caught up with her, and so have her youthful mistakes. To avoid imminent disaster, she must marry immediately; it is essential that the person she chooses have no romantic feelings for her whatsoever and be completely trustworthy.
Fortunately, she knows exactly who to ask. Dan O’Malley checks all the boxes: single, romantically indifferent to her, completely trustworthy. Sure, she might have a wee little crush on Dan the Security Man, but with clear rules, expectations, and a legally binding contract, Kat is certain she can make it through this debacle with her sanity—and heart—all in one piece.
Except, what happens when Dan O’Malley isn’t as indifferent—or as trustworthy—as she thought?

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Title: Marriage of Inconvenience
Series: Knitting in the City #7
Author: Penny Reid
Release date: March 6th, 2018
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 5 stars

Delayed gratification: maybe you're not a fan of it. Maybe you don't like the waiting so much, and in the end, that gratification is not quite as pleasurable as you had anticipated. The crash and burn can be painful, so you avoid it like the plague. This book is pretty much the definition of that phrase. To say that readers of this series wanted Kat and Dan's book written is like saying that the discovery of the DNA structure is a pretty decent scientific find. We were practically foaming at the mouth in our rabid impatience to get our hands on their book. And folks? Put your worries to rest, because Dan the security man and Kit-Kat lived up to every bit of their promise.

Kat has always been the most quiet and reserved woman of the group. I was happily surprised when her quirky personality unfurled-she was endearing from the first page. Cheese is her drug of choice, and she uses it to self-medicate her anxiety away. She hiccups when she's nervous. Not in a cute little peep...no, this was something else entirely. I actually laughed out loud at her mortification over her stress hiccups.

My hiccups sounded like a shrill gasp if I wasn’t careful to keep my mouth closed. A few people eyeballed me as I walked, as though attempting to determine if I were in distress or just a weirdo making truncated shrieking sounds.

The reason for Kat's subdued personality comes out, and it all made perfect sense. As the heiress to the largest privately held pharmaceutical fortune in the world, she was worth billions. When you have that much money, it's a lonely position to be in. Kat had a completely dysfunctional childhood with one mentally ill parent, and another who either didn't acknowledge her existence, or show her any love or acceptance. But she never cried 'poor little rich girl.' She began a downward spiral, years of dangerous rebellion, and self harm. She didn't have any positive reinforcement, no one there who encouraged her, or helped guide her in the right direction. But she lays the blame entirely on her own shoulders, and the shame and feelings of unworthiness eat her alive. She internalizes everything and that is probably one reason for the mysterious Big Misunderstanding.

If it weren't for that night in Vegas, she could have avoided the uncomfortable awkwardness that her relationship evolved into with Dan. Her stubborn avoidance of the man who stars in every one of her fantasies frustrates him to no end. The poor man has been besotted with her for years, but even after their disastrous night, he can't get her out of his mind. I think this is what makes their chemistry so enticing. That pull they have towards one another creates some of the most delicious friction and tension.

   I leaned closer again.
“Dan.”
He tilted his head to the side, saying,
“Kit-Kat,”
and a tiny shiver raced down my spine.
He’d lowered his voice to the naughty-secret level.

It takes a moment of desperation to reach out to Dan for help, and he grabs his shot with both hands without hesitation. How can I explain how much I loved his instant eagerness to help her, no questions asked?? Penny Reid excels at creating heroes with charm and charisma, and Daniel O’Malley is no exception.

He's coarse, rough around the edges, but with a soft side that is so devilishly sweet. One thing I particularly loved about him was how devoted he was to his mother. Devoted, yet at the same time completely terrified of her wrath. How cute is that? He's also very intuitive, and doesn't let Kat hide away from him like she's used to doing with the rest of the world. He peels back her protective outer layers, and reveals the woman that she hadn't felt worthy enough to expose.

Instead of running scared, he's drawn in even more deeply than before. Their relationship is anything but conventional, they're essentially dating after they get married, and learning each other's faults and eccentricities. But not only does he accept her issues, he vows to help her navigate through them and heal. Suddenly their fake marriage is becoming more than words on a piece of paper. They're both in deep, and sorting their feelings while navigating her crisis with Caleb isn't making it easy on them.

Fuck me,
but I could drown in her eyes.
It wasn’t just that they were gorgeous,
it was everything behind them—
the smarts, the goodness, the toughness,
the compassion—
and they made me stupid
when we were this close.

