The Demon King

Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for himself, his mother, and his sister Mari. Ironically, the only thing of value he has is something he can't sell. For as long as Han can remember, he's worn thick silver cuffs engraved with runes. They're clearly magicked-as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off. While out hunting one day, Han and his Clan friend, Dancer catch three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. After a confrontation, Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against them. Han soon learns that the amulet has an evil history-it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back. Meanwhile, Raisa ana'Marianna, Princess Heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of relative freedom with her father's family at Demonai camp - riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Although Raisa will become eligible for marriage after her sixteenth name-day, she isn't looking forward to trading in her common sense and new skills for etiquette tutors and stuffy parties. Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea-the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems like her mother has other plans for her--plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.

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Beth says 4.5 Stars...

I adore Cinda Williams Chima. Her books are just so much fun to read, filled with adventure and danger. This series has the potential to be epic in more than one sense. Already in this first of a series Chima has created a rich and lush world rife with varying traditions. There are the mages, the Clans, and the royals; all of whom have different desires and complexly intertwining histories. This story is set in a completely new world, and has the feel of classic high fantasy; a departure from the Heir series. The change is accomplished with relative ease, despite a few less than stellar pieces. It takes a little bit at the beginning to get your bearings in the book, but it isn't too bad.

The main characters are fairly good. I still have lukewarm feelings about Han, but the end of the book was so great that I think there's potential for me to really love his character. Raisa is delightfully spunky, with true wit and strength. The secondary characters are fantastic, and really help to enhance the book. Everyone is layered, and the fact that this is just the beginning will really allow their depths to be plumbed.

I'm giving this book a slightly higher rating because it's the beginning of a series and the end showed such amazing potential for the rest of the books. Overall, this is a great read for someone looking for a sweeping fantasy to transport them to a different realm.

Nathan says 4 Stars...

Cinda Williams Chima is pretty awesome. Her Heir series was action packed and immersive, but if The Demon King is any indication Chima is embarking on a completely new, and dare I say, better adventure.

I was immediately struck by the influences of Chima’s universe. Every people seems to have a very particular culture that resonates with some actual culture. Native American, feudal, and Scandinavian pseudo-societies make up many of the factions, and though it has yet to be fully revealed, there appear to be even more cultures to explore.

This intricately conceived world is further set off by strong and dynamic characters. I did feel that the characterization of the Heir series was a little more sophisticated, but this book lags behind only slightly.

The plot lags in the middle; however, by the end, Chima is fully in the driver’s seat. The conclusion reveals that much of this novel is set up for the rest of the tale, and I’m really excited to see what she can do with it in the future.

Chima once again delivers a book well-worth reading.

Freaks And Revelations Review + Winners!!!

This raw, moving novel follows two teenagers-one, a Mohawk-wearing 17-year-old violent misfit; the other, a gay 13-year-old cast out by his family, hustling on the streets and trying to survive. Acclaimed author Davida Wills Hurwin creates a riveting narrative told in alternating perspectives of their lives before and after the violent hate crime that changed both their futures. This tragic but ultimately inspirational journey of two polarized teens, their violent first meeting, and their peaceful reunion years later is an unforgettable story of survival and forgiveness.

This story is inspired by the real lives of Matthew Boger and Timothy Zaal, who have shared their story on The Oprah Winfrey Show and NPR.

from amazon.com

Beth says 4 Stars...

The concept of this book scared me a little at first. I'm not the world's biggest Oprah fan, and books about "Oprah stories" can be more than a bit cliche and boring. So, I went into this book with less than astoundingly high expectations. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I really thought that the way the book was written made it much better. I loved that it was told by both of the major characters, and that it was so evident when the change occurred. The fact that the font changed was such a great divider, and I felt that the fonts were good representation of the characters. How the book managed to avoid the cliche was that it told the stories of the characters as individuals, instead of just focusing on the moment their paths crossed. The main complaint that I had was that at the beginning it was extremely difficult to determine which character was narrating.

I found the supporting cast to be interesting, and I though that the book was made richer because of them. None of them were astounding. The plot wasn't the main focus of the book; instead it relied on developing the main players and letting everything flow from there. The ending was so moving without being sappy and trite.

This was a lovely book that hit the right nerves once it got going. This is a good read about the biases that we have and how they affect others.


And now for the fun stuff! The winners of a copy are:

kalynnick
Rae
Linda

We're sending e-mails to the winners so we can get your addresses!

