Review: The Queen's Army by Marissa Meyer

The Queen's Army (The Lunar Chronicles, #1.5)
by Marissa Meyer
Published by Square Fish
Paperback - bonus content in Scarlet (purchased)
YA, fantasy, sci-fi, novella

It is time. The boy must leave his family to serve in the Queen's army. To be chosen is an honor. To decline is impossible. The boy is modified. He is trained for several years, and learns to fight to the death. He proves to the Queen—and to himself—that he is capable of evil. He is just the kind of soldier the Queen wants: the alpha of his pack.

The Queen's Army is a novella about the background of Wolf (or Ze'ev Kesley, but I'll forever prefer Wolf), and it tells about the training Wolf got and how he become an alpha. It's no secret that I fell in love with Wolf heads over heels when I read Scarlet. Therefore I had great expectations for The Queen's Army - and it met all of them. It's a short novella, around eighteen pages, but it captures Wolf's character perfectly and it's truly captivating. The whole concept of Wolf fighting to keep the little bit of humanity he had left - him fighting hard so that he wouldn't become utterly mindless beast with fur and all.

For all its shortness, The Queen's Army is probably one of the best - if not the best - novella I've ever read. It's captivating, brilliant and there's absolutely nothing unnecessary as novellas usually are full of. I highly recommend this for everyone who loves The Lunar Chronicles, and Wolf. Because he's darling (and he ate my heart; I don't even want it back). 

5 of 5 stars.

The Queen's Amy on Goodreads.

Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, #2)
by Marissa Meyer
Published by Square Fish
Paperback (purchased)
YA, fantasy, sci-fi, retelling, romance

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Scarlet was everything I hoped Cinder to be. Don't get me wrong, I liked Cinder well enough - I loved the world building and the futuristic twist to the fairytale, but I didn't connect with the characters (Cinder, Iko, Kai, etc.) Scarlet was totally different right from the start: I fell in love with the characters, head over heels. Scarlet was fierce, independent, smart and just darling human being. Wolf, oh my, he literally ate my heart; I love him to pieces and will continue to do so forever (the rest of the series is better have Wolf or I'm going to be mad!). Michelle Benoit rocked. And Captain Thorne was hilarious and charming, and I really want more of him. In comparison to all these brilliant characters Cinder was quite meh and until the end, I really couldn't respect her decision. I still liked her okay, but mostly I just wanted less her chapters and more Scarlet's. Kai... well, he's predictable, which makes him boring.

Basically, character wise Scarlet rocked my world. The plot was also brilliant (even though I yet again guessed the big twists) and Meyer's writing style and world building are fabulous. And romance, don't get me started on that! I need more of it and I will not be satisfied until I get what I want.

I highly recommend people to read Scarlet - even if Cinder (the first part of the chronicles) wasn't that amazing, Scarlet makes everything more intriguing, better and it's just brilliant. I'll totally recommend this series to everyone, just so they can read Scarlet and love it like I do. I seriously hope there'll be more Scarlet and Wolf on the last two instalment of this series, because of them this one was so utterly brilliant that I can't do anything else but love it (and Wolf!) with all I have.

5 of 5 stars.

Scarlet on Goodreads.

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)
by Marissa Meyer
Published by Square Fish
Paperback (purchased)
YA, retelling, sci-fi, romance, dystopia

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Cinder's strong point was definitely the amazing world-building and Meyer's writing style. It's fast paced, thrilling, and just keeps going, and it does not feel like you're reading a long book. There's very detailed description of the world, and many aspects of it, which I absolutely loved. Meyer knows how to build a fantasy world, which is unique, still has the fairy tale feeling, and how to describe it to make it feel real.

However, I did not connect with the characters the way I wanted. Cinder was a smart, hard working and witty main character, but something did not click and while I liked her, I wasn't truly enchanted with her, and I didn't feel her anguish. It didn't help that the love interest, Prince Kai, was boring. He's the crown prince, the future emperor, he should be powerful and great, and have charm and character. However, he lacked all of that. He was just a boy, not a great leader or charming in any way. Mostly he was just boring, which was very disappointing for me. I truly hope Kai will have lots of character development in the other books, because otherwise I'm not going to get along with him. The other obvious disappointment was how little Cinder and Kai had chemistry. There was no chemistry and the romance felt so forced that I cringed many times while reading. Overall, none of the characters made me care about them, so the story felt a flat for me. I see all the potential, and I will continue with the series. Cinderella has never been my favourite fairy tale, so I will give Meyer a chance to make me love her other characters.