There were moments when you just wanted to grab the back of their heads and smoosh them together. Kiss, you stubborn kids!! Then tie them together and make them talk out all of their fears and concerns until they got it right. Lust is often confused with love in many relationships, but with Kat and Dan, gratitude was what drove a wedge between them and caused doubt. Based on the mistakes of his father, Dan was hypersensitive and too quick to distrust in order to avoid repeating history. But in doing so, he could demolish the progress they made together if he can't see the truth in front of him.

The Knitting in the City series started its journey five years ago. I have read each and every full length novel in order, and looked forward to the next with impatient giddiness. Coming to the end of the road with these beloved characters is definitely bittersweet, but oh, how it hurt so good. I'm not going to lie, I got a little emotional facing the fact that this would be the final couple in the series. However, getting to know Dan's brother a little better, I have to wonder if he'll be getting his own book. Can I be the first in line to beg for that? I'll make sure we form a neat and orderly line. There's much more to him than we all previously thought, let's just say that. And that epilogue had me dreaming of a spin off series...but that could just be my inability to say goodbye rearing its head. To sum things up: READ THIS BOOK!! But you probably don't need me to tell you that.

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Review: From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon

Title: From Sand and Ash

Series: Standalone

Author: Amy Harmon

Release date: December 1, 2016

Cliffhanger: No

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis:

Italy, 1943—Germany occupies much of the country, placing the Jewish population in grave danger during World War II.

As children, Eva Rosselli and Angelo Bianco were raised like family but divided by circumstance and religion. As the years go by, the two find themselves falling in love. But the church calls to Angelo and, despite his deep feelings for Eva, he chooses the priesthood.

Now, more than a decade later, Angelo is a Catholic priest and Eva is a woman with nowhere to turn. With the Gestapo closing in, Angelo hides Eva within the walls of a convent, where Eva discovers she is just one of many Jews being sheltered by the Catholic Church.

But Eva can’t quietly hide, waiting for deliverance, while Angelo risks everything to keep her safe. With the world at war and so many in need, Angelo and Eva face trial after trial, choice after agonizing choice, until fate and fortune finally collide, leaving them with the most difficult decision of all.

Yet again, Amy Harmon has written something so substantial, so moving, that I can't collect the proper thoughts to express my feelings for this amazing expression of love. Based on the fact that this book takes place in occupied Italy during WW2, I knew that it would be painfully hard to read at points, if not throughout the entirety.

The harsh realities of the lives of the people in Italy during this time were staggering. The horrors of the Holocaust are widespread and far reaching to this very day. We hear about what the Jewish people were forced to endure and it makes us shudder just to even imagine their overwhelming suffering. But what about the indoctrination period? Do you ever sit and wonder how evil of this magnitude could trickle into everyday life? Until it's no longer a trickle, it's a flood of hate and torment that drowns everyone in its path?

Her hands shook and her stomach revolted, and every horrified breath felt like fire in her throat. Yet still she sat, composed, her terror held inside the bony cage that sheltered her war-torn heart and her shrapnel-riddled lungs.

This book shines a light on how something so inconceivable to us became the mundane. Fear and uncertainty ruled every day. Things would get better if they just kept quiet and kept their heads down, if they waited it out. The characters were fictional, but the emotions, the events were chillingly real. Harmon's detail in depicting the setting, and the delicacy of their attraction growing amid the horrors that surrounded them is a startling contrast. Perhaps making the purity of their devotion to one another even more powerful.

It was love that made each touch feel like redemption and each kiss feel like rebirth. Not lust. Not pleasure. It was love that created joy.

Angelo and Eva had the type of relationship that many would condemn. Growing up, being raised together like brother and sister, and of such differing religious faiths made them the consummate forbidden pair. But the strength of their connection to one another was absolute. It defied years of separation, denial, and discouragement. It defied war and humiliation and despair. Their abiding love to one another could never be extinguished or tempered no matter what battered at them. Their struggle, it moved me to tears many times. It was honest, and achingly unyielding.

He didn’t know how to heal her or hold her or save her. He didn’t know how to be what she needed. All he knew was that he loved her desperately. Desperately.

For some, this story would be too harsh to experience. Knowing the trials that face these characters are all too uncomfortable for its truth. But for me, a story like this is necessary. It serves to remind us of the horrible path this world has taken, one that must never, ever be forgotten. But it also shows how just a glimmer of hope can have miraculous results even in our darkest hours. It reveals to readers with profound and sensitive skill that sometimes, love can conquer all.

Angelo and Eva were beautiful souls struggling to make sense of their feelings, their faith, and survival by any means possible. This is one of those books that is so insightful and exquisite, I feel like I'm better for having read it. I read this in one day, cover to cover, feeling desperate for the world to right itself again. I wasn't an impartial observer, I was right in the middle of their battle. I stayed up until 3 AM in order to find peace, I never could have settled without knowing the final fate of these characters. It was just that intense.

