"Winterspell"

My rating: ★★★★★

Author: Claire Legrand

Series: Stand-alone (plus "Summerfall" prequel novella & "Homecoming" epilogue)

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Page Count: 454 (Hardcover)

Release Date: September 31, 2014

Places to order:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iBooks
Books-A-Million
IndieBound
The Book Depository
Books of Wonder

Synopsis:

New York City, 1899. Clara Stole, the mayor's ever-proper daughter, leads a double life. Since her mother's murder, she has secretly trained in self-defense with the mysterious Drosselmeyer.

Then, on Christmas Eve, disaster strikes.

Her home is destroyed, her father abducted--by beings distinctly not human. To find him, Clara journeys to the war-ravaged land of Cane. Her only companion is the dethroned prince Nicholas, bound by a wicked curse. If they're to survive, Clara has no choice but to trust him, but his haunted eyes burn with secrets--and a need she can't define. With the dangerous, seductive faery queen Anise hunting them, Clara soon realizes she won't leave Cane unscathed--if she leaves at all.

Inspired by The Nutcracker, Winterspell is a dark, timeless fairy tale about love and war, longing and loneliness, and a girl who must learn to live without fear.

My review:

Okay, so I am a HUGE sucker for retellings, especially the not-so-typical retellings like this one of "The Nutcracker" ballet! I read this book the day it came out & WOW... every time I hear someone say "nutcracker" nowadays, my mind immediately flashes an image of this BEAUTIFUL cover!

Things I LOVED about this book:

• Originality 
• COVER (+ a map of Cane in the inside!)
• Strong female protagonist
• Dark themes (I say this because when people think of "The Nutcracker," they think of Sugar Plum Fairies; however, Legrand turns this story inside-out and upside-down, which makes this story even more unique and intriguing to the readers!)
• NICHOLAS *swoons*
• The world of Cane 
• Queen Anise = new favorite female villain
• THE ENDING *breathes into paper bag*

Legrand was able to totally twist this book into it's own original story, and I admire that in an author, especially one who decides to write a retelling of a famous ballet that has been known since 1892!  

In this book, Legrand used intense themes such as war, prostitution, drugs, homosexuality and other controversial topics and managed to weave them into this beautiful, dark fantasy world. But because of these topics, many people bash on these books, like "Winterspell," and shame them for taking teens/young adults innocence by exposing the younger readers to such violence.

In my personal opinion, I think it's unreasonable for one to have that kind of a mindset, because as teens or young adults (I also speak for myself since I started reading YA books at the age of twelve), the world we live in is not pure or untainted by darkness; young readers shouldn't be ignorant of controversial topics such as the ones in "Winterspell" because these topics apply to the world that we live in and it's something that shouldn't be ignored or unaware of. (Sorry if I'm ranting, but I saw a couple reviews from other people about this book that got me a little mad...) **But leave a comment down below, if you like, if you feel the same or the total opposite as I do, because I will respect your opinion since I am just stating my own!**

MOVING ON, the characters in this book were fan-flipping-tastic! We get multiple, dynamic characters that each have their own unique backstory and come with their own little box of secrets, which gets you to keep turning the pages! Drosselmeyer, Nicholas and Queen Anise are (in my opinion) the dynamic, well-developed characters that makes this story even more intriguing and gets the reader to question these chatacters' motives and actions.

If you do read this book sometime in the near future, REMEMBER, there is an epilogue! So make sure not to have a panic attack once you get to the end of "Winterspell," because THERE IS MORE! :)

(P.S. For those of you who aren't aware of this yet, I also have a BookTube channel where I film book reviews, book hauls, recommendations and all the other bookish things :) And I had filmed my review on "Winterspell" awhile ago, so I you want to take a look, click here!)

~Whit Lo

"The Winter People"

My Rating:  ★★★★★

Author: Rebekah L. Purdy

Series: The Winter People (Volume #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Page count: 320 (Hardcover)

Release date: September 2, 2014

Places to pre-order:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository

Synopsis:

An engrossing, complex, romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore or Maggie Stiefvater, set in a wholly unique world.

Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn't forgotten their warning to "stay away." For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the "special gifts" that must be left at the back of the property.
 


Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new direction. A direction where she'll have to decide between her longtime crush Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.

My review:

This winter wonderland is far from wonderful; "The Winter People" is a cold, dangerous world filled with romance, fear, deception and magic. Things are never what they seem especially when there are three impossibly good-looking guys--Colton, Nevin, and Gareth--who show up one after the other into Salome Montgomery's life, each with connections to her and to one another.

Things I LOVE about this book:

• The cover is GORGEOUS! (The typography and colors and everything else about it captures the novel so well!)
• The setting (Michigan)
• The imagery in this novel about winter (I kept getting chills while reading it... *shivers*)
• Fairies!
• Kingdoms are similar to the ones in "Snow Like Ashes" by Sara Raasch (since there are Summer and Winter Kingdoms in both stories)
• The romance is something that not a lot of people might like, but it was something I really enjoyed reading! (I couldn't predict who Salome was going to pick until I got closer to the end of the story and that made everything that much more interesting!)

I couldn't put this book down (except for three hours of sleep) due to the fact that I was completely drawn into this world filled with complex relationships and secrets that needed to be revealed. The characters are well written, each with their own unique story and background that helped build to the climax of the novel. Since I have family that live in Michigan that I visit during the winter and summer seasons, I was easily able to picture the bitter weather where all you want to do is have a nice steaming cup of hot chocolate and a warm blanket to wrap around yourself. 

And when you think that the ending is all wrapped up with a pretty ribbon, you then remember that there are unanswered questions, things that will leave you with a chilling sensation that this happy ending won't last for long....

Which is why there is a SEQUEL! 

"Summer Marked" will be released on August 4, 2015 (according to Goodreads)

~Whit Lo

"Branded"

My rating: ★★★★★

Authors: Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki

Series: A Sinners Series (Volume #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance

Page count: 380 (Paperback)

Release date: August 19, 2014

Places to buy this book:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository

Places to find the authors:
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
Website

Synopsis:

Fifty years ago The Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society.

To punish the guilty, he created the Hole, a place where sinners are branded according to their sins. Sinners are forced to live a less than human existence in deplorable conditions, under the watchful eye of guards who are ready to kill anyone who steps out of line.

Now, LUST wraps around my neck like thick, blue fingers, threatening to choke the life out of me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit, and the Hole is my new home.

Constant darkness.

Brutal and savage violence.

Excruciating pain.

Every day is a fight for survival.

But I won’t let them win. I will not die in the Hole.

I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.

My review:

Branded is not your typical dystopian book; there are times when you cringe and can't help but visualize the harshness of this world and see that it's not far off from our own world. This book is dark, yet addicting as you learn more about the haunting past of Lexi Hamilton, a teenage girl accused of committing the crime of Lust and sentenced to The Hole, and Cole, a guard who is assigned to Lexi throughout the whole story. What they didn't realize was the unintentional connection who was not friendly to her in the least bit at the beginning of the story, until things start to change. 

(P.S. I read this book right around the time it was released, so... sorry for the late review!)

I would definitely not want to live in this cruel world where Lexi, the main protagonist, gets accused of a crime she never committed and was sentenced to this terrifying world, and as a young, beautiful girl, I couldn't help but fear for her life. I love how the idea on the story is surrounded by the Seven Deadly Sins and how people are judged, not based by their gender or race, but by their brand, despite the fact that Lexi isn't the only one who was branded for a crime she had never committed. 

