Review: Allegiance by Cayla Kluver

Allegiance by Cayla Kluver
Series: The Legacy Trilogy #2
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
First published: February 28th, 2012
Source: NetGalley
Format: eARC
Pages: 490

Goodreads Summary:

An eighteen-year-old queen in love with the enemy as their countries pass the point of no return...

Bound to a man she cannot love, Queen Alera of Hytanica must forget Narian, the young man who holds her heart. For Narian is destined to conquer Hytanica at the behest of his master, the powerful magic-user known as the Overlord. Alera doesn't truly believe Narian will fight against Hytanica-until Cokyrian troops attack with Narian commanding the charge.

Faced with the greatest betrayal a heart can know, Alera must set aside personal feelings and lead her kingdom through its darkest time. And when all hope, will and courage seem lost, she must find strength and remember that even the blackest night must have a dawn...

This might include spoilers for the first book of the series.

Previous review(s): Legacy

My Rating: 3.0 / 5

First thoughts:

Following the events of the series' first book, Allegiance enables us to understand certain characters even better and made me change my opinion about them. Even though I'm not too happy with some things that happened and would have preferred a faster pace, I still liked this second installment and am looking forward to read the last part of this trilogy.  

More detailed:

Just like its predecessor, Allegiance is set at a slow pace and as I read it during a week where I had only little time to read, I had some problems staying interested in the story because of that. While the writing is still as wonderfully descriptive as in Legacy, which makes it so very easy to imagine the setting and the characters, I sometimes wished for the story to move faster.

Alera finds herself in a situation she isn't very happy about - as the new queen of Hytanica she's married to a man who expects more affection from her while the man she actually loves is gone. But, to be honest, I didn't really miss Narian while he wasn't by her side as I was very happy with the way Steldor developed. 

Even though she is trying to handle this situation as good as possible, I sometimes felt a little bit frustrated with Alera who turned out to be more whiny than I would have liked. Also, her efforts to try to solve her problems single-handedly only led to more problems and her inability to accept that certain things just cannot be changed annoyed me.

Nonetheless I liked the basic concept of the storyline that had more than just a few twists and turns I didn't expect. Sadly I'm not really a huge fan of the ending, but I'm pretty sure many others will like it. All in all, I expected to like Allegiance a bit more after having adored Legacy, but nontheless I'm looking forward to the third book to find out how Alera's story will end.

Have you read Allegiance? If yes, what did you think about it?
If no, do you plan to read it?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Carina

Review: Ironskin by Tina Connolly

Ironskin by Tina Connolly
Series: Ironskin #1
Publisher: Tor Books
First published: October 2nd, 2012
Source: NetGalley
Format: eARC
Pages: 304

Goodreads Summary:

Jane Eliot wears an iron mask.

It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin.

When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.

Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio...and come out as beautiful as the fey.

Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.

My Rating: 3.5 / 5

First thoughts:

Mysterious and fascinating, Ironskin is a compelling read and made me crave more. In a world where beauty is a curse and you wish for your children to grow up being ordinary, Jane has to fight for the life she always dreamed of and pulls the readers right into the journey. At times though I wished for the story to move faster to capture my attention even more and make it impossible to put down. 

More detailed:

I read and thoroughly enjoyed Jane Eyre a couple of years ago, which was why I was dying to get my hands on Ironskin as well. And when thinking back to this retelling, the first thing that comes to my mind is its uniqueness. I've loved fey stories for a while now and Tina Connolly has created an amazing tale of mystery and fear that surrounds these creatures.

The story is told from Jane's point of view and she turns out to be a very entertaining character to listen to. There are lots of things she's thinking but not saying out loud and witnessing her interaction with the people she meets in various social circles can be anything - nerve-wracking, annoying, slightly scary, funny, and exciting.

For me the most important aspect in novels is always the love story, which sadly doesn't get too much attention in Ironskin. Jane and Rochart's interactions happen too infrequently and I had wished for a faster progress (no matter how slow the love story developed in the original story). Overall, I would have liked Ironskin to have a faster pace, because at times I felt as though the story dragged on slightly.

Nonetheless this is an interesting read that should be on your to-read list, if you are looking for a new and different take on worlds in which fey and humans interact. It's a story of beauty, both out- and inwardly, of loss and pain and of fighting for your life and to be the person you truly are. So, even though this might not have been my favorite book, I enjoyed it a lot and will definitely pick up its sequel.

Buy this book:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Have you read Ironskin? If yes, what did you think about it?

If no, do you plan to read it?

I'd really love to hear your thoughts.