Amy Harmon has done it again, she has proved herself to be the kind of writer who can write in any genre, on any topic and make me grateful that I was lucky enough to have experienced her gift of words.

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Christie's Review: Broken Prince by Erin Watt

Title: Broken Prince

Author: Erin Watt

Series: The Royals #2

Release date: July 25, 2016

Cliffhanger: Sweet baby Jesus, yes

Synopsis:

These Royals will ruin you…

From wharf fights and school brawls to crumbling lives inside glittery mansions, one guy tries to save himself.

Reed Royal has it all—looks, status, money. The girls at his elite prep school line up to date him, the guys want to be him, but Reed never gave a damn about anyone but his family until Ella Harper walked into his life.

What started off as burning resentment and the need to make his father’s new ward suffer turned into something else entirely—keep Ella close. Keep Ella safe. But when one foolish mistake drives her out of Reed’s arms and brings chaos to the Royal household, Reed’s entire world begins to fall apart around him.

Ella doesn’t want him anymore. She says they’ll only destroy each other.

She might be right.

Secrets. Betrayal. Enemies. It’s like nothing Reed has ever dealt with before, and if he’s going to win back his princess, he’ll need to prove himself Royally worthy.

**References to events in Paper Princess are mentioned, so if you haven't read book one, you shouldn't read my review yet.**

Enslaved. That's what this series has done to me. I'm one of the poor fangirls who naively started Paper Princess with the hope for simply a YA that could grab my attention. Consider me grabbed, handcuffed, and stuffed in a box of endless, torturous waiting just for a few more words to end my suspense. I finally got my twitching, frantic hands on this book and I was like a fiend looking for her next high. I wanted answers, damn it! And for all you out there still waiting, let me put your fears to rest. Many of the questions you have rolling around in your mind are finally going to be answered. The only problem is...you're going to have layers upon layers more to the story to keep you up at night. There's no other word but staggering for this shocker of an ending.

In an attempt to keep this as spoiler free as possible, I'm going to have to write this as more of a report of vagueness to maintain the value of the story. (#SorryNotSorry) You want to be ruined like all the rest of us, don't you?

After the horrible, climactic ending in Paper Princess, we were all left in a state of shock. Would Reed really betray Ella in that way? What would become of her after she storms out of his life and disappears? Would he find her and mend what had been broken?

The book starts you out with some immediate relief with some desperately needed information. We get Reed's POV, and let me tell you, it was just what I needed to get inside of that cryptic mind of his. We really saw a more vulnerable side emerge in this book that softened my heart towards him so much. Ella on the other hand, is one tough nut to crack. Her trust has been broken and once that's gone, she's not easily convinced that she should put herself in a weak position again. Ella is a survivor at heart, and she listens to her instincts. Her instincts are telling her that she never should have laid her heart on the line for the Royal boys. Reed in particular.

The tug-of-war between Reed and Ella
comes back once again in Broken Prince, only in a different form. It's no longer a fight for dominance in the lion's den. It's a battle to prove their true character once and for all. To make the right choices and learn from their mistakes. These boys may be filthy rich and living in the lap of luxury, but in no way does that make their lives comfortable. We learn more about their family history and the depths that the depraved people around them will sink. In their world, it's kill or be killed and these boys became ruthless for a reason. With the poor examples of both their parents, it's not hard to see why they struggled to make the right choices. But you can't help but fall in love with each of them despite their faults and weaknesses.

Ella is no stranger to adversity herself, just on the other end of the social spectrum. Reed had more financial advantages than her, but they similar in so many ways that she couldn't help but see him and connect to him at his core like nobody else could. She came into their world and shook up their lonely and bitter lives. Nothing would ever be the same again.

She brought steel and fire. She made us laugh again. She gave us purpose-at first, it was us uniting against her. Then it turned into us standing beside her. Protecting her. Loving her.

Adrenaline fueled, and set at a frenetic pace, Broken Prince is sure to keep your pulse sky rocketing from beginning to end. All you can do is hold on tight and hope that you survive the inevitable crash and burn from the ending. There's no turning back now, I'm hooked and waiting for my next piece of the story to tide me over. I can't stress enough how much I adore this series. These two authors have created characters that jump right off the pages and come to vivid life in front of my eyes. Not only the main characters, but the supporting characters as well. The storyline is so well-developed and riveting that there isn't a moment of boredom. If you haven't made your mind up to read these, take the leap and get ruined. You are not going to want to pass up this experience.

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