Category: Young Adult

About

In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curse – and the girl – can be controlled.

As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth – meaning, she shouldn’t even exist.

Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed.

Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons.

But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for?

Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.

Review

I’d been waiting to read this book from the first time I saw the cover released from Thomas Nelson, mainly because I am a huge fan of sci-fi/fantasy and YA. My thoughts:

What I liked:

The world-building. Weber managed to create a new world that I cared about. I cared about the war that was destroying lives and the people who could maybe save them. I cared about the fact that people were slaves, and some like Nym were really supposed to be dead. And I somehow found myself very invested in the politics going on and whether or not things would work out right.

The characters. Nym manages to become a very likeable and realistic narrator. I understand why she’s frustrated and angry. And for once, I found myself with a heroine who hasn’t set out to make stupid decisions. Also, I really liked the details of how Nym’s slavery has affected her physically, and how being an Elemental means she has white hair. Nym really came alive to me, and was able to drive the book in a way most heroines can’t handle. I thought the secondary characters were really amazing: Eoghan and Colin. They help make Nym who she is. And yet, they both had these interesting and incredible back stories that I just wanted to learn more about. Particularly Eoghan. I wanted more of him.

The romance. I’m so glad that it’s not insta-love and you can see them getting to know each other. I also liked the kind of forbidden aspect of it (not contrived!). It adds some nice tension to the story. I thought everything Weber threw at the couple made sense.

Spiritually, the novel doesn’t touch to much on this topic except to identify a Creator who has created us for a reason, but I’m interested to see where it goes in the next book.

What I didn’t like:

The Ending. Let me just preface this by saying I’ve never had this thought before, but I read the ending, and my first thought was, the publisher gave me the defective copy. For five seconds, I contemplated contacting Thomas Nelson and telling them they gave me the wrong copy, that surely there was another copy out there with a different ending. So….yeah….But. I have hope. I could have read something way wrong. But if I didn’t, there is hope.

Romantic Scale: 8

Overall, a very good fantasy novel. If you follow books like I do, you may be asking yourself, is it worth they hype? So I’m going to be honest with you, this book is good, it’s very good. But I got the feeling that it was almost more world-building and I have a hunch that now that we know the setup, the second book is going to be amazing. It’s engaging and creative, but don’t feel too bad if you think your copy is defective at the end.

*I received this novel from Thomas Nelson. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**

About
 
Our coming was foretold by the elders— Those who would change the future, just as the planet teetered on the edge of darkness.
Born on the prophesied day with birthmarks in the form of a crescent moon, they knew us immediately. Swaddled and screaming, we were spirited away by those who hid us, trained us, and kept us safe until our time came.
They poured their lives into us. Some died to save us.
And now we, the Remnants, protected by Knights of the Last Order, have gathered.
Called until we breathe our last … to save the world.
 
Review
 
As a lover of YA fantasy/dystopian novels, I have discovered that there are two ways in which a brand new series can start: one in medias res (or in the middle of things) and the other as world-building. I would classify this novel as world-building. It’s essentially a new world with a new way of life, and new groups of people, and much of the novel is Andriana coming into contact with different things and people. That is not to say that this novel was not fascinating (I’m very much looking forward to book two!)! Here’s what I noticed:
 
What I liked:
 
The world building was done fabulously. In no way, did I feel like the story stopped to explain things. Instead we got to experience and see things through the mostly sheltered eyes of Andriana. And what a world we encountered. It was both modern with the fantastical elements and medieval in the ways that people thought. It’s a great world to be in and I was extremely disappointed that every page I turned meant that I was closer to the end. I will say that it wasn’t always edge-of-your-seat exciting, but the writing was done so nicely, I still didn’t want to put the book down.
 
Andriana is great heroine. I never got annoyed with her, and that’s good because we’re in her head the whole novel. I liked the way she thought about things. I liked the way she reacted to things, and I liked the way she dealt with things. I also liked the idea of the romance in this. There’s actually a legit reason why they aren’t supposed to be together and that adds a lovely tension to the novel.
 
I also like the epic-like feel to the novel. I don’t feel like I’m being short-changed or that the author is rushing. There’s a lot going on it, but I was never lost. Furthermore, I like the whole idea of this special group of people who have amazing gifts.  I’m very excited to see what happens next.
 
Spiritually, there are a couple of principles here, but the one that stuck out in my mind is the importance of closing the door to darkness. Otherwise it will take a foothold and take you places you never wanted to go.
 
What I didn’t like:
 
My biggest critique would be Ronan. I liked Ronan. I just wished Ronan got a chance to speak more. Every time he spoke, it was like time froze for me. But there’s a huge amount of the novel where he is just this silent presence and while I knew Andriana’s history with Ronan, I felt like I didn’t know Ronan. And he seems like a great person to know. Let’s face it, the whole point of having a great hero is so that we readers can fall just a little bit in love with him ourselves. So, here’s to hoping that book two has lots more of Ronan!
 
Romantic scale: 7.5
 
Overall, I really enjoyed Remnants. It was such a treat to read and I’m looking forward to the next one!
**I received a copy of this novel from the author. My opinion was not affected in any way.**
 

About
Last year’s battle was just the beginning. Now the Horde is sending out smarter, more personal demons to attack the superpower-charged teenage Heroes. Romantic tension mounts between Hero members and jealousy is in high gear. Can the Heroes put their personal issues aside long enough to locate the source of the Horde before it destroys them all?

