Arc Review ~ Gilded Cage

Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts #1)

by Vic James
published by Del Ray Books
release date: February 14, 2017
genre: YA, Fantasy, Dystopia

**e-galley received from netGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary (Goodreads): Not all are free. Not all are equal. Not all will be saved.
Our world belongs to the Equals — aristocrats with magical gifts — and all commoners must serve them for ten years. But behind the gates of England's grandest estate lies a power that could break the world.
A girl thirsts for love and knowledge.
Abi is a servant to England's most powerful family, but her spirit is free. So when she falls for one of the noble-born sons, Abi faces a terrible choice. Uncovering the family's secrets might win her liberty, but will her heart pay the price?
A boy dreams of revolution.
Abi's brother, Luke, is enslaved in a brutal factory town. Far from his family and cruelly oppressed, he makes friends whose ideals could cost him everything. Now Luke has discovered there may be a power even greater than magic: revolution.
And an aristocrat will remake the world with his dark gifts.
He is a shadow in the glittering world of the Equals, with mysterious powers no one else understands. But will he liberate—or destroy?

My Thoughts: I didn't think I would like this book after the first few chapters due to all the different POVs. Ended up really enjoying the world the author created along and their stories. Unfortunately, the happy feelings and looking forward to book 2 ended with the last two pages. I'll start with the things I did like.
Luke, he started as a typical teenage boy doing typical teenage boy things. This ended quickly when he is separated from his family and sent to a factory slave town. Luke had the most evolution as a character and you could really believe he had become the person he was at the end of the book. All the decisions he made fit into his character, even when the outcome was not what he expected.
The Jardine brothers. Even as evil as they can seem, well at least one seems evil, one crazy, and one not like the others, I still liked them. I wanted to know more, especially about Silyen, crazy and powerful, definitely an interesting combination. Gavar seems to be more than what you see on the surface. His care for his child and even for Daisy in his own way. Granted it's only because she takes care of the baby but still it shows there is more there.
Bouda, she's another that I should hate (and mostly do) but I want to see what she does going forward. She clearly is willing to do anything that gives her more power including marrying Gavar and possibly being in league with his dad. I'm most interested in her mystery contact that seems to have info that is counter to everything that we learn in this book.
Abi, the character that ruined the whole book for me. It's necessarily her but where the author took her in the last two pages. Throughout the whole book Abi is kinda forgettable even as a main character. She's smart, book smart but too much of a fairytale daydreamer. She would think about the fact that she needed to find a way to get Luke out of the slave town and then 2 seconds later she would be dreaming about Jenner and how great it would be if they could only be together. This is pretty much how all her chapters go with some variation here or there but she never actually does anything. Then all of the sudden the story is over, the servant and master are in love and sharing a kiss, then Abi does something that is so far out of character that it made no sense to me. It literally ruined everything for me, I was so looking forward to reading book two and finding out what happens next. But if these last pages are an indication of where the author is going then I don't know if I'll be reading. Continuation is a big part of any series and it fell apart for this character in one book. With Luke it was easy to believe that he became the man he was at the end because of what happened to him throughout the book both in the slave town and when he ended up at the Jardine's. Abi on the other hand had no growth but suddenly we are supposed to believe she went from a smart daydreamer to a UF kick-ass heroine. It just doesn't fit. Most won't have a problem with this but for me it just didn't make sense.
I don't usually read preview chapters but if there are any released for book two (Tarnished City) I may give them a try to see where the author goes with the book and Abi's character. Something will have to happen to Abi and her sudden plans to make me want to read the whole book.

Rating: 4 based on the book as a whole and not the part that bothered me at the end.

Book Review ~ The Stars Never Rise

The Stars Never Rise 

by Rachel Vincent
published by Delacorte Press
genre: YA, Fantasy, Supernatural, Dystopia

Summary (Goodreads): Sixteen-year-old Nina Kane should be worrying about her immortal soul, but she's too busy trying to actually survive. Her town's population has been decimated by soul-consuming demons, and souls are in short supply. Watching over her younger sister, Mellie, and scraping together food and money are all that matters. The two of them are a family. They gave up on their deadbeat mom a long time ago.

When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their very existence, she'll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes by the brutal Church and its army of black-robed exorcists. And Mellie's sin has put her in serious trouble.

To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a fugitive with deep green eyes who has already saved her life once and who might just be an exorcist. But what kind of exorcist wears a hoodie?

Wanted by the Church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she can't survive on her own. She needs Finn and his group of rogue friends just as much as they need her.

