ARC Review: The Gathering Storm

The Gathering Storm

by Robin Bridges

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Purchase: Amazon | BookDepository
Release Date: January 10, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Historical/Paranormal Romance
Special: YA Historical Fiction Challenge
Source: NetGalley
Rating: Guilty Pleasure

Hover over Books in the navigation bar above to find a link to My Rating System In-Depth.

About the Book:

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?

Our family tree has roots and branches reaching all across Europe, from France to Russia, from Denmark to Greece, and in several transient and minute kingdoms and principalities in between. This tree is tangled with all the rest of Europe's royalty, and like many in that forest, my family tree is poisoned with a dark evil...

Excitement swelled in massive waves when I first caught a glimpse of The Gathering Storm. Besides my love for historical fiction, I have a serious fascination with the Russian culture, the language and history in particular, so of course I was thrilled to happen upon a novel set in Imperial Russia! From the lush scenery painted for us by Bridges's very talented hands, which makes us feel very much a part of a world we've only seen in snatches in the history books, to the riveting paranormal element embedded in the story, I'm content with the story I unearthed in The Gathering Storm, although I wasn't pitched over the moon by insurmountable joy and love.

Katerina, or Katiya, as she is called, a young woman too forward for her time, harbors a disturbingly dark power that she has kept buried since early childhood. At our first meeting, Katiya seems to be a strong, independent female capable of thinking without direction from others, who is admirably advanced in her desires for life. Yet, there were points where a connection wouldn't sprout from the seed Bridges carefully planted; there were moments where her character struck me with a certain lack of believability or general intelligence, which drove a formidable wedge between us. Brilliant potential emanates from Katiya but I haven't hopped on board her fanclub train yet; I'm still waiting to be wowed by her. And shadowing that thought comes the feelings of aloofness pervading the other characters, a missing connection that bothered me while I was reading. I desperately wanted to like these characters for their dazzling personalities, but I wasn't awed by them, including the romantic lead, merely enjoying them at a few points here or there.

During the first half or so of The Gathering Storm, I was enthralled by what I found within its pages. An intriguing mystery would surface here and there, and then everywhere. I was constantly being swiped at by the mounting suspicion and puzzlement over these seemingly normal Russian aristocrats. And when the clues were peeled away to reveal the ripe supernatural secrets smeared over each of the members of Russian royalty, I was ecstatic! I thought, this, this, is where the novel will get explosive! And in those first few moments of shining discovery, the paranormal aspect was totally engrossing. But then between the confusing names and royal titles and the bewildering histories, throwing in a supernatural element seemed to overwhelm the story and changed it so that the plot appeared foggy, dare I say a tad cluttered. When the latter half ended, I was left with this faint disappointment at the turn of events headed toward the ending.

I am content with the story overall, but it had its bumps and awful spins that nearly eclipsed my comfortable liking for this book. Although I wanted to be sucker-punched by it's awesomeness, The Gathering Storm is, at best, a decent, likable novel. I'm hopeful that the rest of the series will turn out to surprise me in the best possible ways.

Review: The Faerie Ring

The Faerie Ring

by Kiki Hamilton

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Release Date: September 27, 2011
Publisher: Tor Teen/Macmillan
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Library Check-Out
Rating: Sud-Kissed
About the Book:

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty...

"You wouldn’t be here pickin’ pockets, would you?" Tiki jumped as the dark figure loomed over the corner where she sat, pretending to be half-asleep.

I would label The Faerie Ring as intricate, with so many pieces being interwoven into this dark, suspenseful story. Some of those pieces worked for me and others didn't. I had two major reasons for being excited for this book: the first, FAERIES. In my list of Favorite Paranormals, faeries are located at the top of the list. And there's a reason for that. No, it's not just because these ethereally beautiful people sparkle. These magical creatures are tricky bastards, forever looking out for number one. I've yet to encounter a totally benevolent faerie in YA fiction, most inclining toward wonderfully dark and devious, and in that respect Hamilton definitely delivers. And what really had me jumping up and down in anticipation for this book was the setting. I can't get enough of Victorian London! While Hamilton clearly knew old London well by the time she started writing, I was disappointed because I was only exposed to a few key places. Nowhere eye-popping is invited into the book, sadly.