Review
Heroes of the Horde Book Two: Siege takes place about three months later after the first one, and was really a lot of fun. It had the superhero aspect mixed in with teen drama, and light spirituality. So:

What did I like:

I think with the first book, I kept wondering where the series was going. Well, now I feel like I know. I get it. And for me this made for a far more cohesive tale and sold me on the series.

This may sound weird, but in this book you begin to see how vulnerable the characters are. But in their weaknesses they become stronger.

I like how they have to learn to work together, and how they don’t all gel right away. It’s six different people and that is a lot of personalities.

I liked the teenage drama. I will admit to thinking they were silly at first and then being completely caught up in it. The “L” word was tossed out a lot for such young people, but then again, I know teenagers talk like that.

Some of the characters personalities were so strong (i.e. Jimmy, Shelley) that they instantly became my favorite character.

The curveball ending! I didn’t see that one coming.

Spiritually, I like the subtleness of the message that only Jesus saves as well as the importance of repentance. As the series goes on, I imagine that that message will grow to be important to all six of the heroes (but also note for sensitive readers that their is mild language, though far less than what you would find in most YA novels).

What I didn’t like:

Some of the characters personalities were not as strong, and so I didn’t miss them when they weren’t “talking.”

Romantic scale: 8 (there are a lot of little romances going on, though one caught my eye more than the other, so I averaged them and came out with 8)

Overall, very cute and very fun and very original.

**I received this novel from the author. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**

Giveaway!

The lovely Jennifer Hartz is willing to giveaway three copies of the first book in the series: Heroes of the Horde (they will be kindle copies). It’s worth reading, and if you love superhero anything (or paranormal for that fact) you will enjoy this book. All you need to do is leave a comment below with your email address. The giveaway ends three weeks from now on April 16! The winners will be randomly selected!

About

In Outcasts, the second book in Jill Williamson’s Safe Lands series, Levi finds himself not only the leader of Glenrock’s remaining people but also the head of a new rebel force called the Messengers, intent on unmasking the Safe Lands’ lies. At the same time, Mason uncovers secrets that may be more dangerous than he ever imagined. Meanwhile, Omar decides to take matters into his own hands.

Review

I will readily admit that Captives (the first book in the series) only really pulled me in towards the end of the novel. But I shouldn’t have doubted, because I inevitably end up loving anything that Ms. Williamson writes. I was thoroughly engrossed with Outcasts. Outcasts has quite a list of things going on, but here’s the skinny:

Mason is my favorite. He’s so logical it’s endearing. The way he thinks, acts, responds, etc., is funny. And yet, he’s such a trustworthy narrator. If Mason says it’s true, than it is. There is a person in the book that will probably make you vacillate in regards to whether they can be trusted. But I think Mason handles the situation as well as he can. In this book, you get more of him and Ciddah together and the way he is with her is priceless. More Mason, please!

Levi is beginning to grow on me in this series. In the first one, he was all action, no real thoughts. In this one, you begin to see where he is coming from, and more importantly how he will one day be a fine elder of Glenrock. He also manages to stumble across a revelation that is fairly surprising.

Omar (the one who made me cringe in book one) is still struggling to find himself and yet, he manages to become such a likeable character in this one. The things he does in this book, I think, are so very similar to how people are today. They want to do right, but find themselves caught up in this strange cycle of wrong. And let’s not forget, Omar gets some unplanned news of his own that, I think, really adds some great tension in the book. Omar, though, is the one who will surprise you the most. He’s the one to watch.

Spiritually, this book gives you several points of view about the way to treat the world around you. Our would is clearly not their dystopian world, but you will find similarities and it will remind you to make sure that you take a stand for righteousness.

Overall, I couldn’t put this book down. I have even reread my favorite parts several times. The only thing that made me happy when it ended ( and what an ending!) is that the next one comes out this year!

Romantic Scale: 8

About

One choice could destroy them all. When eighteen-year-old Levi returned from Denver City with his latest scavenged finds, he never imagined he’d find his village of Glenrock decimated, loved ones killed by enforcers, and many—including his fiancee, Jem–taken captive. Now alone, Levi is determined to rescue what remains of his people, even if it means entering the Safe Land, a walled city that seems anything but safe. Omar knows he betrayed his brother by sending him away to Denver City, but helping the enforcers was necessary. Living off the land like nomads and clinging to an outdated religion holds his village back. The Safe Land has protected people since the plague decimated the world generations ago … and its rulers have promised power and wealth beyond Omar’s dreams. Meanwhile, Jem is locked in a cell, awaiting the Safe Landers’ plan to protect their future by seizing her own. Can Levi uncover the truth hidden behind the Safe Land’s facade before it’s too late?

Review

You can’t help but get excited when another novel by Ms. Williamson comes out! In this novel you have three brothers who are very different going through the same or similar situations. Can I just say that Mason is my favorite? I feel like he’s the voice of reason while his brothers stumble along. The book takes place in a futuristic America that is very different yet very much the same as our times. There were some moments when I was slightly confused about how the society worked, but this doesn’t last long. Overall, this book immediately drew me in and had me captivated. There was a certain point were it slowed a bit (I think because for me, certain character’s points of views were more interesting than others) and I wasn’t sure where it was going, but it picked right back up and when I reached the last page I was upset to discover that it was over. Spiritually, since this is America, God is still the same in this book and many characters recite and meditate on the scriptures. I have a feeling, He will become even more important as the series continues. Great start to a new series and I can’t wait till the next one comes out!