The Merchant's Daughter

An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice. 

Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf's bailiff---a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past. Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff's vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf's future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart. (from Goodreads)

I really don't think that I'm the person for Dickerson's writing. This is the second book of hers that I've read, and although it was better than the first, there were still too many character flaws, plot holes, and such. 

Annabel was a Mary Sue in ever sense the word. Not a page went by when someone didn't remark how beautiful she was, she knew how to read (Latin included), her family members were so mean to her, and she had at least three men lusting after her. Maybe even more. This almost felt like a retelling of both 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Cinderella,' because in the original Beauty myth, Belle was an only child with no mother but had a very close relationship with her father. And her brothers felt like the evil stepsisters and her mother like the evil stepmother. She had everything: kindness, beauty, smarts, perfection, perseverance, etc. Everything but flaws, that is. 

I couldn't decide if this was supposed to be set in medieval England or in a fairy tale setting. It seemed to be medieval England, but there were some inaccuracies that led me to believe otherwise. Take Annabel's ability to read, and in Latin, too. It's highly, highly, 99.9% unlikely that any girl, even a rich merchant's daughter, would know how to read. And it's also highly unlikely that a lord like Ranulf would get close to a servant like he does with Annabel. 

I also found it odd that Annabel compared Gilbert to Tom. They were nothing alike, and even though Annabel didn't want to marry Gilbert, I would have liked it more if she had said something other than that he made her feel 'sickening.'

The way the book ended was just too perfect, and what Annabel does is just too easy to be believable.

The last thing about this book was that I found the slamming of the Catholic church to be ridiculous. I'm not at all religious, but this bothered me for two reasons. 1) It basically said that all Catholics were female-hating old guys who could barely read the Bible, which isn't at all true. 2) What other sect of Christianity would they practice? Henry the Eighth didn't break with the Catholic Church until the sixteenth century, and Catholicism was the main English religion up until then. 

One star for the attempt at a historical retelling, and another for Stephen, who was a funny character. 

Past Perfect

All Chelsea wants to do this summer is hang out with her best friend, hone her talents as an ice cream connoisseur, and finally get over Ezra, the boy who broke her heart. But when Chelsea shows up for her summer job at Essex Historical Colonial Village (yes, really), it turns out Ezra’s working there too. Which makes moving on and forgetting Ezra a lot more complicated…even when Chelsea starts falling for someone new. 

Maybe Chelsea should have known better than to think that a historical reenactment village could help her escape her past. But with Ezra all too present, and her new crush seeming all too off limits, all Chelsea knows is that she’s got a lot to figure out about love. Because those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it…(from Goodreads)

I don't quite know what the cover has to do with anything. It never rains in the book, and most of the summer is spent in the Essex colonial village, wearing a colonial gown. I think something relating more to that would have been better, but whatever. I'm not reviewing this based on its cover. 

My favorite part of this book was the setting. Yeah, I know it sounds dumb, but the whole colonial-village-reenactment was pretty cool. Especially the whole war between the colonials and the Civil War-ers. That was really fun, and added a whole element of forbidden love.

The ending was slightly letdown-ish. I mean, I knew exactly what was going to happen and all that, but this book was one really that, with a different ending, could have been a lot stronger. I still liked the book because of characters and such, but a less cliche basic plotline would have been nice. 

Chelsea was okay. She wasn't an amazing character that sticks with you long after you've closed the book (say, Anna and the French Kiss), but she wasn't a huge bitch who I hated from page one. She was simply there, just your average MC. 

Fiona was funny, and she really added a lot to the story. When Chelsea started to forget her and her friendship, she didn't put up with that. It was easy to see that she cared about Chelsea and their friendship, but she wasn't going to put up with much blowing off. She has a small subplot which was pretty cliche, but it still worked. 

There wasn't a lot of physical romance, as is often the case with these sorts of books. Most of it was Chelsea thinking about it, and learning from the past. That was fine, as she really got over her breakup with Ezra and into this new relationship.

If this book had had a less cliche ending, this would probably be five stars. The plot itself was pretty cliche, but the secondary characters and setting made up for it. 

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My third WoW is...

Auracle by Gina Rosati

16 year old Anna Rogan has a secret she's only shared with her best friend, Rei; she can astrally project out of her body, allowing her spirit to explore the world and the far reaches of the universe. 

When there's a fatal accident and her classmate Taylor takes over Anna's body, what was an exhilarating distraction from her repressive home life threatens to become a permanent state. Faced with a future trapped in another dimension, Anna turns to Rei for help. Now the two of them must find a way to get Anna back into her body and stop Taylor from accusing an innocent friend of murder. Together Anna and Rei form a plan but it doesn't take into account the deeper feelings that are beginning to grow between them. 

Astral projection? Murder? More dimensions? This book looks really good, more than your average paranormal. 

Incarnate

New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

So I didn't really know what to think about this book. It got a ton of hype, had a pretty cover, and a blurb, that intrigued me and confused me at the same time. 

One of my biggest problems with this book, at least early on, was the world building, or the lack of it. I felt as though I was reading a sequel - the world had already been introduced, and the reader was expected to know all about it. Like, what the heck are newsouls and nosouls? Why are trolls only mentioned, never actually show up?