The Faerie Ring isn't nearly as mind-numbingly epic as I wanted it to be. The story is trapped in that in-between place where you're like, Oh, this is good! followed shortly after by, But... *blank* could've been better. I liked Hamilton's take on faeries, but I wanted them to have more of an appearance in the book! Especially since they are pretty much the main antagonists. Yet, the story focused elsewhere for a substantial chunk of it. The setting is well-written, but mostly portrays either London's "gritty" slums or the grand Buckingham Palace. I wanted much more! The rag-tag street orphans? They flitted between cute and worthy of sympathy to distant and dull. Small Review mentions that they are pretty much "stock cute orphan," and so it's hard to find any depth in these characters. What is there to like? I think, seriously, the only one that that didn't apply to was baby Clara, and it's because I'm a sucker for sickly little girls.

Tiki as a mother hen worked... to a point. On the one hand her protectiveness of her band of friends is endearing and likable, but... she's so confusing! One minute she's this Bad-Ass Thief and then the next minute she's doting on these kids as if they were her own. I liked one side of her personality more than the other. Aside from dressing up with her for the Grand Ball, my feelings toward Tiki flipped as much as her personality did. Rieker, on the other hand, as cheesy as it sounds, had me at "You wouldn’t be here pickin’ pockets, would you?" He's weirdly charming, laidback, with a perfect touch of the enigmatic. His mysterious past doesn't crush the plot, but instead makes you want to know more about him. If Hamilton had written this book as a dual perspective, Rieker's narrative would've so been my favorite.

By the end of the story I was thankful for the lack of instalove and cliffhangers, because, really? Aren't there enough out there already? Plus there's only a handful of authors I can think of who I know execute well what are now trite plot devices. However, this book didn't knock my socks off. There isn't anything remarkable about The Faerie Ring, nothing to cry over, SCREAM at, just plain no emotional response to dish out at all. A sweet closing and yummy simmering romance are obvious bonuses, but the fact that I couldn't conjure a single ounce of emotional distress or brimming joy after reading this book indicates that it isn't a very immersive or completely enjoyable read. I need more thrill, more edginess, just more, more, more, in order to be blown away with any of Hamilton's ensuing works.

"...And that they would attack those that matter most to me.” His eyes fell on hers, and Tiki once again felt as though he had embraced her. “At the time, I didn’t realize there would be anyone else they could take from me that would matter."
He reached up and ran a finger along her jaw, his eyes dark. "I can’t bear to lose anyone else," he whispered.

Review: Wildwing by Emily Whitman

Wildwing

by Emily Whitman

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Release Date: September 21, 2010
Publisher: Greenwillow
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Library Check-Out
Rating: Eye-Catcher
Good for YA Historical Fiction Challenge
About the Book:

When Addy is swept back in time, she couldn't be happier to leave her miserable life behind. Now she's mistaken for Lady Matilda, the pampered ward of the king. If Addy can play her part, she'll have glorious gowns, jewels, and something she's always longed for—the respect and admiration of others. But then she meets Will, the falconer's son with sky blue eyes, who unsettles all her plans.

From shipwrecks to castle dungeons, from betrothals to hidden conspiracies, Addy finds herself in a world where she's not the only one with a dangerous secret. When she discovers the truth, Addy must take matters into her own hands. The stakes? Her chance at true love . . . and the life she's meant to live.

It's the same old cobbled street through the same old town, but for once I barely smell the cakes from the tea shop, don't even pause to stare out the windows. I'm floating along another me, in a dreamworld...

What started out as a fun and engaging read, starring a heroine who's quick-tempered and provokes sympathy... at first, quickly morphs into something less than amazing and not as readable. With hints of the enigmatic, a wonderfully-told setting, but full of unlovable characters and unbelievable, decidedly unimpressive plot events, Wildwing failed to captivate me and keep me firmly engrossed in the story. Although the writing style is vivid and beautifully simple, the second half of the novel overwhelms the good in the first half, which left me with an overall bad impression of the book.

There are some elements that are simply fascinating. Being in Addy's time period was probably my favorite part of the book. The world-building created a picture that put me there, in the early 1900s. The clothes, the shops, the customs. Even the way the people spoke. But Whitman didn't bore me with long and obnoxious descriptions; she did a fantastic job painting a picture for me. Even Addy herself - again, in the beginning - fueled my attraction to the book. She's hungry to live and learn, a tad resentful, and willing to defend herself. Any girl who swings at the pack-leader of horrible girls is a friend of mine... until she gets to be too willful and irritatingly selfish. After which I stopped liking her and distanced myself from the story.