My Thoughts: I always worry when everyone else loves a book. Hyped books don't always work for me. This one did. It is right up there as one of my favorite reads so far this year.
Even though the Church is in charge and everyone follows whatever they say, it wasn't a preaching/ religious story. It was clear from the beginning that everyone was under the thumb of the Church even if most didn't agree with what they were saying. Because of the demon invasion the Church rules by fear.
Nina was an interesting character for me. We kept being told that she was slow on the uptake and her sister was the smart one. For me, I'll take the slightly slower character that can survive in the world she lives in than the smart sister who is either incredibly selfish or not as smart as we are being told. Nina's new group of real exorcists are an interesting mix and have something for everyone.
The only thing that stopped this from being a five star for me was the romance. I liked the idea of Finn, at first he was one of the better characters. Unfortunately, the big reveal didn't work for me. It was just weird. I get the idea and could see how his situation greatly helped the group in their work but as not as far as being Nina's romantic interest. The situation just seemed to put her in a situation where she is just making out with random guys. Even if Finn is there, it's not really him. Like I said, I liked him as a character but not as a romantic interest.
Overall, for being a first in the series, the author grabbed me from the start and kept me until the end. I'm looking forward to seeing how the group does out in the wild dealing with everything that was figured out during this book.

Rating: 4.5

Series Review ~ The Selection

The Selection series (The Selection, The Elite, The One)

by Kiera Cass
published by Harper Teen
genre: YA, Dystopian, Romance

My Thoughts: I avoided this series partly because of the huge controversy when the first book came out and also because I hate love triangles. When the second and then the third book came out and I kept seeing them everywhere and the number of people that enjoyed them I decided to give them a try.
The Selection was my least favorite of the series. I did not like Aspen from the start and the more I heard America talk about her undying love for him the more I started to dislike her. I was glad when she got to the castle and things changed up a bit. Even when her reasons for being at the castle and with Maxon revolved around Aspen it was still better than when they were together.
The Elite was an improvement except where America's feelings were concerned. It felt like someone told the author she had to have drama in the romance department and only succeeded in making America seem wishy washy. Every time she seemed to be growing as a character she would fall back to being indecisive and unable to make a decision.
By the time I got to The One I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleased that the author seemed to give up on the love triangle. This was probably my favorite of the series even though I again had problems with it. I've never been so unhappy with getting the ending that I wanted. The things that happened in the last quarter right before the HEA were either confusing or convenient. There were deaths that made no sense other than to make one of the couple realize how much they could be away from the other. Then the whole battle that just dropped everything into place but made no sense. Like I said it was too convenient. I would have been more pleased if the characters had had to earn their final positions rather than getting them by circumstances.
Overall, for some reason, even with all the above, I enjoyed reading these books. They were just kind of light fun books. I'll probably read The Heir when it comes out this year just to see if there is any growth in not only the characters but the authors writing as well.

Series Rating: 3.5-4

Book Review ~ The Vault of Dreamers

The Vault of Dreamers

by Caragh M O'Brien
published by Roaring Brook Press
genre: YA, Dystopian, Sci-Fi

Summary (Goodreads): The Forge School is the most prestigious arts school in the country. The secret to its success:  every moment of the students' lives is televised as part of the insanely popular Forge Show, and the students' schedule includes twelve hours of induced sleep meant to enhance creativity. But when first year student Rosie Sinclair skips her sleeping pill, she discovers there is something off about Forge. In fact, she suspects that there are sinister things going on deep below the reaches of the cameras in the school. What's worse is, she starts to notice that the edges of her consciousness do not feel quite right. And soon, she unearths the ghastly secret that the Forge School is hiding—and what it truly means to dream there.

My Thoughts: I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. The author does a great job of sucking you in and keeping you interested right until the end. My problem is when that end came I had more questions than answers.
Forge school is Big Brother for students. Rosie and her classmates are on camera twelve hours a day. The only time they are not is the twelve hours when they are in a drugged sleep that is supposed to enhance their creativity. While we are told this is an arts school we really don't see much of it. The only time it is a focus is when Rosie is trying to make the final cuts to stay at the school.
The other thing that helps her stay is the insta-love story. This was my least favorite part. The relationship between Rosie and Linus could have been more if they weren't "in love" and kissing for the camera within a day of meeting.
What saved this and kept me reading was the mystery of what was happening at night. Rosie's adventures lead to discovery of happenings deep underneath the school grounds. I'm not sure if I found the Dean as a bad guy in the traditional sense, he was more creepy and fanatical about his medical research.
Unfortunately the ending was way too confusing for me. I wasn't sure if it had been a couple of months or a couple of years since Rosie made her big discovery and became the Dean's ward. We don't know what happened to any of the students or Linus. I could keep going about the things that weren't resolved/answered. Part of me wants to read a follow up book just to get some answers but not sure I could handle more questions.

Rating: 3.5

Book Review ~ Frozen

Frozen (Heart of Dread #1)

by Melissa de la Cruz, Michael Johnston
published by Putnam
genre: YA, Dystopia, Fantasy

Summary (Goodreads): Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.