But the part that bothered me the most was the whole reincarnation bit. It's not the reincarnation in and of itself bothers me - it was just the way it was portrayed in Incarnate. Like the fact that Ana wore clothes that Sam wore when he was female in a past life. That two souls, supposedly 'in love' with each other in every lifetime, had killed each other when they were in bodies of the same gender. Like the fact that no one knows why Ana's soul was born, yet there's this whole 'Soul Council' (not the exact name) that regulates souls. If these things had been explained a bit more, the book would have been much stronger. 

The romance was also a bit iffy. For the most part, Sam seemed like a fine character, and Ana didn't annoy the crap out of me, but there was just no chemistry. It was obvious the author was trying to make some, but there just wasn't anything really natural about the relationship. After one awkward 'almost kiss' (which Ana talks about for the next 200 pages) practically nothing happens between the two of them besides piano playing. I swear, 75% of this book was music, Sam/Ana awkwardness, and the butterfly metaphor. Gah, the butterfly metaphor.

This is the second book I've read in 2012 that has the MC referring to herself as some sort of winged creature. (Shatter Me with the bird metaphor was the other). And the metaphor once or twice is okay, but when it comes in every chapter two or three times, it gets a bit excessive. And, like in Shatter Me, the butterfly metaphor in this book got to be a little too much. I mean, the cover is gorgeous. It's what got me to read the book in the first place. The first time Ana mentions that she's like a butterfly, I was all 'okay, whatever.' But by the time she was getting ready to make her dress, I knew exactly what she was going to be. 

This book had the potential to be great, but it fell flat. It wasn't flat; it was just something weak that left me with more questions than when I started it. (And not in a good way).

And so the pretty cover strikes again.  

Playing Hurt

Star basketball player Chelsea "Nitro" Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college--and everyone's admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

As a graduation present, Chelsea's dad springs for a three-week summer "boot camp" program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she's immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who's haunted by his own traumatic past. As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain--or finally heal their heartbreak? (from Goodreads)

This book was totally not what I was expecting. I was expecting your typical summer romance novel with a bunch of cliches thrown in. But this was definitely, ah, steamier than the cover and summary imply. It was also told in two POVs, which was a bit odd, considering that the summary focuses on Chelsea only. But, overall, I liked the book.

Chelsea - and Clint's - characters both grew extensively over the course of the book. Much of this was because of the romance. It's one of the things that I liked most about the book. They both saw the flaws in each other and the obstacles in the way. Both helped the other person overcome these obstacles. To put it simply, they brought out the best in each other. There was no love at first sight (although there was a bit of 'lust at first sight'). I could imagine that this would happen in real life, as opposed to 99% of the romances in paranormal today. The romance developed at a good pace. It was easy to understand what they saw in each other besides looks. 

Gabe was just - ugh. I know that Chelsea depended on his a lot after her accident, but if I were her, he would have been long gone. He was possessive and really clingy. When they're apart, he calls, texts, and emails constantly. Chelsea kept going on about how sweet he was, but I just never really saw it, not enough to make up for the clinginess. When Chelsea pulls into the driveway, back from Minnesota, he's already sitting there, waiting for her. Stalkerish, anyone?

Maybe it was the way it was portrayed, but Chelsea's cheating on Gabe didn't really bother me. Normally, it does, but this time it didn't. Maybe it was because Gabe wasn't a really important character and barely came in at all. 

PLAYING HURT was much more than your average summer chick-lit romance novel. 

Spell Bound

*Contains spoilers for first and second books*

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted. 

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident. 

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late? (from Goodreads)

I couldn't put this book down. It was great. I wasn't hating on Archer, Cal was great, Sophie was sarcastic and funny, and Elodie was great. Five stars for sure! I thought. 

And then I got to the ending. 

Something happens. Something bad happens. Something really, really bad happens.

And then the book just ends.

Poof! No closure, explanation, nothing. 

This is the perfect example of how a bad ending can spoil a book.

But because the first two-thirds were great, this is getting a 3/5. 

Allegiance

Only I saw Narian for who he truly was: a young man with courage and an independent mind, and made to pay for what was outside his control. He couldn't help his past any more than he could help the way those intense, deep-blue eyes pierced me and held me captive. 

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....

Sometimes, after I've loved a book to death, it kind of seems surreal reading the sequel. Like, are these really the characters I've grown to love in Book One? They're so...not how I expected them to be! The plot's changing too much! Am I really reading the sequel? Am I the only one who does this? 

As with Clockwork Prince, there was nothing fundamentally wrong with Allegiance. It was just a bit of a letdown after the first book wowed me so much. 

There was almost no Narian (sad face), but Steldor was around quite a bit, in all his chauvinistic glory. One thing I really liked about this book was that it showed his softer side, not just his womanizer side that made up almost all of Legacy. 

One thing that bothered me here was Alera's role. I mean, the book starts out with her coronation? Don't Queens have better things to do with their time then run away from their husbands out into the countryside, seeking the comfort of an old lover? That might have been acceptable as Princess, but I have a hard time believing that etiquette allowed that sort of thing.

My favorite character in this book was probably London. I hadn't really noticed him when I read Legacy for the first time, but he had a huge role in this book. He was really the only one - besides Narian, of course - that could keep Alera under control, and it was nice to see her meet some resistance. 

Overall: As good as the first one? No. Still pretty good? Yes. Will I read the third, Sacrifice? Absolutely. I love the world and (most) of the characters, and there's a pretty good teaser chapter for Book Three at the end of this one.