Overall Cinder was a good reading experience, and it has so much potential. I just couldn't care about the characters and the big twists of the story were predictable. Meyer has a great potential, and I live in hope that she'll sweep my feet underneath me with the next installment of the chronicles, Scarlet.

3 of 5 stars.

Cinder on Goodreads.

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I Read In 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week participating bloggers can create lists of topic given by the host, and share them with others!

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

I don't know how I have missed this for years. It blew me away, tore my heart and soul into million tiny pieces, and then it mended me again. Miller's writing is gorgeous, and the story is everything. It's a retelling of Achilles and Patroclus from their early years until the end of Trojan War. Although, it is pretty accurate so it's not a retelling that just uses the characters. Definitely my favourite book of 2015.

Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Simon was fourth book I read in 2015 and it has stayed with me ever since. It blew me away because it was so witty, brilliant and funny. It was everything, and made me crave for oreos. Everyone should read Simon!

Earth Star & Earth Flight by Janet Edwards

The second and third book of Earth Girl trilogy, and I marathoned them. I can't decide which one I like the best so I'll say both of them. Edwards' trilogy is so great because every book was good and exciting and the characters stayed true to themselves.

Half Wild by Sally Green

My most anticipated sequel of the 2015. MY SHIP SAILED FOR A WHILE. And it better sail full on in the last book (which comes out next year) or I'm going to be angry. I love Gabriel, and Nathan, and so many other characters (but not Annalise, she can disappear and never come back). But yeah. Half Wild was brilliant and it broke my fragile shipper heart.

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

I don't even know what I expected from this book, but it was nothing like it. It was gorgeous praise for diversity and I loved how all the character's lives intertwined together and how the book was narrated. It's so gorgeous. Go read it!

Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson

This is the kind of New Adult contemporary romance that I want to read, and which I enjoy greatly. Not cliche, not sappy, not predictable - but something real, beautiful and yeah, romantic without it being the only thing the book has to offer.

Skycraping by Cordelia Jensen

It's real, it's written in verse, and it hurts. Skycraping is so good because it's so real, and it deals with something many books doesn't - what happens, when you find out your father is HIV positive, and that your parents have open marriage? It's just so real and good, and I loved it so much.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Brilliant. I don't have a lot words for this, but I loved it and it definitely deserves to be on my list of best books of 2015.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

By far the best book of Lunar Chronicles. Cinder was okay, and I'm struggling with Cress, but Scarlet I flew through. Scarlet and Wolf are the best, and I need more of them in my live. This was so fast paced, intriguing, mysterious, romantic, and just everything the series can be when the characters just click.

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

It's Rick Riordan, so it's bound to be witty, full of adventure and action, and various mythological beings. I love all those things, I sure loved Magnus Chase, and I need the second book.

What are the best books you read in 2015?

Book Blitz + Giveaway: House of Royals by Keary Taylor

House of Royals (House of Royals, #1) 

by Keary Taylor
Publication date: June 21st 2015
New Adult, Paranormal

If you loved BRANDED, you won’t want to miss HOUSE OF ROYALS, Keary Taylor’s newest dark, romantic read.

Every town has its history and skeletons, but Silent Bend, Mississippi’s are darker than most. Ruled from the shadows by the House—the immortal Born and their aging, enslaved Bitten—everyone knows not to go out after dark and that the police will never look into crimes involving blood.

Alivia Ryan didn’t know the man who claims to be her father through a will even existed until she inherits the Conrath plantation. Instead of the sleepy house she expects, she finds a mansion and a staff who look at her with fear in their eyes.

Ian Ward tried to kill Alivia the first time they met, and then insisted he train her to defend herself against the House, who he claims will try to manipulate and take her in for their own political reasons. And the growing attraction between them will threaten their lives—Ian is a sworn enemy of the House. 

In Silent Bend, people disappear, the threat of a demented King and the legend of his resurrecting Queen hang over everyone’s heads, and proving loyalty means far more than blood. You’d better watch who you trust in this town…

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Author bio

Keary Taylor grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night. She is the author of THE EDEN TRILOGY, the FALL OF ANGELS trilogy, and WHAT I DIDN'T SAY. To learn more about Keary and her writing process, please visit www.KearyTaylor.com.