The second half of the book is wild, yes, but it felt unnecessary. I don't know, getting sucked back to a different time to fall into a dangerous power struggle didn't feel very pressing when all Addy thinks about is the falcon dude. I mean, I get it, to my mind he's smoking hot. And a guy who can handle beastly and potentially harmful birds strikes me as sexy. But Whitman got sucked into the trap of writing a romance that falls flat and failed for me. It gave me instaluv vibes which instantly put me off, but then Addy goes on to acting stupidly and making uber-selfish decisions because of this "whirlwind romance" that I lost all love for this relationship.

Then, the resolution came too swiftly and too easily for my tastes, so that I couldn't even savor their victory. What's worse is that I couldn't even be happy for these characters, simply because I didn't like any of them. Frankly, I didn't know any of them. And there isn't that great of a selection of characters to like to begin with, believe me. In that, I was disappointed. I was really hoping for more than an overly attentive nursemaid, a meat-handed brute, or a falcon-boy who has a weird, utterly hypocritical sense of honor. The only character that intrigued me was probably the villain, but who isn't that memorable because, forgive me, I can't even recall his name.

Wildwing starts out as something fun, well-written, and engaging, but quickly becomes something that ultimately served me up disappointment so that I couldn't even enjoy it. The historical aspect in regards to Addy's time period is really well-done, but from then on the world-building suffers and eventually bored me. I felt like this story had sooo much potential, but that light of possibly got snuffed out by the focus on the romance that did nothing for me. Wildwing could have been good, maybe even great, but ended up being just a book I wouldn't want to pick up again.

ECs start out as pleasant, the cover and synopsis draws the eye, but are ultimately deceiving. They keep your attention absorbed for a certain amount of chapters before you realize, sadly, that they're not the books for you... (My Rating System In-Depth)

Review: The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

1) If you could grant your heroine, Amelia, a wish, just one wish, what do you think she'd wish for and why?

I think that Amelia would wish to be certain. She has a lot of self-doubt, and she would feel so much better if she were just certain about things. Of course, what she wants to know for sure changes on an hourly basis.


2) Why should The Vespertine appear on YA book lovers' wishlists? What about it do you think will appeal to readers the most?

That's so hard to say; I think that totally depends on the reader! But I do think The Vespertine will transport you. Whether you're most interested in the time period, or the girls' friendship, or the romances, or the spiritualism, or the gothic drama- I think readers will feel like they're in the middle of it with this book. Time travel in convenient hardcover format!


3) What is your biggest wish for The Vespertine?

It sounds so cheesy, but I feel like I already got my biggest wish. This was a book I wrote for myself, the kind of story I wanted to read. People said it would never sell, people said it was too historical for teens. Then Harcourt bought it, they've worked so hard on it, and now I'm seeing teens reading it and enjoying it. I'm just so happy that I got the chance to share this story; I love it like whoa!

Thanks for stopping by, again, Saundra! Happy BDAY to THE VESPERTINE! And check out my thoughts on it, below:

T h e V e s p e r t i n e by Saundra Mitchell

Release Date: 3/7/11

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Upcoming: The Springsweet (2012)
Age Group: Young Adult (14+)

Pages: 293

Source: ARC/thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/NetGalley!
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kindle

Word Blurb: Maddening, dangerous, and otherwordly!

"It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause." Goodreads»»

This is my first true dive into YA historical romance, and I won't be looking back. I'm purposely going to seek out more! There was so much to love in this novel. THE VESPERTINE is an excellent blend of romance and the supernatural, set in a time period where women were obligated to give in to duty, rather than succumb to the heart...

Participating in 2011 Challenges!

The first of the three challenges I've decided to partake in is the 2011 2nds Challenge hosted by Katy over @ http://fewmorepages.blogspot.com/ (A Few More Pages), which will be starting up come January of 2011. Now, what the heck is this 2nds Challenge you speak of, Asher? It's pretty easy really. Basically if you've ever fallen in love with an author's work and have been tempted to go back and read more by _____ then you've just gone back to have seconds. This second novel doesn't H A V E to be the second novel in a series or the second novel this author has ever written or it C O U L D be both... *shrugs* You get to decide, so long as it's the second book of something pertaining to ______ author.

This challenge is open to everyone & you do not have to be a blogger to sign up. Sign ups begin from now until December 31, 2011. Want more information? Great! Go (here) to find out more. Now for my list...

