Review - Screamcatcher: Web World by Christy J. Breedlove

  Title: Screamcatcher: Web World

  Author: Christy J. Breedlove

  Synopsis:

  When seventeen-year-old Jory Pike cannot shake the hellish nightmares of her parent’s deaths, she turns to an old family heirloom, a dream catcher. Even though she’s half blood Chippewa, Jory thinks old Indian lore is so yesterday, but she’s willing to give it a try. However, the dream catcher has had its fill of nightmares from an ancient and violent past. After a sleepover party, and during one of Jory’s most horrific dream episodes, the dream catcher implodes, sucking Jory and her three friends into its own world of trapped nightmares. They’re in an alternate universe—locked inside of an insane web world. How can they find the center of the web, where all good things are allowed to pass?

I received a free e-book copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts:

I'd like to thank the author for offering me a copy of Web World because I had a lot of fun reading this mystical gem of a YA. I'm sure Jory, Darcy, Choice and Lander – the four teenagers who get caught in the web of the dreamcatcher – wouldn't call their adventure "fun" but it evoked in me a certain kind of nostalgia with its distant similarity to the movie Jumanji.

Since Jory lost her parents she suffers from nightmares. In the daytime she helps out in her grandfather's novelty shop but her nights are ruined by the recurring bad dream. When her friend, Choice first visits the store, his eyes wonder on the giant old-looking dreamcatcher that hangs from the ceiling and he immediately thinks if nothing else, that will help Jory to rest well – and from then on trouble is guaranteed.

With two mates of theirs, the 16 year-old Darcy and the streetwise Lander they end up inside a world of night terrors from where they can only escape if they work together. I have nightmares sometimes, but nothing like with what these teenagers have to face. What I really liked in this book was that it works with Native American folklore and legends. It's not something that is normally covered in my everyday reading and so it was extremely fascinating for me to read about what creatures were the natives afraid of.

This book has horror elements. Not many, but the few it does give it spice. I don't want to give much away but something happens to one of the members of the group that gave me the creeps. This incident and its consequences kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

The novel is quite unputdownable, one action scene follows the other and you wait for the end to know how the band will fare during the last challenge. The team seems very experienced despite the fact that they are teenagers, for example Jory knows a lot about lore, plants, tracking, while the boys help out with the practical side of things. Darcy is a bit of a hindrance but at times I felt sorry for her because the others didn't handle her with much patience.

There's a love story in there somewhere too, but it wasn't overdone, which I was glad to see. To be honest, I don't even know when was the last time I've read a YA book without a love triangle or overemphasized soppy love-drama. This was just perfect, keeping all emotions at bay and very realistic. 

All in all, I definitely recommend this book if you'd like to try something fresh. Web World is a unique tale presented in a very enjoyable way.

Goodreads | Amazon

Next in the series:

Dream Chasers

Cover Reveal - Whispers of Shadow & Flame by L. Penelope

Today let me present you the cover reveal for book 2 in L. Penelope’s Earthsinger Chronicles, 

Whispers of Shadow & Flame

The first book in the series, Song of Blood & Stone was named one of TIME Magazine’s top 10 fantasy books of 2018. 

Read my review of the book here.

Check out the sequel's cover and a giveaway below!
 

Title: Whispers of Shadow & Flame (Earthsinger Chronicles, Book 2)

Author: L. Penelope

Published by: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: October 1, 2019

Genre: Fantasy

Book Description:

The cursed will face the gods. They have nothing to lose.

"A master class in fantasy world-building.” - TIME Magazine on Song of Blood & Stone

The Mantle that separates the kingdoms of Elsira and Lagrimar is about to fall. And life will drastically change for both kingdoms.

Born with a deadly magic she cannot control, Kyara is forced to become an assassin. Known as the Poison Flame in the kingdom of Lagrimar, she is notorious and lethal, but secretly seeks freedom from both her untamed power and the blood spell that commands her. She is tasked with capturing the legendary rebel called the Shadowfox, but everything changes when she learns her target’s true identity.

Darvyn ol-Tahlyro may be the most powerful Earthsinger in generations, but guilt over those he couldn’t save tortures him daily. He isn’t sure he can trust the mysterious young woman who claims to need his help, but when he discovers Kyara can unlock the secrets of his past, he can’t stay away.