Website

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Author Interview

Please tell us a little about yourself.
I’m Keary Taylor, and I’ve been self-publishing since early 2010.  Since then I’ve released 15 titles and I’m loving every bit of this industry!  I write in a few different genres, but paranormal seems to be my most loved.  I currently live in Utah and spend my summers on a little island in Washington State with my husband and our two kids!  I love traveling, jamming out to music, and have the sugar taste buds of a four year old!


Tell us about your latest book, HOUSE OF ROYALS.
This has been such a fun series to write!  Alivia comes to live in Mississippi after a father she didn’t know leaves her his massive estate.  She arrives to find a town that’s terrified of the dark and her very last name brings all kinds of fear to their eyes.  She’s about to learn of a completely hidden monarchy where the politics get bloody and deadly.


Where did you get the inspiration for HOUSE OF ROYALS?
This story actually evolved from a very different one that I had been trying to write for three years.  It was similarly set in the South, in a sleepy, creepy town, but the supernatural basis for it was voodoo.  I did a lot of weird research, had massive outlines, but every time I worked on it, I had to stop for one reason or another.  I just couldn’t write that version of the story.  I joke and say it has a curse on it, but I’m not really joking…  One day the thought just popped into my head that vampires would totally fit into this town instead, and the rough monarchy I’d been setting up in the original version worked even better in the vampire version!  And House of Royals just poured out of me.


What celebrity would you chose to play the main character(s) in the movie rendition of your book?
I would have Lily Collins play Alivia Ryan.  She totally fits the soft, shy girl Alivia starts out as, but captures the hidden wolf within.  Ian Ward would be played by Liam Hemsworth (I know, this surprised me too, I’m a hardcore Chris loyalist).  And Rath would be none other than Lenny Kravitz!


What do you have coming out in the future?
I’m plowing through this series!  Book two, HOUSE OF PAWNS releases December 15th, and then book three, HOUSE OF KINGS, comes out in March of 2016.  And the series will continue in the fall!

Giveaway! (INTL)

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Cover Reveal: Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully by Megan Tayte

Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully (The Ceruleans, #5)

by Megan Tayte

Publication date: February 16th, 2016

Blurb:

DARKNESS HAS FALLEN, AND SHE ALONE WILL SEE THE LIGHT

With her mother’s life hanging in the balance, Scarlett is devastated – and done with being in the dark. She wants answers, all of them. 

But when was her pursuit of the truth ever straightforward? 

Pulling a single thread triggers a great unravelling. And each revelation will force Scarlett to rethink what she thought she knew about the Ceruleans, the Fallen, her family – herself.

All that came before was a mere prelude to this, the last journey. From London to Twycombe to Hollythwaite to Cerulea, Scarlett will be stalked by the ghosts of what has been, what may have been and what may come to pass. Until she reaches the place where it all began, and it all must end.

But in the final reckoning, none will survive unscathed. And some will not survive at all.

In this explosive conclusion to The Ceruleans series, all must be defined by their actions: sinner, saint… or something more beautiful entirely?

Pre-order your copy here

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And now, the gorgeous cover!

Top Ten Tuesday: New-To-Me Favorite Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week participating bloggers can create lists of topic given by the host, and share them with others!

I have read so many books from new-to-me authors this year, Maybe next year I finally have to get a grip and read tons of sequels or other books from authors I love instead of favouring the new and exciting faces. Anyway, here's ten amazing authors I read for the first time in 2015!

Madeline Miller
My newest favourite and love. She wrote the brilliant, genius, retelling of Achilles and Patroclus (The Song of Achilles) and I devoured the story and fell in love with everything. She inspired me to finally purchase The Iliad and I'm going to read it over the break between semesters. I watched her interviews and she's so intelligent and inspiring, and I'll read her other books if she publishes anything ever.

Becky Albertalli

She's THE debut author of the year if you ask me. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is brilliant in every way, and I can't wait for what Albertalli comes up next. She's also so sweet and nice!

Stephen Chbosky

I can't believe how long it took me to finally read The Perks of Being A Wallflower. It was raw and amazing, and Chbosky became one of my favourites because of it.

