The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

Honestly, this book didn't really live up to my expectations. I guess they were abnormally high, though... I just didn't feel it with The Lost Prince like I did with The Iron Fey . It just didn't feel... right? I don't know.

The first thing that disappointed me was when Ethan's token was supposed to bring someone to help him, I thought it meant Puck... but, you know, I'm just fangirling... But why did it have to be Grimalkin? He's a lazy jerk with a God complex.

I didn't really enjoy the whole "younger brother of the heroine" as much as I thought I would. It just seemed like Julie Kagawa was grasping at straws and this was the first idea that made any sense at all.

But I have to admit, that is an awesome cover.

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

Ugh. I. Hate. Cliffhangers.

Usually.

:) But definitely this time.

When I started The Crown of Embers it had been seven months since I'd read The Girl of Fire and Thorns. I'd forgotten most of it, and I didn't really know what to expect. The only things I remembered about it was that Elisa was very religious and that she had fallen in love with a desert nomad. Or something like that.

So when I started reading and I noticed the love intrest between Elisa and Hector I was confused. Very confused. But as I kept reading, I caught on quickly and started to LOVE their relationship. (And by the way, I love the last few pages, they are amazing.)

Since I started this while trying to read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne for English class, I was surprised how fast I read it. Normally I focus on my school books and my free reading books take a back burner, but for once, I actually said, "Hell with it, I'm not going to read that!" Well, maybe not those exact words. But close.

:)

 

Anyway, here's the summary of the book:

In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.

Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

My first reaction to finishing Bitterblue was "It was amazing".  Then I thought "Wait, it's over?"

Bitterblue was my favorite character in Graceling, and when I heard that Kristin Cashore was writing a new book that was about Bitterblue, I squealed! Literally, not metaphorically. Sound actually came out of my mouth. I liked Fire better than the other two, but this one still made my hair stand on end at some points. Which is what we all look for in a book right?

The characters were so real. And so much like I remember them from Graceling. I was kind of disappointed at how little Fire was in the book, but that's okay. But, Saf (Sapphire) was OMG! I loved the relationship between them, the banter, the laughter, the disappointments in each other. It seemed like the real thing. I was so sad when he decided to leave for the Dells! I wanted to cry, but then I remembered the Bridge scene (I swear I read that five or six times, thinking "did that really just happen?" I was so sad when he decided to leave for the Dells! I wanted to cry, but then I remembered the Bridge scene (I swear I read that five or six times, thinking "did that really just happe0

The setting was perfectly described. The bridges, every time we encountered a bridge, I could see it in my mind, it was amazing.

The way Cashore described the many sculptures and paintings in the book made me think "How did she come up with all those statue ideas?" And then I remembered that she's an author. And authors are amazing.

Here's the summary:

The long-awaited companion to New York Times bestsellers Graceling and Fire

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck's reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle--disguised and alone--to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn't yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

*Warning, there are a few spoilers in this review, I apologize, but it's just one of those books where you can't explain how you're feeling without spoilers, if you know what I mean.* 

Well, didn't know what to expect after Delirium, but if definitely wasn't that. And that ending? Where did that come from? (view spoiler)I was just getting used to the fact that Alex was dead and Lena now belongs with Julian, and BAM! Alex is alive and he's in the same place as the pair. Uh, oh. Heads are gonna roll.

The writing, again, was amazing. Lauren Oliver never ceases to amaze me. I liked how the book flipped between how Lena got out of Portland and into her new life, and her new life in New York.

(view spoiler)P.S. I totally saw that bit with her mom coming. I mean, really, who wouldn't? It was so obvious!

All in all, this was an amazing book. READ IT!!!

After falling in love, Lena and Alex flee their oppressive society where love is outlawed and everyone must receive the "cure" - an operation that makes them immune to the delirium of love - but Lena alone manages to find her way to a community of resistance fighters. Although she is bereft without the boy she loves, her struggles seem to be leading her toward a new love.