Kyara and Darvyn grapple with betrayal, old promises, and older prophecies—all while trying to stop a war. And when a new threat emerges, they must beat the odds to save both kingdoms.

Pre-order the paperback today!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Whispers-Shadow-Flame-Earthsinger-Penelope/dp/125014809X

BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whispers-of-shadow-flame-l-penelope/1130016254?ean=9781250148094

BAM: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Whispers-Shadow-Flame/L-Penelope/9781250148094?id=7469620796685

Indiebound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250148094

Catch up on the Series:

Song of Blood & Stone, Earthsinger Chronicles Book 1  – Special Edition Paperback releases July 16, 2019. (Ebook & hardcover available now).

Breath of Dust & Dawn, Earthsinger Chronicles Book 1.5 – Available now!

About the Author:

L. Penelope is an award-winning fantasy romance author. Equally left and right-brained, she studied filmmaking and computer science in college and sometimes dreams in HTML. She lives in Maryland with her husband and furry dependents. Sign up for new release information, exclusives, and giveaways on her website: http://www.lpenelope.com.

Website: http://www.lpenelope.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlpenelope

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/leslyepenelope

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9870934.L_Penelope

Youtube: http://www.lpenelope.com/youtube

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leslyepenelope

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/l-penelope

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/lpenelope

Cover Reveal Giveaway:

L. Penelope is giving away a signed, hardcover copy of Song of Blood & Stone. Open internationally.

Enter the giveaway

Review - The Oddling Prince by Nancy Springer

Title: The Oddling Prince

Author: Nancy Springer

Synopsis:

In the ancient moors of Scotland, the king of Calidon lies on his deathbed, cursed by a ring that cannot be removed from his finger. When a mysterious fey stranger appears to save the king, he also carries a secret that could tear the royal family apart.

The kingdom’s only hope will lie with two young men raised worlds apart. Aric is the beloved heir to the throne of Calidon; Albaric is clearly of noble origin yet strangely out of place.

I received a free ebook copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts: 

I've seen tons of three-star reviews about this book on Goodreads. Tons. However, after reading it I feel I have to take it in my hands to do justice to The Oddling Prince because to me it didn't come across as mediocre as review writers generally make it out to be.

There are two princes in this story who share a strong bond. One of them, Albaric, is from a faraway land. He comes to Calidon to save the king's life, yet his motive for the heroic act upsets king Bardaric a good deal after his recovery. Aric, the prince of Calidon, tries to shield Albaric from his father's wrath but the king's behaviour pains the foreign saviour none the less. Still, when the kingdom is threatened by inside and outside forces alike, everyone must stand on the same side to prevent its demise.

Going into the book knowing that it is a fairy tale and a celtic one at that, I expected nothing less from the writing style than to reflect the genre and the historical quality. Ms Springer's sentences are beautifully composed and her descriptions are nothing short of poetic. It's true that some might find the style a little dense, hard to get used to, but it all depends on the person's reading history and even if it's new to someone it doesn't mean it can't amaze after getting through the initial bumps while getting accustomed to it in the beginning. 

I actually saw some reviews that say The Oddling Prince is written in 'old English'.

Old English is what Beowulf was written in, even native speakers cannot really read and/or understand it now. Talk about exaggeration...

The truth is, this is a character-driven novel and those who pick it up to read action packed fantasy fiction can be disappointed. It is not usual for a fantasy story to lean that heavily on its characters vs the plot and therefore it was a risky choice from the author, but believe me when I say that it works in this case. There is little travelling in the novel, basically there is one setting (the castle) but it feels enough (the only part when the princes left the castle seemed superfluous to me to be honest). 

There's some sword fighting though and dangerous situations at times, the book doesn't completely lack action, only it's not as important in it as the relationship of the characters.

Speaking of characters... We have a male protagonist, which is very rare in YA. Aric is endlessly kind, goodhearted and caring. He doesn't have one bad quality. Many reviewers deemed him flat, but again, we are talking about a fairy tale – the genre is not exactly famous for complex characters, since very often these tales are based on a fight between good and bad and there is no in between. Aric's one-sidedness was therefore absolutely acceptable to me. His love for Albaric warmed my heart.

