The Lost Souls by Madeline Sheehan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’m 49% of the way through this book and I’m going to have to move it into the DNF category. The plight of the characters is so bleak, the suffering so prevalent that the story is becoming stagnant.
My Soul to Take by Madeline Sheehan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a lusty pack of gypsies! This book has a lot going for it. Too much you ask? Maybe but I still enjoyed the ride. Poor Trinity! Surviving the zombie apocalypse was rough enough but now she’s got also juggling unstable magical powers as well. I’m still enjoying the series but I’m really hoping that someone catches a break sometime soon. So much suffering and too few showers. 😉
P.S. What’s up with the cover art for this book? First book of the series has a couple holding hands. Now this one looks like a demented mime.
The Soul Mate by Madeline Sheehan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a solid 4 star read for me. I have several Madeline Sheehan books on my “want to read” list but this is the first one I actually cracked open. The friction between Trinity, Gerik, Xan and Onyx was delicious, sinful and utterly enjoyable.
Only two complaints-
1) I wish the characters would have been a bit older considering the heavy subject matters they are dealing with. (Zombie-ish apocalypse, forced marriage, soul mates, vengeful harpies named Onyx…the list goes on.)
2) I could have done without the greek mythology references but that’s easy enough to skim past.
The story ends on a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to find out what happens!
The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The final installment of The Winner’s Trilogy! I imagine myself with the same level of satisfaction one might find in a fat cat lying beside a recently consumed bowl of warmed milk.
The Winner’s Kiss was the perfect ending to a fantastic series. The plot was heavy with bloody battle scenes, gambling analogies and tactical war strategies. Once again I’m delighted to share that Kestrel’s intelligence and loyalty proved to be her strongest attributes. So refreshing to see positive attributes for leading female characters.
This more than satisfied my craving for a solid YA novel.
The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Book 2 of the Winner’s Trilogy.
CONFESSION- I couldn’t read this book fast enough. Book 1 ends with Kestrel engaged to the emperor’s son and Arin (heartbroken) as governor of the newly-freed Herrani land and it’s people. With so many obstacles mounted against the two how would they ever overcome?
Book 2 was set primarily in what I’ve lovingly termed the “cobra pit”. Kestrel is thrust into the heart of Valorian politics. She’s forced to dance a fine line between opposing political parties, schemes against the corrupt emperor and encounters deception, deceit and greed at every turn. The romantic element definitely took a back seat to the other issues which I had expected. This is a YA novel after all and I figured they’d have to delay the romance so it wasn’t too “steamy” for their younger readers.
A delightful read for YA fans- both young and old.
The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Marie Rutkoski has stuffed The Winner’s Curse with all the necessary elements for the perfect YA book! Intriguing characters, enthralling settings, *almost* insurmountable odds with a hint of romance and a power shift/twist to keep things interesting.
We’re first introduced to the key players in a busy marketplace. Kestrel (daughter of Valorian army general Trajan) finishes gambling with sailors and is perusing market stalls with her flighty friend Jess. (Doesn’t every YA novel have the token airhead? This book is no exception.) Jess – staying true to character – accidentally leads her friend to a slave auction. Unable to leave without causing a scene Kestrel bids on a slave that catches her eye for exhibiting defiance which is a rare attribute amongst the Herrani slaves.
And thus begins a captivating tale of cunning tactics, societal unrest, land acquisition and political manipulation and scheming. Plus did I mention this book has a healthy dose of girl power? 3 hip, hip hoorays for Kestrel’s strength, intelligence and bravery in the midst of turmoil and chaos.
Thank goodness this is only the 1st of a 3 book series because I’ve fallen in love with the characters and can’t see what they do next!
Fans of the Waterfall series will be equally enchanted with this story!
The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Traveling to wild lands, rival & catty girls, whirlwind (and competitive) courtships…. oh my! What a recipe for a fantastic story ESPECIALLY when it’s written by one of my favorite authors! Last night the book was delivered to my kindle at 11pm. I thought the heavens had opened and were (figuratively) showering me with manna!!! Then…um about 2% into the book I had a hard time buying our heroine’s plight. Yes, I get it that her noble family was financially struggling and she was promised to an itchy guy with overbearing grandma issues. But to abandon your OWN grandmother and head off into a wild, uncharted territory with no promise of finding a better match? That didn’t jive with me. (Honestly folks! Our supposedly intelligent leading lady has NO guarantee that she’ll find a husband of quality-in any estimate- yet she ventures off into the unknown? Not plausible) Either Richelle needed to do a better job of convincing me that an itchy husband is absolutely dreadful or she needed to make me think that there was a guaranteed “pay-out” by making such a rash decision.
Spoiler Alerts- You’ve been warned.
If you enjoyed Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” you’ll love this book. As for me? I’ve always been incredulous at Meg’s decision to skip out on handsome, rich, kind Laurie and shackling herself for a lifetime of financial and social struggles with John Brooke. Make as many inferences as you will from my statements as to Adelaide’s romantic selection. 😉