My Thoughts: This was a hard one for me. There were many times that I thought I would not be able to finish it. It had a good beginning and end but the middle dragged out way to long. Also, this is YA only because you are told the characters are teenagers but nothing about the story felt like it. The majority of the characters are already retired or discharged from the military but you are supposed to believe they are  only 16. Most of the story I forgot that they were teens until the authors pointed out their ages.
The world that the authors built was interesting in some ways but too current in others. Something happened (if it was explained, it wasn't something that stuck with me) that left the world covered in ice. There seems to be no hope anywhere. The government is in charge and every little thing is monitored. The problem was that this is supposed to be some time in the future but all technology was stagnant to current day. They have all these trained military people and none of them have any initiative to try and better what they have, they just fix it back to old ways.
I liked the characters. Nat was the most interesting and the only reason this was above a 3* read for me. Going with her on her journey to The Blue and finding out about her powers along the way was the reason I kept reading. I had to know about the voice in her head. I could have done without the insta-love/ attraction between her and Wes. Even if you hadn't read the blurb it was a very telegraphed story line.
Overall, whether I read the next book is going to depend on what it focuses on. If it's more about all the different fae and what about the ice is killing them, I will probably give it a try. There is also where they are going with Nat's story. The final "battle" saved this book and also set up some stories to be played on.

Rating: 3.5 (I wavered between a 3 and 4 so just went to the middle)

Waiting on Wednesday ~ Independent Study

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Independent Study (The Testing #2)

by Joelle Charbonneau

expected release date: January 7, 2014

genre: YA, Dystopian, 

Summary: In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies . . . a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government’s murderous programs put her—and her loved ones—in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her.

**I know some didn't but I really enjoyed book 1 and am looking forward to seeing what happens next.

(non) Book Review ~ The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)

by Suzanne Collins
published by Scholastic
genre: YA, Dystopian,

Summary (Goodreads): Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender.

If she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

My Thoughts: This is really not a review. This is one of those books that you have either read, are going to read or have no interest in. At this point you've made your mind up in one direction or the other. This is more for me to finally feel like I accomplished something. I've been saying I was going to read this book for the past two years and finally I've done it.
Whenever there is a book that receives as much hype, love and praise as this one, it always makes me wary. I usually end up disappointed when I read these books. I'm happy to say that wasn't the case here. I enjoyed reading this story. I found the characters interesting for the most part and the world/story were enough to keep me locked into the book until the end.
I guess the best thing I can say is that this was worth the two days it took me to read it and I don't regret taking the time. Now to work myself up to reading the second book.

Rating:4

Book Review ~ The Testing

The Testing (The Testing #1)

by Joelle Charbonneau
published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
genre: YA, Dystopian,

Summary (Goodreads): Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same?

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

My Thoughts: I'll start with this; I'm very hit or miss when it comes to dystopian books. Also, I haven't read the Hunger Games so I will not be comparing this to that (probably a benefit).
This was one of my favorite books I've read so far this year. I read it in most of a day and only put it down when I had to.
When it started I was concerned that it was going to be like Divergent, but that only lasted for a couple of pages. Even though there hasn't been a candidate from Cia's area in years this is still all she dreams about growing up. We start to get a sense of her character from the moment of her and three others find out they will be going through the testing. There are moments when she does something and I found myself thinking "brilliant" and other times not so much. This made me like her character more. I dislike when everything is just perfect and no matter what the character does, it's the right thing.
There were other characters I found interesting, even when they were recognizable as the "bad guy". Tomas was one of these. I still don't really like him but am curious about things that happened when him and Cia were not in a group together.
Overall, as I said at the beginning I really enjoyed this and I'm looking forward to read book 2. I'm curious what parts Cia recorded and if something she left out causes her to trust the wrong person as she is working through it. I also want to know what exactly happened with Tomas and Will when Cia was separated from them for the night. Luckily Independent Study comes out in January.

Rating: 4.5

*You  can download the eBook prequel here The Testing Guide 

Book Review ~ Poison Princess

Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles #1)

by Kresley Cole
published by Simon & Schuster
genre: YA, Dystopian, Fantasy

Summary (Goodreads): She could save the world—or destroy it.

Sixteen year old Evangeline “Evie” Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.

But she can’t do either alone.

With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can’t totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?

Who can Evie trust?

As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side…

My Thoughts: This was my first time reading this author. I've been meaning to read her adult series and after this I may have to move it up. This was different from most of the paranormal YA books that I've read. I'm not as familiar with The Arcana from a tarot deck. I know and have seen the basics but that is it. This did not hamper my enjoyment or understanding of the story.
Evie was an interesting character. She became more interesting and tolerable as the book went on. We started with the rich girl cheerleader who has been made to think she was crazy. I found myself rolling my eyes at the high school scenes, trying to put off her more experienced boyfriend and then the bad boy from the wrong side of the track shows up. These were slightly (or very) cliched moments but were easy to overlook once the real story started happening.
Once the flash happened and Evie and Jack were brought back together the story picked up and I had to stay with it until the end. While the romance never really worked for me, I understood the need for these two to be together on this journey.
Overall, while there were some problems (the romance/relationship of Jack/evie) the story of these kids either becoming or already aware of their tarot cards and how that will help or completely end a world that's already been mostly destroyed is what will keep me reading this series.

Rating:4