The ladies of The Oddling Prince were so lovely! Aric's mother and his bride, Marissa, were both smart and wise and they understood their male companions so well. They had so much strength and insight, they were my favourites. 

As you can see I liked The Oddling Prince a lot and this was me trying to defend its merits. I just thought it deserved a champion and it might as well be me... 

Goodreads | Amazon

Review - The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox

Title: The Witch of Willow Hall

Author: Hester Fox

Publication Date: October 02, 2018

Synopsis:

New Oldbury, 1821

In the wake of a scandal, the Montrose family and their three daughters—Catherine, Lydia and Emeline—flee Boston for their new country home, Willow Hall.

The estate seems sleepy and idyllic. But a subtle menace creeps into the atmosphere, remnants of a dark history that call to Lydia, and to the youngest, Emeline.

All three daughters will be irrevocably changed by what follows, but none more than Lydia, who must draw on a power she never knew she possessed if she wants to protect those she loves. For Willow Hall’s secrets will rise, in the end…

My Thoughts:

Let me start with stating how very lucky I feel for being part of this book tour. I wanted to receive an early copy of The Witch of Willow Hall badly because I was convinced by its synopsis it will please me to no end.

I was not a least bit wrong. This is such a deliciously dark gothic romance, I haven't read anything so powerful in the genre in ages. 

Lydia's, family – her parents and two sisters – move to the countryside from Boston to run away from a scandal that could become the ruin of all three girl's prospects. However, the house they choose as their new home is half-alive with memories and tragedies of another family, and the nights are rarely peaceful there.

When two gentlemen from the neighbourhood start to make visits to the house, Lydia finds herself in bigger animosity with her sister Catherine than ever before, which is all the worse because thanks to that neither of them foresee the calamity that would change both their lives forever.

After disaster strikes Lydia's anger and helplessness makes her realize she is somehow different form the rest of the world; she is in for a journey of self discovery.

The novel seriously had everything I enjoy: regency era, haunted house, romance done well(!), witchery, creepy ghosts, a nasty scandal, a mysterious family tree... and some other things I can't mention here because I don't want to spoil your experience.

This would be the perfect read for all Jane Austen-lovers who also enjoy thriller/horror. I swear I haven't read anything this good on the gothic side since The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and that must say something, because I LOVED The Thirteenth Tale.

Don't miss out on Hester Fox's amazing debut novel, it is quite a ride believe me.

Goodreads | Amazon

About the Author:

Hester comes to writing from a background in museum work and historical archaeology. She loves the Gothic, the lurid, the dark...so long as the ending is a happy one. She has never seen a ghost, though she remains hopeful. Hester lives outside of Boston with her husband. THE WITCH OF WILLOW HALL is her first novel.

The blog tour was organized by:

Review - Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Title: Red Queen (Red Queen #1)

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Synopsis:

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. 

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

My Thoughts:

I  think the hype around Red Queen is well-deserved. The book is a solid fantasy that transports the reader to a cruel world where the colour of people's blood decides about their place in the social hierarchy, since it renders them weak or strong from the moment they're born.

When Mare Barrow finds out she is special, she realizes her exceptional state can serve the Red cause. Only by that time she is involuntarily put on display at the Silver Court where the Royal Family does everything they can to hide her 'otherness'. A power play begins that shatters families and turns hearts.

Red Queen would have been a very quick read for me had I not signed up for a scheduled read-along that featured this title. The story pulls you in and you want to know what happens next. There are quite a few twists and turns along the way; there was a part towards the end that left me kinda shocked because it put Mare and Cal (the crown prince – love interest no. 1) in an entirely unexpected situation.

I loved how varied silver powers were in the story. They were like superpowers and they came in all shapes and kinds: someone could temper with nature, others could control metal or force people's mind to yield to them. These powers were amply used in the story for a myriad of purposes – good and bad. I found that creative.

The politics are intriguing. Silvers are desperate to hold onto power but Reds even without abilities are able to scare their overlords. I can't wait to see if later they'll manage to weaken the evil royals' grasp on the realm.

You cannot help but care for the characters and you'll find yourself trying to put yourself in their shoes. I found Cal especially fascinating because he struggles between two sides all the time and I myself couldn't figure out what I'd have done had I been in his place.