Carina

Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Series: His Fair Assassin #1
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
First published: April 3rd, 2012
Source: NetGalley
Format: eARC
Pages: 549

Goodreads Summary:
Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

My Rating: 4.0 / 5

First thoughts:

Set in a world of betrayal, murder and love, Grave Mercy managed to captivate me with its beautiful writing, its appealing characters and a plot that is hard to forget despite its slower pace. Ismae's story is one of letting yourself be happy without doubting that you deserve it. Both, the main plot and the love story are in harmony and always made me hope that Grave Mercy was even longer than it already is.

More detailed:

From time to time, I enjoy delving into a historical world with political intrigues, betrayal, and a life at court that makes me forget our modern surroundings. A historical setting can be the perfect opportunity to learn about past times and imagine what your life could have been like a few hundred years ago. Mix it with a few paranormal elements, a kick-ass main character, and a beautiful style of writing and you get Grave Mercy.

The many very positive reviews that I've read about Grave Mercy before picking it up myself both made me excited to find out more about this story and scared that I might end up being disappointed. I have to admit that in the end there was a certain feeling / spark missing for me that would have made me rate it with five stars, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and cannot wait what will await us with the companion novel, Dark Triumph.

Ismae is the kind of character I'd love to find more in Young Adult novels. She has led a tough life until she's finally introduced to St. Mortain and her duties, but despite being allowed to be at least a bit whiny, she continues to fight for herself and finds a meaning in life again. To be a handmaiden to Death turns out to be a lot more complicated than she expected and witnessing her question her destiny and form her own opinion was wonderful.

Duval, Ismae's love interest, is one of those swoon-worthy male characters who has already got a lot of attention and will receive even more. But despite being a slightly broody person, he is still kind and not the usual "bad guy" we're used to. His relationship with Ismae is developing very slowly and doesn't distract from the main focus of the story. Instead it creates a beautiful golden thread that is weaved through the story and makes the complicated court policy a lot more bearable.

First and foremost, Grave Mercy concentrates on the political intrigues that are an essential part of such a historical setting. While I wasn't surprised by all of the twists and found it to be fairly easy to guess who the villain of the story is, it was exciting and despite the slower pace and heavier topics I never felt the need to stop reading.

All in all, Grave Mercy is a must-read for 2012. As a person who doesn't read too much historical fiction myself and usually despites slow-paced books, I enjoyed it immensely nonetheless and can recommend it to everyone who is looking for an exceptionally well written novel. I'm sure that the only reason, why I didn't feel like giving this a five-star-rating, is the huge hype that surrounded it ever since we heard about it. If you're just the tiniest bit interested in Grave Mercy, I'm sure you won't regret picking it up.

Have you read Grave Mercy? What did you think about it?
Do you plan to read it?

Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Carina

Review: Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
First published: November 8th, 2011
Source: NetGalley
Pages: 317

Goodreads Summary:
The Picture of Dorian Gray meets Pride and Prejudice, with a dash of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.

My Rating: 4.0 / 5

First thoughts:

This was a very refreshing and fast read. It's characters are very intriguing and the plot kept me turning the pages to find out whether everything will work out. Leanna Renee Hieber managed to create a beautiful historical setting which sucked me in immediately and her characters made it impossible to stop reading.

More detailed:

I usually don't read (murder) myteries often, but this is the genre I'd use to describe Darker Still. But Leanna Renee Hieber has combined this with even more genres by adding a paranormal twist and setting this book in a historical New York. And this combination worked perfectly for me, making me want to be part of this world to get to know its characters even better.

Darker Still's main character Natalie has been described as very strong despite her muteness by many bloggers and I can completely agree with them. She's a wonderful character and reading her diary entries is a lot of fun. It is interesting to witness her encountering other people and having to deal with her handicap, always hoping to be able to be a part of society and friendships nonetheless.

Her relationship with Lord Denbury is lovely as well. He has been described as a perfect gentleman and, again, I can only confirm this claim. At times, I felt incredibly sorry for them, but with Natalie's help he managed to not give up and always continued hoping for a happy ending. I'd love to find out how their story will continue, because I've definitely grown fond of them.

The other characters in Darker Still are very diverse: I love Mrs. Northe who is such a great help for Natalie. Of course I don't like the demon possessing Denbury's body, but I also couldn't really warm up to Maggie, Mrs. Northe's niece. Her selfishness and superficiality are very pronounced and don't make her likeable.

Sometimes I felt like the plot wasn't moving fast enough, making me want to skip a few pages. But at the same time I was too scared to miss an important detail and was very happy when the pace picked up again soon. All in all, I really enjoyed Darker Still and would recommend it to everyone who might be interested in such a well written mysterious paranormal story.

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Have you read Darker Still? What did you think about?

Do you plan to read it?

Carina