Daughter of Glass by Vicki Keire

Thank you so much to Curiosity Quills for providing us with this book in exchange for an honest review!

TW: CUTTING, SELF-HARM

I was so, so excited about this book! 

Just read the summary! Doesn't it sound amazing?

Sadly, it didn't work for me...

The book is quite short, at about 199 pages, but it still doesn't feel like there is enough plot for it.

For starters it's overly-descriptive. Every little thing, as irrelevant to the plot as it may be, is told to us: car rides, extensive physical descriptions, every little thing that goes through Sasha's (the main character) thoughts is told to us in detail. 

And on the subject of being told... this book is all "tell", no "show". 

Readers can infer things, they don't need to be told, often through repetition (and repetition, and repetition...) what is going on. As a reader, I felt like I was being talked down to...

And when the author wasn't telling the reader every minutiae, we got awkward, stilted dialogue instead. 

Then there is Sasha (who is a very hard to relate to main character), and Noah's... "relationship". 

"For about the millionth time, I tried to name this feeling between us and failed."

It's insta-love, girl. 

To summarise, this book is basically a good plot idea failed in the execution, ending up as a collection of YA tropes, from the insta-love, to the absent parents, complete with tragically dead mother, too much drama... I could go on.

It just wasn't for me, but maybe others will like it. 

Buy Daughter of Glass
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Vicki Keire's official site

Forever Grace ( Ever After #2) by Linda Poitevin

                                Arc provided by Michem Publishing through Netagalley
                                            
                                            Status: Already released ( April 24 th)

Trigger warnings: Domestic Violence

Having read and loved the first book in this series ( Read my review Here!) I was more than happy to sunk my metaphorical teeth in this one.
This is basically a four star book. As usual it is extremely well written. The characters pretty much have a life of their own, and the author was able to interwove a harsh reality with the promises of a new day. Hopefully a better one.

However _ for me _ since the story happens against the background of domestic abuse, I spend a third of the book wishing that the plot had been told during a longer time frame.

Grace and her nephews are living in the aftermath of a nightmare _that hasn't yet ended_ and I couldn't help feeling that the week they spend around Sean was just too little for the guy to have such an impact in their lives. Not that you don't feel a strong connection between those two, you do.

Also, I had some difficulty believing into Sean's change of heart. Here is someone who didn't want to have kids. And Grace has to take care of four... and the cuteness has an expiration date. lol
Once again, I found everything too sudden.Yes, the situation has its nuances, and maybe his protective instincts have been activated, but...

I was happy to take a peek into Gwynn's and Connor's married life.
I liked how strong (mentally and psychically) Grace turned out to be. I especially loved the fact that she didn't need anyone to save her in the end.
And the fact that she landed Sean on his... posterior (both psychical as literal speaking) was an added bonus.

Bottom line, a good story, although I still prefer the first book in the series "Gwynneth Ever After" something not difficult to understand given the theme of this book.


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Valiant by Sarah Mcguire

                                           Arc provided by Egmont usa through Netgalley

                                                          Release Date: April 28 th

And unexpectedly, a favourite read appears...

Having never read the original fairy tale, it was the expression "a debut fairy tale reimagining" in the synopsis that caught my interest. And I am so glad that it did! 
~What can I say? You people know I can't resist a  fairy tale retelling!~

I loved this from page one until the very last.
Especially because I had no idea of what was going to happen. And I have no problem  admitting that I was a "little nervous" to see how a certain situation would be resolved.

Saville is a great character: She's level headed, intelligent and courageous... and no, she is not a Mary Sue.

She is a seventeen year old who has lost her mother, and only has her brute of a father in her life.
The father is the Tailor. Someone more interested in fabrics and outfit models than in his own daughter. In fact he pretty much hates her.

Saville has grown accustomed to his violent moods, but not resigned. And it is her intention to start a new life once father and daughter reach their new home in Reggen.

Unfortunately things don't work out as Saville had planned, and just when she is settling into her new life, her dreams end up pushed aside, when the girl finds herself suddenly entangled in Reggen's state affairs.

It's not easy to make a living as a Tailor being a girl. There the need for a disguise.
It becomes even more difficult when someone sees through said disguise, and when she suddenly finds herself in the unlikely role of Reggen's champion.