Marissa Meyer

I finally dived into the Lunar Chronicles world this year. Cinder was a bit rocky for me because I loved the world-building and writing style but I wasn't particularly a huge fan of any of the characters. Scarlet changed that because Scarlet and Wolf are the most awesome characters ever. Especially Wolf, who ate my heart. So yeah, I'll probably read everything Meyer writes now on.

Malorie Blackman
I read Boys Don't Cry and I was taken by it. I was so happy to read contemporary YA that took place to United Kingdom instead the usual US. That was so cool and Blackman had a nice writing style. I have to check out her other books sometime!

Megan Erickson

Trust the Focus was so good. I loved it so much. I definitely need to read more from Erickson because her book was the perfect NA contemporary romance: it wasn't overly sweet and tacky and cliche - which is so amazing. Her book was just what I look for when I'm in the mood for contemporary romance!

Cordelia Jensen
Skycraping, her debut, was awesome. It was beautiful, real, and so great story written in verse and I loved it. Jensen herself was really nice - I actually won an ARC of the book via twitter, and she was nice and sweet, and yeah, the story was so great it became one of my favourites, and there was no way I wouldn't include her on this list.

Emmi Itäranta

She's originally from Finland (same country as I am from) and she lives in England - she writes her books both in Finnish and English, and Memory of Water was truly original story, and I loved the feel of the story.

Patrick Ness
I had heard all about how amazing Patrick Ness's books were for years. This year I finally got around reading some. I devoured A Monster Calls because it was so goo. I enjoyed a great deal The Rest of Us Just Live Here. Yeah, I'm a fan of Ness from now on. I definitely need to read more of his books. Luckily for me, I own More Than This.

Jay Bell

I think Bell is somewhat known in YA LGBT community, and I finally read one of his books, Kamikaze Boys. I liked it a lot, and I'm excited to read his Something Like -series and other standalones in the future.

Stacking the Shelves (40)

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and is all about sharing the book you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! This isn't only this week's haul but for the last few weeks.
Purchased

The History Boys by Alan Bennett The Iliad by Homer Dracula by Bram Stoker The Savage by David Almond
Won

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch Library

Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness The Blackhouse by Peter Maystac The Echoes of Scotland Street by Samantha Young
What did you get this week/recently? I love to check out people's book hauls!

Wrapping the Month: November Edition

What's greater way to start new month than taking a look at previous one?

Yet again I failed miserably blogging-wise. BUT. I read eight books/novella/graphic novels. That's huge for me! Especially since I had three essays due in November, which I managed to turn in on time (even though all I wanted to do was binge watch Criminal Minds and binge read every book I own). I only got two reviews out there. I actually have two more written but for some reason or another, I haven't posted them yet. I'm pretty sure the months I have lots of university work are going to be more quiet blogging-wise, especially if I still want to read lots of books at the same time. However, in December all I have is three exams and the courses won't start until the last part of January, so I'm hoping to write lots of reviews and maybe do some other types of post. Let's hope I actually get a grip and finally figure out how to effectively make blogging part of my weekly things I need to do. (Maybe someone should just take all the TV shows away so I wouldn't binge watch them when I'm stressed out because of the uni work.)

In November I tried not to buy so many books as previous months. Mostly because I needed to buy gifts for friends and family. I still managed to get one book for free and buy some. I'm in a huge classic mode right now!

November's reviews:

A Monster Calls (5 stars)

Against Reason (3 stars)

Reading was good this month. I nailed it. I started by finishing Scartlet by Marissa Meyer, and reading The Queen's Army novella right after that. I did read half of Cress after that until I hit a boring part I couldn't get over, so I haven't finished it yet.

When I needed a break from the Lunar Chronicles, I devoured Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. Then I read Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman, and quickly devoured The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness. 

Then I read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, which is without a doubt the best book I read this year. It's perfection. I want to re-read it immediately!

Before the month was over, I read The History Boys by Alan Bennett, and finally finished reading Against Reason by Scatlet Blackwell.

I still have six books I need to read in order to finish the Goodreads Reading Challenge. I will nail it, and lucky me, after the exams I have tons of time to read, especially since I'll travel back to Finland for Christmas so I can read during the flights and airport stays.

Hugs,

Henna