There are truly spiteful characters as well, like the Queen and Evangeline, Cal's betrothed. You'll love to hate them, I'm sure.

The story is rich, the characters make an impression, the world building is superb and I was not bored for one minute when I was reading this book. What's more to ask? I do recommend it to every fantasy-lover!

Goodreads | Amazon

Red Queen Read-Along Update #2

Synopsis:

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. 

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

Goodreads | Amazon

This read-along is coming to an end on Monday but I promised you a second update before I post my review so here we go.

I'm currently in chapter 24, on page 306 out of 388 

BUT I'll only summarize my thoughts about chapters 12-21 now to leave something to reflect on in my review too.

There have been quite a few twists along the way regarding the characters. Mare, of course, as one would expect, joined the Red Guard; no surprises there. On the boy front however, I don't even know what to think. Both the princes stand on the opposite side to where I would have imagined them to stand. And Kilorn – he is an enigma to me. In the beginning of the book he was straight out scared of fighting in the war and now he is in the midst of things completely willingly. Go figure. 

Actually I don't mind getting something else than what I expected, it keeps the whole situation interesting and it keeps me guessing. I have this feeling Maven is not who he makes himself out to be. There is a reason why the line "Anyone can betray anyone" appears in the book so many times and I'm about 70% sure Maven is leading Mare by the nose. Then again, maybe I'm mistaken, we have yet to see if I'm right or not. 

The politics is intriguing, especially because all of the characters are caught up in its net. You can't help but look at the happenings from two angles – the thing is, on some level I understand Cal's reasoning too. There are no clearly good choices, nothing is white or black and probably whatever happens, there will be bloodshed.

We still don't know much about Mare's power, my main question – why does she have it?? – hasn't been answered yet. I'm not sure we'll get an explanation in this book, maybe in the next one...? 

I'm still captured by the Red Queen and can't wait to see how the first book ends. A non-cliffhanger ending is too much to hope for right??

 

A character I like: Julian!! Let him be okay, please.

A character I hate: (and NOT love to hate!) Evangeline. She is clearly jealous of Mare and she has anger management issues. 

A character I want to see more of: I will go with more characters here, Mare's brothers. We only know them from Mare's thoughts and from a brief meeting when Mare visited her home once. I'd like to know more about them.

I hope you enjoyed this update post, you can expect my full review of the Red Queen next week!

Review - How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather

Title: How to Hang a Witch (How to Hang a Witch #1)

Author: Adriana Mather

Synopsis:

Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves The Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?

If dealing with that weren't enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real live (well technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with the Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it's Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.

My Thoughts:

"As all of you know," says Mr. Wardwell, "when citizens of Salem were convicted of witchcraft in 1692, they were sentenced to hang. Witchcraft was a capital crime, and people believed that if they killed the individuals practicing it, they could keep the devil from taking root in their communities."

Holy moly, have I just found my favourite YA book of the year?? Of course there's always a chance there'll be competition but at the moment I doubt I'll soon come across another young adult novel that will capture my attention as much as How to Hang a Witch did.

Adriana Mather (an actual descendant of Cotton Mather, a man who played an important role in kick-starting the trials) draws a clear parallel between what happened to those poor women in 1692 and modern day bullying. While she provides plenty of information about the trials, she also gives us a modern tale that we are all sadly familiar with; Samantha is tormented by her peers at school as well as by an unknown antagonist.

Samantha Mather moves to Salem with her step-mom after her dad falls into a coma. Her last name doesn't really help her win the heart of the locals (she always ends up in situations where people ask for her family name. – Let the girl get a library card without having to suffer your reproving looks FGS, people!). She especially clashes with a group of girls who call themselves 'The Descendants' and treat Sam as enemy no.1 from the first moment she steps into class.

I absolutely enjoyed this old-new setting, this mixture of past and present. The Descendants, the great-great-great (?) granddaughters of the women who were hanged back in the 17th century, wear black clothes and practice strange rituals. I didn't think actual witchcraft would be present in the novel, but it was, and not only did it manage to make the plot all the more colourful, it also added the feel of real danger to the story.