Now the "brave little tailor" who happens to be a girl, will have to find a way to stop a war between Reggen and a mysterious duke determined to lay waste to the whole city.
In the meantime she will have to keep safe the only family she has left_ and no, I am not talking about her worthless father_ and especially try not to lose her heart to her only ally: someone way above her station in life.

Regarding the romance, I will just say this: It evolved into a beautiful _although at times aching_ story to watch. I had no idea of what was going to happen.

Full of adventure, heartbreak, and just the right dose of romance, this is a tale that will probably be better appreciated by the YA and adult readers... or so says the adult who loved it. :)

Author's Official Site

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It Happened One Midnight ( Pennyroyal Series # 8) by Julie Anne Long

It had been some years since I last read a Pennyroyal Green book.

And I don't even know why.

I absolutely loved #5 in the series What I Did For a Duke. And so far the latest volumes _ unlike the first ones _ have not disappointed me.
This one _ due to unknown circumstances -_- _ has been sitting on my TBR pile for quite some time, and during the first time I picked it up, I couldn't seem to pass the first pages.

Now, after having gone through some YA reads that bored me to death, I was more than ready to start an historical romance with adult characters, who would hopefully behave as adults.
I am happy to report that they did! ;)

There's not much to say about this one: this is a story of friends to lovers romance.
When you look at Tommy _ Thomasina *poor girl*_ and Jonathan's situation, they don't seem to have anything in common. But at their hearts, they're passionate people that care deeply about justice being made. And I loved them for it.

I also had a few laughs at Jonathan's expense every time, children _ his future children _ were mentioned. 

 

"Jonathan shook his head to and fro. “They’re bloody exhausting. It’s always ‘don’t!’ and ‘stop that!’ and ‘be quiet!’ or ‘speak up!’ . . . they’re completely anarchic creatures. Animals make infinitely more sense.”
“Children?”
“What else!”

When to that one adds their friendship, the story was pretty much perfect. 

 

"Thank you, Jonathan."

"You're welcome, Burden."

 

See? :D

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Omega City (Omega City #1) by Diana Peterfreund

                                          Arc provided by Balzer + Bray through Edelweiss

                                                       Release Date: April 28th


The author's series "For Darkness shows the Stars" _ well I hope it is a series, and not a duology _ is amongst my favourites reads, so despite this being labelled as a middle grade story, I couldn't resist requesting it.
Also I've read pretty amazing books labelled as middle grade oriented, so I had pretty high expectactions for this book.
What I found was truly a middle grade story.
.................
Can I complain that it was more middle grade that what I am used to? lol
I could, but that would make of me a complete moron... when I strive to never pass the "partial one" mark.

Allow me then to say _ in a very diplomatic manner_ that I am no longer this story's target. Reading this reminded me of Enyd Blyton adventure stories, like the Famous Five. Books that I more than re-read when I was growing up, but which I haven't touched in decades.

This rating  is intended to be seen as a form of compromise: It isn't a bad book... but it never held my interest. Especially the sci-fi bit. That really didn't work out for me.

Despite this, I  have to mention that the characters are well developed: there's the adventurer who is determined to clear her father's name, the adventurer's best friend who has not only beauty but also brains... the adventurer's brother who has a terrible fear of MONSTERS, the cute older guy who tries to control the kids _ right _ and his brother, the extremely intelligent one who probably has some level of autism.
The interactions between them were all well done. They are intelligent kids, being chased by a "I am going to reveal all of my secrets to you" villain... so, smart kids versus a less than intelligent foe.
Guess who wins? :)

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Radiance (Wraith Kings #1) by Grace Draven

I LOVED it!!!

I'm no stranger to Grace Draven's work, so I went into this with high hopes, which were more than met. 

Ildiko has been "condemned" to marry Brishen, a prince of the Kai. 

It's difficult to tell who is less eager for the marriage: bride or groom. 

Ildiko is human and Brishen is Kai. I don't know the name of this particular trope, but it's one of my absolute favourites: when beautiful women/men among their people are married off to beautiful women/men among their own people but, to each other, they are absolutely abhorrent. 

It can usually start off on a bitter tone like, "Ugh, this disgusting monster I married." But Draven has the refreshing sense to write her characters as pragmatic people, open to making the best out of the hand fate dealt them, and opposed to drama.

