The Awakening (The Dragon Heart Legacy: #1)

The Awakening by Nora Roberts
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I was really looking forward to this book, but it just didn't do it for me. The plot followed the formula of countless YA fantasies I've read, so I was a bit skeptical. But I did really enjoy the first part of the book--probably because this is NOT a YA fantasy. The characters were mature, well-developed, interesting and fun to read about. I also enjoyed reading about Breen and Marco's vacation in Ireland. Once Breen was on her own, however, the story started to lose steam for me. When she met her family and traveled to her true home, I just found Breen to lose her relatability. I kind of felt like she was reverting to her previous tendency to let people tell her who she was and who she should be. I realized I didn't much care about Breen or her story anymore. I'm not sure I would recommend this one.


View all my reviews

The Forgotten Kingdom (The Lost Queen Trilogy: #2)

The Forgotten Kingdom by Signe Pike
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I enjoyed the second installment of this series a great deal more than I did the first. This book was interesting, the addition of other characters and their points of view really added to the story, and the action really drew me in.
The fact that the focus was taken off of Languoreth and the voices of different characters were mixed in added a richness to this book that was missing in the first. I also really liked the "new" characters that could be recognized from Arthurian legend. I am glad that I decided to go ahead and read the next book in this series and am now eagerly awaiting the final book.


View all my reviews

The Lost Queen (The Lost Queen Trilogy: #1)

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was a little tough for me. I wanted to absolutely love it because it is based on the authentic historical figures who have basis in Arthurian legend. And for the most part it was pretty good. The plot and setting were very interesting, and I think most people do not realize that there is quite a strong basis for "Arthur" hailing from Scotland. But my biggest issue with the book was our "heroine," Languoreth. I just really did not like her. She seemed actually quite dense, unappreciative, impetuous, and self-centered. Her decisions were just dumb. I kept wanting to yell at her, "Why are you doing that? Don't you know that's stupid and obviously not going to end well--for anyone?!" The middle of the book takes place when she is 14/15, and most of the important action and events take place during this time. So I guess that is the one "excuse." I just kept reminding myself she's barely 15 and being forced to make adult decisions. But it would have helped, I think, if the author had found ways to subtly remind the reader that Languoreth was so young. That would have seemed more realistic when she kept making immature and selfish decisions. For the last part of the book she was older, and while she was still a bit impetuous, but it was easier to relate to her.
This book was well-researched and I enjoyed the beginning and ending of the book, but I did not especially enjoy Languoreth. I will read the next installment in the trilogy because I am interested to see how all of this plays into the "history" of Arthur, and I am hoping we get to move the focus to characters other than Languoreth.
If you like Celtic mythology, Dark Ages Britain, Arthurian legend, and history, you may recommend this book. It is worth it if you can trudge through the main character's early teen years...


View all my reviews

Seven Lies

Seven Lies by Elizabeth    Kay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book really drew me in and I could not put it down. I really found the characters fascinating, even though the main character had several "unlikeable" qualities. I enjoyed her unreliable narrator status. However, the ending really put me off. She went from unlikeable and unreliable to downright despicable and I found that unredeemable. I am not sure I would recommend this book.


View all my reviews

The Mountains Wild

The Mountains Wild by Sarah Stewart Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I would give this book a 4.5! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The mystery, as well as the setting, drew me in and I did not want to put the book down. The characters were great and I felt as though I really knew them all. I was continually guessing as to what could have really happened to the missing girls, and I certainly did not see the ending coming.
This was not a perfect book--there were a couple of things I might have changed, and I do wish a little bit of the final reveal could have been fleshed out just a bit, but it absolutely did not take away from my enjoyment of the book. I feel like this could be a series on TV or Netflix. I would love to watch these characters, the way they interacted with each other, and the way they worked to solve the mystery and do their jobs.
I finished the book feeling very satisfied, yet hoping the author would turn these characters into a series. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries, suspense, thrillers, or anyone who loves Ireland!


View all my reviews

Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy: #1)

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While I enjoyed this book to an extent, I am not sure that I would recommend it or read the next books in the series. The characterization was not well-done. I wanted to know more about the secondary characters, but I found that lacking. The world-building was great, but was so well-described that it eventually became overwhelming. I did not need 2 pages on the "science" or how a character was going to be able to fly, or turn invisible, or talk to machines. If that much detail had been devoted to characters, then this book would have been much better.


View all my reviews