As a reader who loves dystopian novels, I can't help but but be in awe of the originality of this novel and how it was built and pieced together! I'm always on the look out for novels that can grab my attention and "Branded" has done that spectacularly. After the book was released, I've noticed that multiple reviewers talked about how they felt frustrated that Cole didn't have more "depth" and that Lexi constantly acted like a child. In Cole's case, I think that Abi and Missy did that on purpose, because a reader can't expect to be given all the information about a main character like himself in the first book, that's kind of why there's a sequel and a third book; as the reader, you get to learn more about the characters as the story progresses and how they change. For Lexi, yes,  I agree that she didn't act quite like the way people wanted her to act, but let's be real here, "The Mortal Instruments" series by Cassandra Clare has a female protagonist, Clary Fray, that acts extremely stubborn and childish at the beginning of the series, but she later grows and becomes a strong, female character that people learn to acknowledge. So that's why I think it is alright for Lexi to come off as childish in this novel because she's blindly thrown into this world where there's strangers who either want to spit at her or rape her for being branded for a crime she didn't even commit. I think it's acceptable if she wants to have a meltdown every once in a while, wouldn't you?

ANYWAY, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a new, fresh take on a dark, dystopian world with danger at every corner and love in more shapes than one. I cannot wait until the second book, "Hunted," comes out so that I can dive back into this addictive world!

I want to take a moment to applaud the authors for never giving up on this book and for being such positive, loving authors who show such kindness to their readers and fans every moment they can. They are a true inspiration to young teens who aspire to become authors one day themselves.

~Whit Lo

"An Ember in the Ashes" (ARC review)

My Rating:  ★★★★★

Author: Sabaa Tahir

Series: An Ember in the Ashes (Volume #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Page count: 464 (Hardcover)

Release date: April 28, 2015

Places to pre-order:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Places to find author:
Twitter
Instagram
Wordpress
Goodreads

Synopsis:

Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It’s a story that’s literally burning to be told.

LAIA is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire’s greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars who claim that they will help to save her brother from execution.

ELIAS is the academy’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias is considering deserting the military, but before he can, he’s ordered to participate in a ruthless contest to choose the next Martial emperor.

When Laia and Elias’s paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself.

My review:

First off, a HUGE thank you to Penguin & their program "First to Read" for giving me the chance to review a digital ARC of this novel. (*NON-spolier review*)

Secondly... THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING.

This novel is divided into three parts and is told in two points-of-view by Laia and Elias. As the reader, you get to see what type of life they currently have (separately) and what kind of world they are living in. This story follows Laia, a seventeen-year-old girl who goes undercover as a slave at the Martial Empire's military academy in exchange for help from the Resistance (rebels against the empire) to save her brother, and then there's Elias, a twenty-year-old (?) soldier who has no desire to stay and work for the Martial Empire, but then has to participate in a brutal, merciless contest for the throne.

In the beginning of the novel, it was a little confusing to understand the world, but I feel like that's because this is a fantasy novel, which means that it's a completely new world that the author had the challenge of writing and creating in a way for a reader to understand. As I kept reading, however, it became much clearer and easier to envision what this world would look like and how the characters weave through this cruel world full of darkness and evil that lurks in the shadows.

The more I got to know Laia, the more I saw her as an amazingly well-built character that learns the meaning of sacrifice and suffering, yet she somehow possesses the strength and determination to never give up throughout the whole novel. Elias, too, goes through a fair amount of sacrifice and suffering but in a way that helps him understand the true meaning of freedom and what it means to be selfless.

Another thing to add is that there were multiple moments when I had to hold my breath because something had happened to one of the characters... but since the novel is told in by both Laia and Elias, I couldn't relax or take a breath until the following chapter to know if certain things--BIG things--had happened or not.

Sabaa's writing style is dense, but in a way that allows the reader to get a better understanding of the world and of the character's thoughts. Her writing overall is unique and effective for this novel, because Sabaa was able to capture the moments when the characters were at their best and their worst, which is something I strongly admire in an author.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially to those who are looking for a new fantasy series! This book has three-dimensional characters, heart-pounding scenarios, multiple plot-twists, a good amount of romance and lots and lots of action! You won't regret reading this novel, because you'll be hooked until the very end! (I should know since I stayed up until 3 a.m. to finish this fantastic novel!)

~Whit Lo