So we have Ildiko and Brishen starting off as friends, allying to survive court intrigue and attempts on their lives, falling for each other even if along the way they can't help but find the other physically repellent. But they do fall in love, for they find each other's inner beauty. 

It's like Beauty and the Beast, but they're both beauty and beast, and their love feels all the more precious for it, pure and true, without the initial trappings of lust at first sight.

What follows is a slow romance steeped in an engrossing plot and ending on a cliffhanger that has me dying to read the next book in the series!

I can't wait!

Grace Draven's official site

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Crimson Bound by Rosemund Hodge

                                     Arc provided by Balzer + Bray through Edelweiss
                                                    Release Date: May 5 th

Okay, how will I be able to explain this story's rating when in fact I mostly hated this?
_______
One star goes to the cover designer:  Erin Fitzsimmons
You're amazing. Your work alone sells books.

The other star? Yes, it goes to the story. For the fantasy aspects, solely. Especially the part regarding the "pins and needles"situation... and I am going to leave it at that, because I don't want to spoil it.
Why couldn't the story have had more of those aspects?

In the last pages the author tells us that she was inspired by three works of fiction. I've read one of them. It's by one of my favourite authors: Patricia A. Mckillip and it's called "Alphabet of Thorns"(and not even my favourite one).
Curiously, I have to say that the only pages in this book that for me where worth reading did remind me of Patricia Mckillip's writing style. Basically the parts where Ziza and her brother appears.

As for the rest, I couldn't connect with the writing style.
This had a first great paragraph, and all of a sudden, voilá three years have passed, and everything is a mess.
We have a girl who has turn into a badass without us seeing it.

We have two friendships that feel really weak. One with a guy who apparently mostly behaves as an idiot, and the other with a girl, so it can be said that there's girls friendship in the story.

Fairy tale retelling of Red Riding Hood...where?
Honestly this was the weakest retelling I've ever got my hands on.

The setting in which the story takes place...
I don't know... ~Versailles circa Louis XIV~  A king who doesn't leave the throne, a bishop _  some sort of Richelieu?  _ who wants to take his place...
One too many dialogues and threads connected with religion _ not something in which I am particularly interested while I am reading YA _ made of this, _FOR ME _ a mess.

As for the "girl with the Silver Hands" fairy tale _ also part of this tale _ in this case, we have a boy with silver hands who is seen as a saint by the commoners and as a source of dislike for Rachelle.
She dislikes him, and doesn't trust him _ which is understandable _ but then all of a sudden, love appears _why?_ and voilá: One love triangle coming right up.

A messy love triangle that involves a girl choosing a side, because she doesn't think she's good enough for the one she really likes... but wait, she also likes the one who has been by her side the past three years -_-
Stupid love triangle.

Bottom line: A story that I forced myself to finish because I really wanted to know what was going to happen _not because I was enjoying it _, you know, basic morbid bookworm activity.

I've read Cruel Beauty. I had a really hard time with the first part of with, but then I actually liked the second one. As for Gilded Ashes, the author novella, I really liked it.
This one I am afraid didn't work out for me.

My advice?
Go read a Patricia A. Mckillip tale. Winter Rose, maybe. The writing is hauntingly beautiful... all of it.

Author's Official Site

Bookdepository.com

Cold Burn Of Magic ( Black Blade #1) by Jennifer Estep

                                  Arc provided by Kensington Teen through Netgalley

                                                         Release date:April 28 th

DNF at 13%

I give up.

Lila has just looked into... what's his name eyes... and she was struck dumb by insta love/attraction/lust/silliness.
Who cares if her behaviour _up until NOW _ was trying to portray a tough young girl? Someone who has been living all by herself since her mother died. Someone who knows what she has to do in order to survive?
___
Who cares, right?
It's love.

Also, the girl has this super uber power that allows her to KNOW what a person is thinking and feeling...and OMG, DEVON _ whose name she finds ridiculous fascinating _ is the MAN.Who cares if she just looked into his face a freaking minute ago?

-_- I just... can't deal with this. *headesk*

He's so amazing, that by the amount of adjectives she uses to describe his "amazingness", I wouldn't be surprised if she would write an ode to his awesomeness later on.
Sorry, but no can do.
Life is too short to keep reading this and my grey cells are threatening with a strike if I keep this up.