Books from Publisher

Shadowland

Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives—and fought off the world’s darkest enemies—so they could be together forever. But just when their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen…one that could destroy everything. Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death—plunging Damen into the Shadowland. Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick—and gets help from an unexpected source…a surfer named Jude.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar. Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past. She’s always believed Damen to be her soulmate and one true love—and she still believes it to be true. But as Damen pulls away to save them, Ever’s connection with Jude grows stronger—and tests her love for Damen like never before…

from amazon.com

Beth says 2.5 Stars...

I liked this series at the beginning. It was fun, cute, light, and fluffy with a dash of magic. Perfect books for beach reading and other leisurely activities. Then it tried to get all serious, and it failed miserably. It feels like reading a terribly over dramatic soap opera. I will give it the fact that, like a soap opera, it still manages to remain entertaining. This is the third book in the series, and by this time I was hoping for some depth in the characters. Alas, that was not to be found. Ever is still as centered around herself and Damen as she always has been. The relationship between those two creeps me out just a little bit as well. I'm getting Twilight flashbacks and I don't like it. There's the living forever together, the extremely dominant male, the "other man" that threatens the relationship, and the relationship becoming the center of the girl's life. I guess I just like my heroines strong, yet flawed, and didn't get that at all from Ever. I couldn't connect with her any more, and found the connection from the previous novels (particularly the first, which I really enjoyed) waning. The plot really wasn't very good; it didn't suck me in. I felt like some events were meant to be shocking and rock my socks off, but I just didn't get it. It's not like this book was terrible, but it really wasn't very good. I'm not sure if I'll be continuing with the rest of the series, but if this is any indication, I certainly won't rush out to buy the next one.

Book from Library

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

Blessed—or cursed—with an ability to understand animals, the Lass (as she’s known to her family) has always been an oddball. And when an isbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out, and promises that her family will become rich if only the Lass will accompany him to his castle, she doesn’t hesitate. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle, which is made of ice and inhabited by a silent staff of servents. Only a grueling journey on the backs of the four winds will reveal the truth: the bear is really a prince who’s been enchanted by a troll queen, and the Lass must come up with a way to free him before he’s forced to marry a troll princess.

from amazon.com

Beth says 5 Stars...

Maybe I'm a little bit biased because I adored another one of George's books. I had extremely high expectations for this one, and was not disappointed at all. I'll be honest and say that I really didn't know a great deal about the actual fairy tale when I picked up the book, but after I finished it I had to find out more. George stays true to the fairy tale and just flushes it out, creating a much richer and more vibrant world than before. Everything becomes so much deeper and three dimensional, with the original story a part of a greater whole. The writing was just as I expected; beyond lovely and enthralling. The icy and sparse world was rendered so beautifully that it felt both barren and glorious. I was able to picture things so vividly.

The characters were interesting, particularly those that were not human. I loved the mythology of the trolls and bears, and felt that it was well explained for the length of the book. Also, I enjoyed that it was revealed over time and not dumped in all at once. Other authors should take note of this novel technique (bad pun, I know). The only thing that I can see detering some readers is the stilted and somewhat formal language, particularly in the dialogue. I think that it works very well to create distance between the world of the book and the world of the reader, but I can see it being a little bit of a problem for some people.

Overall I thought this book was great. I'm really excited about George's new book and can't wait to pick it up. It'll be interesting to compare this to Ice by Sarah Beth Durst (which I have) because it seems that they took the story in completely different directions. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a bit of magic and glacial beauty this winter.

Book from Library

Crazy Beautiful

In an explosion of his own making, Lucius blew his arms off. Now he has hooks. He chose hooks because they were cheaper. He chose hooks because he wouldn’t outgrow them so quickly. He chose hooks so that everyone would know he was different, so he would scare even himself. Then he meets Aurora. The hooks don’t scare her. They don’t keep her away. In fact, they don’t make any difference at all to her. But to Lucius, they mean everything. They remind him of the beast he is inside. Perhaps Aurora is his Beauty, destined to set his soul free from its suffering. Or maybe she’s just a girl who needs love just like he does.

from amazon.com

Beth says 4 Stars...

I enjoyed reading this book. It was cute and a little different. The only thing that bothered me was that it didn't go far enough. It attempted to be different, but didn't go far enough. It bordered safety and risk without falling into either category. Also, there are so many different retellings of Beauty and the Beast and I've read my fair share of them. I thought it was interesting that there wasn't a strong magical presence in the novel. I guess I've come to expect large amounts of magic in my neo-fairy tales. I think that it makes me enjoy it a little more, but maybe that's just the fantasy nut in me. The book was good but not great. The writing style was really interesting. I loved how it alternated perspectives, and felt that it was well done. It was obvious who was speaking and the voices were well developed. The rest of the characters weren't too compelling, and the side plots fell a little flat. Despite its shortcomings, the book was really a fun read. It was just dark and twisty enough to appeal to me. I'd say to grab this one if you want something that's a little on the dark side but has no magic.