Not only the former and present inhabitants of Salem came off the pages but the city itself too. The places Samantha visits are described vividly. Some of these are dark and menacing, those were my personal favourites (the black house, the hanging location...). In the Author's note Ms Mather writes about her first visit to Salem, when she found accommodation in a mansion that was roumored to be haunted. Her spooky experiences in the town are just as much woven into her book as the past of her family, which just makes How to Hang a Witch all the more fascinating.

The plot was really well done, the author showed us masterfully how group hysteria works inside a community. The fact that even the adults appeared to hate and blame Sam for the suddenly high mortality rate in Salem was shocking (I'm looking at you, Mr Wardwell!). Towards the end things seemed to be a bit rushed for no reason, but eventually everything got wrapped up nicely.

If you've heard about How to Hang a Witch before, you probably already know that there is a love triangle and if I also let you know here that Sam is a clumsy teenager with no verbal filter you will see that the book has its general YA novel traps. Because... *shouts* We've seen it before! But hey, I promise you'll fall for Elijah, the ghost boy with a heart-breaking past, and he spends an awful lot of time around Sam so... (Just pretend Jaxon doesn't exist, shhhhh). Okay, I'll stop before I go into full fangirl mode... What I wanted to say is that I wasn't bothered by the love triangle this time.

I also loved that the story involved strong family ties that were worth to fight for. 

"It is the greatest evil of all, to separate people who love each other."

I could get carried away and write pages about this novel but I don't think it's necessary in order to convince you that I totally fell in love with How to Hang a Witch. I'll pick up the second book, Haunting the Deep, soon to see how Sam's adventures continue.

Goodreads | Amazon

Book Blitz - Wings of Flesh and Bones by Cathrina Constantine

Title: Wings of Felsh and Bones

Author: Cathrina Constantine

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: April 13th, 2018

Synopsis:

An Angel. A Witch. A Demon. And A Choice.

Creatures from outer realms suck, as any gatekeeper worth their salt will tell you. Welcome to Rogan’s life, an orphaned seventeen-year-old who lives and trains with other misfits under her uncle’s roof, keeping Earth safe from non-human realm jumpers. Rogan’s biggest issue concerns her uncle’s short leash with her freedom—that is of course, until she’s taken by a notorious witch, and her life begins to unravel. Soon, the supernatural beauty discovers there’s a reason her uncle kept such a tight lock on her whereabouts, and that she has more than angel blood running through her veins.

Eighteen-year-old Max is an angel, and Rogan’s mentor and guardian. He’s well aware of her tenacious inability to obey orders, though he also knows she’s a fierce fighter. When he’s involved in a scheme that ultimately gets Rogan kidnapped, he must battle his way back to her in an attempt to save her from the darkness threatening to possess her.

Goodreads | Amazon 

***Excerpt***

She toggled the knob to blast the shower and saw dried blood on her hands. Max’s blood. 

The crimson fluid had painted her fingers right into the beds of her nails. Shivering with lamenting self-pity, she tried to regulate her breathing before she passed out. 

Stepping in, she raised her face to the spout, hot water sprayed over her trembling body—thawing her icy resolve. Max’s blood swirled around the drain, taking with it her heart, her dreams, her happiness. She was disintegrating, piece-by-piece.Sheer grit locked her bones from splintering into the bath. If I can’t handle death, then I can’t handle life, and I’m no good as a gatekeeper. This wasn’t the first time she’d had to rethink her life.

About the author:

I am blessed with a loving family and forever friends. My world revolves around them.

I grew up in the small village of Lancaster, NY, where I married my sweetheart. I'm devoted to raising 5 cherished children, and now my grandchildren.

I love to immerse myself in great books of every kind of genre, which helps me to write purely for entertainment, and hopefully to inspire readers. When not stationed at my computer you can find me in the woods taking long walks with my dog.




Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Amazon

Giveaway!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Book Blitz Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

Book Beginnings on Friday and the Friday 56 #12

Guess what? It's Friday again! I'm looking forward to the weekend, I'm planning to read and sleep a lot. I'd also like to do something outdoors if the weather holds.

As always, Friday is the day of snippets.

Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56 are weekly memes hosted by Rose City Reader and Freda's Voice.

Rules: 

Book Beginnings: Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. 