I actually had a difficult time tracking down some authors and novels, trying to figure out whether I've read them or not (I've read a lot of books up 'til now, some not as memorable), but I think I've compiled a pretty decent starters list. Here goes:

* =tentative

• Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers
• Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
• Vanish by Sophie Jordan *
• Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
• Captivate (Need, #2) by Carrie Jones
• Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
• Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey

With 7 books up, that puts me at level 2 -A few more bites
Keep in mind though that this list is bound to change as more novels keep releasing (being that 2011 is going to be another fabulous year for the YA genre) and most likely grow, pushing me passed level 2...And that's it for now on this challenge. Make sure to check back for any updates. :)

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My next challenge sign up is the GLBT (or LGBT) Reading Challenge hosted by Amanda (I think) @ http://glbt-reading.blogspot.com/ (GLBT-reading). I really like the concept behind this challenge, hence why I signed up. I think it's extremely imperative that not only readers read books incorporating LGBT characters, but also for authors to include them as well. Through reading these kinds of novels, a hopeful, optimistic, maybe a little bit naive blogger like myself can believe in a future where this generation will become more open-minded, more accepting of/about alternative lifestyles, homosexuality and what have you. Too often have I run across (now ex-) friends who claim that they would not only be very uncomfortable if his/her friend was a homosexual or bisexual, but refuse to continue being friends with them.

"Everybody's journey is individual. If you fall in love with a boy, you fall in love with a boy. The fact that many Americans consider it a disease says more about them than it does about homosexuality." --James A. Baldwin

Some of them have even gone as far as to say that they wouldn't be able to be friends with them for fear of this homosexual/bisexual friend(s) liking them in that way. Ignorance of that magnitude doesn't just anger me, but has me running scared in terms of thinking of the future, and firms my belief that if teens read novels where the protaganist suffers from this type of mentality, this abuse, then hopefully it will push them to become open-minded, open-hearted young adults...

This challenge is year-round, which means you can sign up whenever, but you can't start reading (and reviewing) until January of this upcoming year. For more information click (here).

Here's my (tentative) list for this one:
* =just added

• Luna by Julie Anne Peters
• The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams
• Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
• The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan
• Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters
• My Heartbeat by Garrett Freymann-Weyr
• The Side Door by Jan Donley
• Freakshow by James St. James
• Finlater by Shawn Stewart Ruff
• Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
• Tale of Two Summers by Brian Sloan
• Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters
• David Inside Out by Lee Bantle
• Peter by Kate Walker
• I am J by Cris Beam *

I know it's quite a list, but well it's important to me that I succeed in this challenge because of what it stands for, you know... Again, check back for updates as this list may fluctuate depending if I can get access to many of these.

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And finally on the list of recently joined challenges, I'm participating in the YA Historical Fiction Challenge hosted @ http://www.yabliss.com/ (YA Bliss) also for 2011. So, if you've ever read a novel set in the past (doesn't matter exactly when/what era) and the characters are fictional, then you've got yourself a historical fiction novel. B U T, this is only YA historical fiction.

"Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional. Writers of stories in this genre, while penning fiction, attempt to capture the spirit, manners, and social conditions of the persons or time(s) presented in the story, with due attention paid to period detail and fidelity" (Wikipedia) (pasted from YA Bliss)

The YA Historical Fiction Challenge is a public challenge available to absolutely anyone. You can sign up at anytime. Keep in mind that this challenge starts in January of 2011 and ends on Dec. 31, 2011. Click (here) to learn more & sign up!

I'm going to stick with level 2 for now (which is 10-14 books)... My list:
italics =I own or most definitely have access to
* =tentative

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly 
Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson *
Bright Young Things by Anna Godberson
Luxe Series by Anna Godberson
The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
Vixen by Jillian Larkin
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller *
The Explosionist & Invisible Things by Jenny Davidson
Wildwing by Emily Whitman *
Between the Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
Wildthorn by Jane Eagland
Annexed by Sharon Dogar

And that's all I've got for this challenge. I really hope to read all these novels, some more than others, and I don't want to fail this challenge either (though I'm not going to feel guilty necessarily either which way). This list may also change, so check back for updates...

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 Also, please be sure to check out my 2011 Debut Author Challenge Post, because I'm participating in that as well! Thanks for reading!

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Disclosure: Any images incorporated in the banners I made for each challenge (except the story siren's challenge, obviously) came from all over google (hope that's not a problem). If for whatever reason you'd like to use 'em please give credit or contact me letting me know that you're using them. 'Kay?