The Night Dance

Under the stars, in a secret world...

Rowena, the youngest of twelve sisters, loves to slip out of the castle at night and dance in a magical forest. Soon she convinces her sisters to join her. When Sir Ethan notices that his daughters' slippers look tattered every morning, he is certain they've been sneaking out. So he posts a challenge to all the suitors in the kingdom: The first man to discover where his daughters have been is free to marry the one he chooses.

Meanwhile a handsome young knight named Bedivere is involved in a challenge of his own: to return the powerful sword, Excalibur, to a mysterious lake. While looking for the lake, Bedivere meets the beautiful Rowena and falls for her. Bedivere knows that accepting Sir Ethan's challenge is the only opportunity for him to be with Rowena forever. But this puts both Bedivere and Rowena in a dangerous situation...one in which they risk their lives for a chance at love.

from goodreads.com

Beth says 2 Stars...

I was so excited about this book. I'd read a couple of the books in the Once Upon a Time... series and had enjoyed them (The Storyteller's Daughter is just fantastic). The story of the 12 Dancing Princesses is one of my all-time favorites, and I'm also a bit of a sucker for Arthurian legend. I thought that combining the two would be fantastic. Alas, I was disappointed. The story just never gelled. It followed two characters who were separated and then came together, but the way they met didn't really make sense. The magics weren't well defined (a problem for a fantasy novel) because they weren't exactly Arthurian, but then weren't like those in a typical fairy tale. The combination made one of the central elements very confusing and took away from the book. The plot was also a fusion that just didn't work. Sometimes it felt that I needed to be thinking about Camelot, yet at others I should have remembered the fairy tales. I love fusions and twist on fairy tales, but this time it just felt choppy. It didn't blend together like it needed to. Besides that, it was predictable. I didn't know exactly how everything was going to happen, but I knew ahead of time what was going on. I hate being able to guess a plot (and I'm also really terrible at it), and it really detracts from the story in my opinion.

The characters were nothing remarkable. The villain didn't seem that evil, and the good characters were on the boring side. I wanted depth and differences and found none. The romance was so blah. It was safe and typical complete with the whole "true love is magnificent, immediate, and conquers/heals all things" message. Maybe I'm just a cynic, but I think that it's more complicated than that. I guess I'm also comparing this retelling with Jessica Day George's magnificent Princess of the Midnight Ball, so it even weaker. The writing wasn't that great, so there was nothing to really save the book. The dialogue was unsophisticated and Weyn tended to drop information on you like a brick. There wasn't any nuance.

I was saddened by this book. I wanted it to be good and fun, but it failed me. If you want a better retelling of the same story grab the book by Jessica Day George that I mentioned because you won't regret it. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for this one.

Book from Library

As You Wish

Ever since Viola's boyfriend broke up with her, she has spent her days silently wishing—to have someone love her again and, more importantly, to belong again—until one day she inadvertently summons a young genie out of his world and into her own. He will remain until she makes three wishes.

Jinn is anxious to return home, but Viola is terrified of wishing, afraid she will not wish for the right thing, the thing that will make her truly happy. As the two spend time together, the lines between master and servant begin to blur, and soon Jinn can't deny that he's falling for Viola. But it's only after Viola makes her first wish that she realizes she's in love with Jinn as well . . . and that if she wishes twice more, he will disappear from her life—and her world—forever.

from amazon.com

Beth says 4 Stars...

This book was so cute. I had so much fun reading it and enjoyed the whole process. I hope I wasn't the only one, but I had some serious Princess Bride flashbacks. At first I found Viola to be a bit mopey, but that changed as the book went on. She developed nicely and morphed into a more mature young woman by the end of the book. Jinn had an interesting arc and went through the most dramatic change. The new take on jinn culture and mythology was astounding. I hadn't read anything quite like it, which really helped keep me involved in the book. I also liked the supporting characters; for some reason they always seem to be the most interesting. The only problem I had was with the plot. It was predicable and a little bit cliche, but still fun. It wasn't original at all and that bothered me. It seemed to me as though I had read it before, just in a sightly different incarnation.

Overall, I thought that this book was fun. It was cuteness without being overly sappy. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a lighthearted romp.

Book from Library