The Friday 56: Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% in you eReader. Find any sentence (not spoilery) and reflect on it if you want.

The book I'll show you today is:

How to Hang a Witch

(How to Hang a Witch #1)

by Adriana Mather

Synopsis:

Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves The Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?

If dealing with that weren't enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real live (well technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with the Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it's Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.

Book Beginning: 

"Like most fast-talking, opinionated New Yorkers, I have an affinity for sarcasm." 

 That's fine Sam, don't hold back for my sake :)

The Friday 56: 

"Alice stands in answer and Mary shoots up like she can't get out fast enough. There are still so many questions I need to ask them. And some part of me worries that I am the cause of these awful things. Maybe the curse is part of me?" 

 Such a heavy burden on the shoulders of a teenage girl... She keeps blaming herself when none of what happens is her fault. I hope she realises that by the end of the book.

What are you reading on this lovely Friday? Don't forget to leave your link below so I can go and visit your blog!

Red Queen Read-Along Update #1

Synopsis:

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. 

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

As you already know, I've joined Brittani's Red Queen read-along at Hope, Faith & Books.

The read-along started on April 2nd and we read 7 chapters each week, which means by Monday I should reach chapter 15.

It's not a fast-paced read-along at all, it allows me to make progress with other books as well, that's why I dared to join it in the first place.

I'm currently in chapter 12, on page 116 out of 388.

My thoughts about the story so far:

  

(With some details but without spoilers. 

The information I've included here appears in the synopsis too.)

I'm happy with almost everything in this novel up to this point. The idea of a fantasy world where social hierarchy is built on the colour of one's blood is frightening but at the same time fascinating, especially with the added plus that Silvers have certain kinds of power.

Our protagonist, Mare, is a Red girl and since she hasn't learned any crafts, she is expected to join the army on her 18th birthday. Mare has other plans but soon she is forced into a third alternative that seems even worse than the war. Because of an unfortunate accident she has to give up who she is and face a joyless life in a world where she doesn't belong. 

 

Where I am in the story Mare has already started to be invlved in court life and her power got revealed but she doesn't understand how it works yet (me neither, haha). I guess later it will make sense and she'll be able to use it intentionally too.

The Red Guard was briefly introduced, but she hasn't got in touch with them so far at the palace. I'm curious how that'll happen.

At the moment Mare is very preoccupied with thoughts about her family who she can't go home to. It's absolutely understandable, I feel for her. She also has to learn how to play her role at the court because if she messes it up, her life will be in danger. There is real peril here, that's why this fantasy adventure is so thrilling so far.

 

A character I like: Cal. He's swoon-worthy. He seems to be a good person and probably hates his situation as much as Mare hates hers. Match made in heaven (?)

A character I love to hate: Queen Elara. Boy, I've got some Cersei vibes here. Bring it on, evil queens are the best.

A character I want to see more of: Kilorn. Okay... do I really want a love triangle here? No. Do I want him to be saved from the horrors of the war and be around Mare? Yes. I guess you see my dilemma here.

And finally... Last Friday when I featured Red Queen in my Book Beginnings post some of you wanted to know what happens on First Friday (yes, I didn't forget :). I promised I will let you know in this update post because it's not really a spoiler... So here we go, brace yourselves!

"We get to the foot of the hill, where the crowd is thicker, pushing and prodding on all sides. First Friday attendance is mandatory, unless you are like my sister, an "essential loborer"."

"Inside the open-topped arena is just as hot as out, and Kilorn, always on his toes, leads me to some shade. We don't get seats here, just long, concrete benches, but the few silver nobles up above enjoy cool, comfortable boxes."

"Kilorn and I don't really see eye to eye on the Feats of First Friday. For me, watching two champions rip into each other is not enjoyable, but Kilorn loves it. Let them ruin each other, he says. They are not our people.

He doesn't understand what the Feats are about. This isn't mindless entertainment, meant to give us some respite from grueling work. This is calculated, cold, a message. Only Silvers can fight in the arenas because only Silvers can survive the arena."

So what happens on First Friday is a display of Silver power in order to remind the Reds who is the boss. Ouch.

Goodreads | Amazon

I hope you enjoyed this update post. Have you read Red Queen? Are you planning to? 

Happy reading!