"I knew in an instant that he was the sort of guy who was exceedingly loyal to his friends. Who felt responsible for others. Who tried to help people as much as he could even if they didn’t deserve it, and he ended up being the one who got hurt instead. The sort of guy that others saw as a leader and naturally flocked to. The sort of guy who was just so disgustingly fascinating that you couldn’t help wanting to know more about him."

Ye, Gods.

Author Official Site

bookdepository.com

The One In My Heart by Sherry Thomas

                                   Arc provided by NLA Digital LLC through Netgalley

                                                             Release date: April 21

My reaction after having read this novel:

CAN I HAVE MORE... LIKE NOW?
Evangeline has friends. Bennett has a brother and sister. There's clearly a great number of people waiting to be...paired of... with their significant others! ;)

What is so great about this novel _ despite the fact that Eva does go into a stranger's house in the middle of the night... a stranger who knows how to use scalpels! _ is that they're actually perfect for one another in their own imperfections. And, trust me, there's plenty of those -_-

But let's talk about the positives aspects... well, first of all I can't point out a significant negative one!
o_O
I Know! It surprised the heck out of me.

Their chemistry... Dear Lord... it basically gets a fifteen out of ten.
                                  
                               Do not read this in public!

Their characters
They have depth. They have their issues. They're less than perfect, but they just fit.
The actual depth of the romance. This is much more than A meets B on the HEA road.

The way they connect with their respective families _ which is an important part of the story _ and try to deal with out life has thrown at them... I loved it all!

Oh, and you know how I am often complaining how the guys in historical romances are asses that should be kicked out to the curb? No... well it happens from time to time.
Well, Bennett is in fact a descendent of the Tremaine family line _ see book "Private Arrangements" _ and he is not an ASS... well, okay... yes, he had some moments when he was younger... but now, he has grown out of them it!
I am so, so happy for you Bennett. I never felt like hitting you in the head with a heavy object!:D
So refreshing.

Sorry, but as you can see this is not going to be one of those analytical reviews that I mostly write: I still have stars in my eyes, I can't stop remembering the scene with the princess ball gown. LOL IRL

And I want this in paperback.
Please let this be published in paperback format!-_-

Oh, and the synopsis?
It makes some issues seem more problematic than what they really are. The money thing for instance, is basically irrelevant to the story. It definitely isn't that type of book.

Author Official Site


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Defiant ( Towers Trilogy # 2) by Karina Sumner-Smith

                                              Arc provided by Talos Publishing through Edelweiss

                                                                  Release Date: May 5th

Because Radiant was my favourite book back in 2014, I couldn't resist the opportunity of getting my hands on this arc.
Also, because I tend to be somewhat OCD when it comes to favourite series, I chose to re-read Radiant before starting with this one.
What I got from the re-read?
It was still a fantastic read, the first scene is still very much imprinted in my mind. Although this time I did find that it dragged a little towards the end. But that is something that usually happens with all the stories that I re-read, so it wasn't a big deal.

As for this one volume, I can say that Xhea and Shai continue to be favourite characters.

I loved getting to know some background on Xhea: her family story... and basically how she sees herself having to deal with what is happening to her.
The dilemma that she faces in this book, was believable for someone living in her situation.
Also kudos for the author, for not choosing the magical path to solve a lot of problems, like Xhea's medical condition.
The way we get a little more character diversity in this story is also among the positives in this tale.
Then there's something in which I am somewhat divided: I do like the author's writing style, but this is a post-apocalyptic / sci-fi story, and as such, I was hoping for more action...

This writing style combined with the emotional aspects of this book, made me think of This Is Not A Test, in which most readers were probably expecting a zombie book and got a psychological drama instead (well 95% of it maybe ).
For me, Defiant would be better defined as a psychological drama. It is set against the backdrop of a sci-fi /post apocalyptic world, but it is only during the last chapters, that those elements really shine.
The explanations for some "mysteries" ended up sounding believable and  logical _ even with such a setting..or especially because of it _, and that is always positive.

Despite all that, I can't help mention that I found that there were parts in the narrative that could have been cut, so that it would have a more fluid story line.

Despite all that, I am still invested in the series and I am looking forward to the last book that I think is going to be published in October. Only six more months to go! :D

Author's Official Site

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